Haven Manor Settles EEOC  Disability Discrimination Suit

Lincoln Assisted Living Facility Refused to Accept Hearing-Impaired Nursing Assistant, Federal Agency Charged

LINCOLN, Neb. – A Lincoln assisted living center has agreed to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

In its lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska (Case No. 4:10CV03108) in June 2010, the EEOC charged that Haven Manor, Inc. violated the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) when it refused to accept temporary placement of Amanda Huff, a hearing-impaired certified nursing assistant (CNA), at its Lincoln facility because of her disability.

In the consent decree submitted to the court today for approval, Haven Manor agreed to pay Huff $10,000 in settlement of the EEOC claim. The company also agreed to provide training to all management and supervisory employees on the topics of disability discrimination and reasonable accommodation under the ADA. In addition, Haven Manor agreed for three years to provide the EEOC a report of every request for reasonable accommodation made by its employees or staffing agency employees seeking to be placed with Haven Manor.

"Cases like these are especially important since the EEOC does not have an office in Nebraska," said EEOC attorney Melvin Kennedy. "But this agency will fulfill its mission in every state. Such cases should remind employers that the EEOC can effectively enforce the nation's anti-discrimination laws with the help of its partnerships with state agencies such as the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission, which investigated Ms. Huff's discrimination charge."

The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the Commission is available on the agency's web site at www.eeoc.gov.