SEATTLE — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against a Washington state construction company that allegedly fired an employee because of her epilepsy.
The EEOC alleges Diamond B Contructors, Inc., violated federal law by firing Angela Watson, a pipefitter and certified rigger, who was working on a reconstruction project for the company at Tesoro Oil Refinery in Anacortes, after Watson told her supervisor she had epilepsy. The company said Watson could not safely work at heights although her epilepsy was controlled with medication and she had not asked for any accommodations or work restrictions, according to the EEOC lawsuit.
"Riggers are pipefitters who are trained to calculate loads and safely attach large components to cranes for lifting, and Angela got a specialized dispatch for this assignment because she's certified to do that," EEOC senior trial attorney May Che said in a statement. "When Diamond B falsely presumed that Angela was incapable of practicing her trade and fired her, it violated her rights under the ADA, and the EEOC [will] stand up for those rights."
The EEOC alleges Diamond B violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and seeks monetary damages for Watson and injunctive relief including anti-discrimination law training for Diamond B employees.