Jones Lang LaSalle Americas to Pay $82,500 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Suit

Commercial Real  Estate Company Rescinded Offer to Applicant With Disability, Federal Agency  Charged

ATLANTA - Jones Lang LaSalle Americas, Inc., a commercial real estate company  headquartered in Chicago with an office in Atlanta, will pay $82,500 to settle  a disability discrimination charge brought by the U.S. Equal Employment  Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

The EEOC filed suit in 2017, charging that Jones Lang  LaSalle violated federal law when its Atlanta office refused to hire an  applicant in 2016 after she disclosed her disability. According to the EEOC's  complaint, the applicant accepted a job offer with Jones Lang LaSalle and  disclosed her disability after human resources reached out to her to discuss  her new position. After the applicant disclosed her disability, Jones Lang  LaSalle rescinded its job offer.

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with  Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits employers from discriminating against  employees based on their disabilities and because they requested a reasonable  accommodation for those disabilities. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Jones  Lang LaSalle Americas, Inc., Civil Action No. 1:17-cv-04017-ELR-JSA) in  U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division,  after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its  conciliation process.

The consent decree settling the suit was signed by the court  on July 2, 2018. In addition to the monetary relief, Jones Lang LaSalle agreed  to provide employment discrimination training to its management and  non-management employees, and to post anti-discrimination notices at its Atlanta  facility. In addition, the decree subjects Jones Lang LaSalle to reporting and  monitoring requirements.

  "The disclosure of a disability is the first step in the  interactive process between the employer and employee when requesting an accommodation  under the ADA," said Bernice Williams-Kimbrough, district director for the EEOC's  Atlanta District Office. "This disclosure should result in a conversation  between the two parties about how to successfully address the employee's needs,  not in the rescission of a job offer."

Antonette Sewell, regional attorney for the EEOC's Atlanta  District Office, added, "The agency is pleased that Jones Lang LaSalle agreed  to resolve this case and further train its employees on its obligations under  the ADA. The applicant in this case has been compensated and the employer will  be better equipped to respond the next time an applicant or employee discloses  a disability."

The EEOC's Atlanta District Office oversees  Georgia and parts of South Carolina.

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.