Muncie Dollar General Store Sued By EEOC For Disability Discrimination

Store Failed to Accommodate, Then Demoted, a Dyslexic Employee, Federal Agency Charges

INDIANAPOLIS – A Muncie, Ind., Dollar General Store and its parent company, Dolgencorp, violated federal law by failing to provide a reasonable accommodation to an employee who had dyslexia and then firing him because of the disability, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.

According to the EEOC's suit, EEOC v. Dolgencorp, LLC, d/b/a Dollar General Store, Civil Action No. 1:11-cv-00755-SEB-DKL, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, the company denied the requested accommodation for the dyslexic employee and failed to provide him with any type of accommodation. The store then demoted the employee from the position of lead sales associate to sales associate because of his disability.

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The agency is seeking compensatory and punitive damages against the company as well as other relief, including a permanent injunction to prevent the company from engaging in any further employment practice that discriminates on the basis of disability.

"Disabled employees in the workplace are entitled to reasonable accommodations necessary to perform their jobs, and employers have a duty to engage in the interactive accommodation process," said Laurie A. Young, Regional Attorney of the Indianapolis District Office. "The Commission will vigorously prosecute cases, such as this, where employers ignore this obligation."

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