COLUMBUS HOLIDAY INN CONFERENCE CENTER SUED BY EEOC FOR DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION

Employee With Known Physical Limitations Denied Reasonable Accommodation, Federal Agency Charges

INDIANAPOLIS – A group of companies which operate the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Columbus, Ind., unlawfully discriminated against an employee and fired him because of his disability, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.

According to the EEOC's suit (Civil Action No. 1:09-cv-1169-LJM-DML), filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, the employee had physical limitations known to the company. Yet, the employer refused to take reasonable measures to accommodate those limitations in June 2008, the EEOC said.

Disability discrimination violates the Americans With Disabilities Act, which requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for employees' disabilities as long as this does not pose an undue hardship on the business. The EEOC filed suit against Indiana Motel Developers, Inc., Columbus Hotel Developers, Inc., and Crosspoint Hotel Developers, Inc. after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement.

"This employer could easily have prevented this situation by being reasonable and making this simple accommodation," said Laurie A. Young, EEOC regional attorney for the Indianapolis District Office.

The EEOC's Indianapolis Office is located at 101 W. Ohio Street, Suite 1900.  The toll-free telephone number is (800) 669-4000.  The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.