EEOC TO ANNOUNCE FILING OF DISABILITY LAWSUIT

DETROIT -- On Friday, May 24, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will announce the filing of a lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The announcement will be made at a press conference scheduled for 10 a.m.at EEOC's office in the Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building, 447 Michigan Avenue, Room 865.

EEOC Commissioner, Paul Steven Miller will be on hand to announce the filing of the Commission's first ever lawsuit filed on behalf of individuals with mental retardation. The EEOC will allege that the employer failed to comply with the ADA by not providing two qualified employees with a reasonable accommodation that would have enabled them to do their jobs. The suit also will allege that both employees were discriminatorily fired based solely on their disability.

In addition to the ADA, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in the private sector and state and local governments, the EEOC enforces: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act affecting individuals age 40 and older; the Equal Pay Act; prohibitions against individuals with disabilities in the federal government; and sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991.