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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowSt. Vincent Hospital refused to accommodate a worker who had lifting restrictions due to a disability, then fired her in violation of federal law, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says in a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The federal agency said it filed the case in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis on behalf of employee Latoya Moore. The lawsuit was not immediately available.
Moore had worked at St. Vincent as a patient care administrative technician at the Indianapolis hospital since 2008, according to her LinkedIn page.
According to the EEOC, when St. Vincent learned of Moore’s lifting restrictions, the hospital required her to take leave at reduced pay, instead of transferring her to vacant positions she was qualified for and could perform. The hospital later fired her.
The EEOC said it filed suit under the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits employers from discriminating against any individual because of disabilities.
Under the ADA, it is illegal for an employer to refuse to provide a reasonable accommodation to a qualified individual with a disability unless the employer can demonstrate the accommodation would impose an undue hardship.
Officials from St. Vincent did not immediately provide a comment on the suit. St. Vincent is owned by Ascension Health, based in St. Louis, the nation's largest Catholic health system.
The EEOC said it attempted to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process before filing the suit.
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