In EEOC v. Verizon Maryland, LLC, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged the company with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
A management employee with hypertension asked Verizon to transfer him to either a field position he had previously held or an alternative management role that would better accommodate his disability. Verizon refused. Instead, they told him that he would need to resign and reapply after six months. The company also denied him the chance to compete for other open management positions. With no reasonable accommodation offered, the employee resigned due to medical necessity.
The EEOC alleged that Verizon’s conduct violated the ADA, which requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees with disabilities. After conciliation failed, the EEOC filed suit.
In 2024, Verizon agreed to pay $115,000 in monetary relief to the former manager and entered into a 30-month consent decree. The decree prohibits Verizon from using “resignation and reapplication” as an ADA accommodation, mandates ADA training for managers, and requires reporting of future disability complaints to the EEOC.
Lessons Learned from the Case:
- Employers must actively explore reasonable accommodations rather than forcing employees to resign.
- The ADA requires flexibility, such as reassigning employees to open positions when their current role conflicts with their disability.
- Large companies, including those with salaried management staff, remain fully accountable under the ADA and can face financial and compliance penalties for ignoring accommodation requests.
Learn more about Maryland Labor Laws through our detailed guide.
