Camber Corporation to Pay $100,000 to Settle EEOC Disability and Age Discrimination Suit

Defense Contractor Refused to Transfer Employee Due to  Son's Disability, Then Fired Him, Federal Agency Charged

WASHINGTON -  Federal contractor Camber Corporation has agreed to pay $100,000 and furnish  other relief to settle a disability and age discrimination lawsuit filed by the  U.S. Equal Employ­ment Oppor­tunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced  today.

The EEOC charged  that Camber Corporation violated federal law when it denied an employee a trans­fer  based on his son's medical condition and then fired him, replacing him with  someone more than 20 years younger.

According to  the EEOC, employee Ashok Pai's son  sustained catastrophic injuries in a car accident as a child and, as a result,  has been disabled for more than 25 years. Pai sought a  transfer to work nearer to where his son lived and requested leave to assist  with his care. Further, imme­diately after man­age­ment learned that Pai was  exploring the transfer to care for his disabled son, Camber classified him as  "re­signed," began processing termination paperwork and ultimately fired him for  pretextual reasons, the EEOC said. Camber then replaced Pai, who was then in  his mid-60s, with a much younger worker.

Such alleged behavior violates  the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Age Discrim­ination in  Employment Act (ADEA). The EEOC filed its suit (EEOC v. Camber Corporation,  Case No. 1:17-cv-01084-AJT-JFA) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District  of Virginia after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through  its conciliation process.

On July 2, 2018, U.S. District  Court Judge Anthony J. Trenga entered a consent decree resolving the case. In  addition to a $100,000 award for lost wages, the two-year decree includes  injunctive relief to prevent disability and age discrimination from occurring  at the company in the future. The decree requires continued annual training on  the protections of the ADA and ADEA, including the ADA provision barring  employers from discriminating against workers because of their association with  disabled persons. The company must also post anti-discrimination notices at its  Huntsville, Ala., and Fairfax, Va., locations.

"The ADA not only prohibits  employers from discriminating against people with disabilities, it also bans  discrimination against employees and applicants based on their association with  a person with a disability -- for good reasons," said Washington Field Office  Acting Director Mindy Weinstein. "Mr. Pai simply asked for a transfer to help  deal with his son's severe disability, and the company made a bad situation  worse by punishing him for trying to do the right thing and showing age bias at  the same time. The EEOC is here to fight for the rights of people like Ashok  Pai."

EEOC Regional Attorney Debra  M. Lawrence added, "When employers violate the law, the EEOC will hold them  accountable. We are pleased that the parties were able to reach a resolution to  better protect the rights of employees under federal law."

Camber Corporation was headquartered in Huntsville, Ala. This discrimination  took place in Falls Church, Va., where the employee worked for Camber at an  office within the U.S. Department of Justice.

The EEOC's Washington Field  Office has jurisdiction over the District of Columbia and the Virginia counties  of Arlington, Clarke, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, Prince William,  Stafford and Warren; and the independent Virginia cities of Alexandria, Fairfax  City, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park and Winchester.

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.