Cutting Edge Supply to Pay $150,000 in EEOC Disability Discrimination and Retaliation Lawsuit

PHOENIX – Black Diamond Blade Company, doing business as Cutting Edge Supply, a California-based construction supply company operating in Arizona, will pay $150,000 to a former welder and furnish other relief to settle a disability discrimination and retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

According to the lawsuit, Cutting Edge failed to accommodate a welder with diabetes who requested an accommodation to take snack breaks periodically throughout the workday to regulate his blood sugar, and retaliated against him when he complained about the discrimination. Eventually, the employee was fired.

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits disability discrimination, including failure to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v Cutting Edge Supply, Civ #2:25-cv-00242-DLR) in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

In addition to providing $150,000 in damages to the employee, the two-year consent decree settling the suit requires Cutting Edge to revise its ADA policies, promptly and thoroughly investigate claims of disability discrimination, train all employees and managers on disability discrimination, and provide reports of training, complaints, and policy modifications to the EEOC.

“The EEOC is appreciative that Cutting Edge Supply worked with us to negotiate an early resolution to this matter,” said Mary Jo O’Neill, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Phoenix District Office.

Melinda Caraballo, district director of the EEOC’s Phoenix District Office said, “Employers must provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities unless it would cause the employer an undue hardship. Employers must also protect employees from retaliation when they complain about what they believe is discrimination.” 

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

The EEOC’s Phoenix District Office has jurisdiction for Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and part of New Mexico.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.