Len Stoler, Inc. to Pay $105,000 in EEOC Disability Discrimination Suit

BALTIMORE – A Baltimore-area car dealership will pay $105,000 and furnish other relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Len Stoler, Inc. employed a service advisor who sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI) and was in a coma after surviving a serious accident that 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 position as a service advisor. However, Len Stoler demoted her to a lower-paying cashier position at a different location because of her disabilities caused by the accident, the EEOC said. The EEOC also charged that Len Stoler eventually fired the employee based on her disability.

The EEOC brought claims against Len Stoler under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which prohibits disability discrimination in employment. The EEOC filed suit (U.S. EEOC v. Len Stoler, Inc. t/a Len Stoler Auto Group, Civil Action No. 1:23-cv-02487) in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Northern Division after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through the agency’s conciliation process. The EEOC and Len Stoler subsequently settled the case by a mutually agreed decree before the federal court made any findings concerning the EEOC’s claims. On September 19, 2024, the federal court approved the two-year consent decree, resolving the litigation. In addition to paying $105,000 to the employee, Len Stoler is enjoined from violating the ADA and has agreed to adopt comprehensive policies, procedures and training designed to assist the company in its future ADA compliance.

Debra Lawrence, a regional attorney out of the EEOC’s Baltimore office, said, “The EEOC commends Len Stoler for engaging in a collaborative dialogue with the EEOC to find an appropriate resolution of this case. Len Stoler’s agreement to adopt revised ADA compliance policies and training—which will give managers the tools they need to make well-informed, lawful decisions about workers with disabilities—is both a laudable expression of the company’s commitment to its employees and a smart, forward-thinking approach to its business.”

“TBI is a significant cause of disability, both in the general population and among our nation’s veterans,” said EEOC’s Baltimore office Director Rosemarie Rhodes. “Workers with TBI-related disabilities, whether those disabilities have visible manifestations or symptoms that are less apparent, are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect in the workplace.”

The EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office has jurisdiction over Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. Attorneys in the EEOC Philadelphia District Office also prosecute discrimination cases in Washington, D.C. and parts of Virginia.

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

The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.