Walmart has been sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in the United States.
The EEOC said Walmart’s firing of Adrian Tucker in April 2017 violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. This is because her nine “unauthorized” absences in the past six months, including her hospitalization and emergency room visits, violated the company’s “attendance and punctuality policy.”
According to a complaint filed in federal court in Charlotte, North Carolina, Walmart said that despite Tucker’s submission of a doctor’s note and his refusal of requests for regular vacations or a transfer to a job closer to the bathroom, Walmart had several did not excuse his absence from work.
Crohn’s disease is a chronic bowel disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract and can lead to diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue, and weight loss.
Before being laid off, Tucker worked for three years at Walmart in Statesville, North Carolina, where he served customers, prepared meals, cleaned, washed dishes, and handled chickens weighing up to 50 pounds (23 kg). I lifted the box of
EEOC attorney Melinda Dugas said in a statement that Tucker was a long-term employee who needed “flexibility” from Walmart because of his declining health. It was created to protect our employees.”
Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart said it was reviewing the complaint.
“We have been a premier employer for people with disabilities for many years and have thousands of employees who work with reasonable accommodation.” We do not condone or take such allegations seriously.”
The lawsuit seeks compensation and punitive damages for Tucker, as well as an end to similar future discrimination.
The action is EEOC v Wal-Mart Stores East LP, United States District Court, Western District of North Carolina, No. 23-00181.
Reporting by Jonathan Stempel, New York; Editing by Aurora Ellis
