LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Legal Newsline) – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced Nov. 10 that a McDonald’s restaurant owned and operated by Mathews Management Co. and Peach Orchard Inc. in Bentonville, Arkansas, will pay $103,000 after allegations of disability discrimination.
According to EEOC, the McDonald’s restaurant fired an employee just days after learning of the employee’s HIV-positive status. EEOC also charged the company with having illegal businesses practices. The McDonald’s location purportedly had a policy of requiring all employees to report the use of prescription medication, and alleged conduct of this nature violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"EEOC remains committed to protecting employees from disability discrimination on the job," said Faye A. Williams, regional attorney of the agency's Memphis District Office, which has jurisdiction over Arkansas, Tennessee and portions of Mississippi. "EEOC commends the companies for working with us to quickly resolve this matter prior to trial."
Mathews Management Co. owns and operates 34 McDonald’s restaurants. This includes all McDonald’s locations in Northwest Arkansas, as well as McDonald’s restaurants in nearby areas in Missouri and Oklahoma.