AUGUSTA, Ga. — The federal government has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, alleging a Golden Corral restaurant franchisee in Augusta fired a server for not being able to control her epilepsy.
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), B. Fehr, LLC, doing business as Golden Corral, fired a female server and accused her of being unwilling to control her epilepsy in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
"An employer cannot fire an employee because of her disability - or its misperception of it," said EEOC Atlanta District Office regional attorney Antonette Sewell in a statement. "Cruce's condition in no way prevented her from performing her job, yet her employer fired her out of fear for her condition. Such conduct violates the ADA."
"The EEOC is committed to stopping workplace disability discrimination in Georgia and across the country," EEOC Atlanta Office district director Bernice Williams-Kimbrough added. "The ADA was passed, in part, to allow individuals to be judged on their abilities, not on the employer's assumptions about their supposed limitations."
The EEOC seeks reinstatement, back pay, front pay and compensatory and punitive damages for the terminated employee as well as injunctive relief to prevent future discrimination.