Lanier Tech, U.S. Attorney Settle On Discrimination Lawsuit

GAINESVILLE, GA — The U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached an agreement with Lanier Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, to resolve the department’s lawsuit alleging disability discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The agreement resolves the department’s complaint alleging that the college terminated an employee on the basis of her disability, multiple sclerosis, after years of service to the college. The complaint further alleges that, after the employee took three days of sick leave one summer, the college removed her from the teaching schedule for an entire school semester, thus reducing her hours and pay to zero, due to her multiple sclerosis.

Under the agreement, Lanier Technical College will revise its policies to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, implement new policies to ensure it does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its scheduling practices, train staff on the Americans with Disabilities Act, and file periodic reports with the department on implementation of the agreement. The college will pay $53,000 in back pay and compensatory damages to its former employee. This matter was based on a referral from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Atlanta District Office, which completed the initial investigation of the facts.

“Individuals should not face unlawful barriers to employment because they have a chronic illness or other disability,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband. “This agreement is another step towards eliminating discriminatory employment barriers for people with disabilities. We applaud Lanier Technical College for committing to change its policies and practices, and compensating its former employee who was unlawfully terminated from her job.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Johnson handled this case for the Northern District of Georgia jointly with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

Read the settlement agreement online, and to read the complaint online. For more information on the Civil Rights Division, visit www.justice.gov/crt. For more information on the Americans with Disabilities Act, call the Department’s toll-free Americans with Disabilities Act Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov.