CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced a lawsuit June 15 against IDEC Corporation, a global industrial device manufacturer, for allegedly firing an employee because of a disability.
"The EEOC takes discrimination based on an assumption of disability just as seriously as discrimination based on an actual impairment,” Gregory Gochanour, EEOC's regional attorney in Chicago, said in a statement. “This is common and harmful but an often overlooked form of discrimination that cannot be ignored."
The EEOC seeks monetary and injunctive relief for Steven Massie, who was allegedly terminated by the defendants because of the perceived disabilities of sleep apnea and a heart condition.
"Terminating people who may or may not have a disability because you fear that they do is unlawful for good reasons," said Julianne Bowman, EEOC’s district director in Chicago. "Our investigation revealed that Mr. Massie was fully capable of working, but that IDEC took his job from him simply based on unfounded fears and stereotypes regarding his supposed impairment."
The EEOC's Chicago District oversees agency operations in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota, with area offices in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.