Federal Court Awards $56,500 to worker Terminated for manic depression
SEATTLE – Today the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced a success in another of its very first impairment discrimination lawsuits taken up to trial concerning bipolar disorder. After a bench that is four-day, a federal region court entered judgment for $56,500 against Irving, Tex.-based Cottonwood Financial. The court discovered that the business violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) additionally the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) whenever it fired a worker from the Walla Walla, Wash., store.
After hearing the proof offered at trial in EEOC v. Cottonwood Financial, Ltd. (No. CV-09-5073-EFS, E. D. Wash.), U.S. District Judge Edward F. Shea noted “Cottonwood’s deficient ADA policies and methods” and discovered that the business’s half-dozen different rationales for terminating shop manager Sean Reilly were a pretext for discrimination and that the business had in fact fired Reilly as it regarded him as too disabled to focus as a result of his manic depression.
The court additionally commended Reilly’s efforts to deal with their impairment, attain success that is academic get yourself a work. Reilly ended up being an honor student in senior school whom went to university in Portland, Ore. on a scholarship that is academic. Whilst in university, he had been identified as having manic depression. When his symptoms forced him to go out of college, he returned house to Walla Walla and discovered employment at Cottonwood, which does company whilst the Cash Store.
Employed as an assistant supervisor in June 2006, Reilly had been swiftly promoted to store supervisor in October and received a prize when it comes to success of their shop in November 2006. Nevertheless, in late January 2007, Reilly, through a wellness care representative, requested a leave that is short adapt to brand new medicine recommended by their medical practitioner to take care of their condition. Reilly alleged that the organization denied this demand, forcing him to come back to operate too early. The bucks Store fired Reilly in February 2007 – just times after his significance of unwell leave first arose.
The ADA and WLAD outlaw firing a worker because of impairment and prohibit employment that is adverse inspired, even yet in component, by sick might toward a member of staff’s real or identified impairment or ask for an accommodation. After first attempting to achieve a voluntary settlement with Cottonwood through the EEOC’s conciliation procedure, the agency filed suit and had been accompanied by Reilly, through their personal counsel, Keller W. Allen of Spokane.
Judge Shea discovered that the bucks Store broke the statutory legislation by firing Reilly and awarded him $6,500 in back wages and $50,000 for psychological discomfort and suffering. The court additionally issued an injunction that is three-year needing the money Store to teach its managers and human resources personnel on anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation laws and regulations.
Following the order that is final established, Reilly stated, “It felt just as if a long period of psychological harm had unexpectedly been healed. After my diagnosis, i must say i challenged myself to beat the odds and do well at the office. To possess my impairment outweigh my performance within my boss’s eyes had been crushing.”
Reilly proceeded, “This instance was never ever about cash or any type of payback — it absolutely was constantly about doing the thing payday loans SC that is right assist protect the liberties of individuals with disabilities. I really hope this verdict allows other folks with manic depression to own the same possibility at acquiring and maintaining effective and fulfilling professions also to avoid future discrimination. It creates me happy and proud to understand that justice prevailed in this full instance.”
William Tamayo, the EEOC’s regional lawyer in san francisco bay area, said, “The court delivered a important message today that companies can not replace fiction for facts when creating work decisions about disabled employees.
Companies functioning on outdated urban myths and worries about disabilities have to know that the EEOC will not shy far from using ADA instances to test to carry them in to the twenty-first century.”
Tamayo recognized EEOC Supervisory test Attorney John Stanley for overseeing the litigation, Senior Trial Attorneys Damien Lee and Jamal Whitehead for representing the EEOC at test, and Investigator Annalie Greer for investigating the outcome allegations.
Reilly’s private counsel Keller Allen added, “The court saw through the numerous and excuses that are changing by Cottonwood for firing Sean Reilly. This might be a well-deserved triumph for a hard-working person that declined to allow his impairment to be used to create a limitation on their achievements.”