EEOC Sues Midwest ISO for Disability Discrimination

Power Grid Operator Denied Reasonable Accommodation, Then Fired Employee With Known Disability, Federal Agency Charges

INDIANAPOLIS – Midwest ISO, a  Carmel, Ind.-based power grid operator for much of the Midwest, unlawfully  discriminated against an employee and fired her because of her disability, the  U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it  filed December 23, 2011.

According to the EEOC's suit (Civil  Action No. 1:11-cv-1703-WTL-DML), filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern  District of Indiana, the employee suffered from post-partum depression, a  condition the employee made known to Midwest ISO. Yet the company refused to grant the  employee's request for some leave time to help her deal with the condition, the  EEOC said.

The Americans With Disabilities Act  (ADA) requires an employer to provide a reasonable accommodation of an  employee's disability, unless the employer would suffer an undue hardship as a  result. The EEOC filed the lawsuit  against Midwest ISO after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement  through its conciliation process.

"This company could easily have prevented this  situation by working toward a reasonable accommodation, which it was legally  obliged to do," said Laurie A. Young, EEOC regional attorney for the  Indianapolis District Office.

The  EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is  available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.