EEOC Sues Len Stoler, Inc. for Disability Discrimination

BALTIMORE – A Baltimore-area car dealership violated federal law by demoting, and later discharging, an employee because of her disabilities, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

The EEOC filed suit against Len Stoler, Inc.,  a Baltimore-area car dealership group, asserting claims that Len Stoler violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to the lawsuit, Len Stoler Lexus in Towson, Maryland, employed a service advisor who sustained traumatic brain injury and a coma after surviving a serious motorcycle accident which affected her ability to speak, walk, and engage in other activities of daily life. After intensive rehabilitation, the employee was ready to return to work in her previous position as a service advisor, but Len Stoler demoted her to a lower paying cashier position at a different location because of her disabilities. The employee later requested to park close to the dealership as a reasonable accommodation, which the dealership denied. Len Stoler eventually fired the employee based on her disability, the EEOC charged.

Such conduct violates Title I of the ADA, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of a disability. The EEOC filed suit in the US District Court for the District of Maryland (U.S. EEOC v. Len Stoler, Inc., Civil Action No. 1:23-cv-02487), after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

“The ADA prohibits employers from discriminating against qualified disabled workers based on unfounded stereotypes, fears, and assumptions about those workers’ ability to perform their jobs,” said EEOC Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence. “The Commission will hold employers accountable for such conduct.”

EEOC Baltimore Field Office Director Rosemarie Rhodes said, “Unlawful employment decisions based on workers’ disabilities will not be tolerated. Workers with traumatic brain injury and other disabilities deserve equal employment opportunities, including the opportunity to have their disabilities reasonably accommodated in the workplace.”

For more information on disability discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/disability-discrimination.

The lawsuit was initiated by the EEOC’s Baltimore Field Office, one of four component offices of the agency’s Philadelphia District Office. The Philadelphia District Office has jurisdiction over Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, and portions of New Jersey and Ohio. Attorneys in the Philadelphia District Office also prosecute discrimination cases in Washington, D.C., and portions of Virginia.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.  Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.