MEMPHIS — A nursing home that allegedly fired an employee for needing additional time off to recover from a heart attack has violated federal law, according to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee Western Division.
According to the EEOC, the Highlands of Memphis LLC and other current former owners, operators and/or managers of a Memphis nursing home fired a night weekend nurse after she suffered a heart attack. After being released from the hospital following the heart attack, the nurse asked for an additional week off to recover. Instead of meeting her accommodation, she was fired by the company in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the EEOC said.
"It is disappointing that any employer, especially a health care company, would fire an employee rather than give her additional time off after she has suffered a heart attack," EEOC Memphis District Office director Delner Franklin-Thomas said in a statement. "Businesses should avoid implementing inflexible policies or procedures that undermine disability discrimination law. The EEOC will continue to fight for employees such as this nurse."