Navitas Systems, LLC, an Ann Arbor, Michigan battery manufacturer, will pay $95,000 and furnish other relief to resolve a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Navitas maintained a policy which required any employee returning from medical leave to be 100% free from restrictions. An employee suffered severe injuries to his left arm; his doctor temporarily restricted him from using his left arm but cleared him to return to work using his other arm. The employee could have completed the essential functions of his position using only one arm, but Navitas applied its policy, refused to allow him to return to work and fired him.
Such alleged conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits employment discrimination based on disability. The EEOC filed suit (Case No. 2:24-cv-12478 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.
Under the three-year consent decree resolving the lawsuit, Navitas will pay $95,000 in monetary damages to the employee, provide annual training on the ADA to all managers, supervisors and human resources personnel, and submit annual reports to the EEOC regarding reasonable accommodation requests and employees returning to work following medical leave. Navitas has already eliminated the “100% restriction free” policy.
Source: EEOC
Topics Lawsuits Michigan Manufacturing
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