CLEVELAND — Main Event Entertainment, Inc., an entertainment and dining establishment in Avon, Ohio, will pay $40,000 and furnish equitable relief to settle a disability discrimination and retaliation charge filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
Following an investigation, the EEOC found reasonable cause to believe that Main Event failed to hire an applicant for a technician position because of his disability and in retaliation for his asking for a reasonable accommodation of his disability. The EEOC also determined that Main Event failed to maintain personnel and employment records as required by the EEOC’s regulations. Main Event does not admit to any wrongdoing and does not concede that any violation of the law took place, but agreed to a voluntary resolution of the charge.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits employment discrimination based on disability. It also requires employers to provide a reasonable accommodation to an employee or job applicant with a disability, unless doing so would pose an undue hardship. The ADA also prohibits employers from engaging in retaliation against employees for complaining about such practices.
In addition to the monetary relief for the applicant, Main Event will provide training on the ADA, revise and disseminate its reasonable accommodation policy, and revise the anti-discrimination statement on its employment applications. The company will also report to the EEOC on its future hiring and responses to reasonable accommodation requests and post a notice regarding the settlement. The EEOC will monitor compliance with the voluntary settlement for two years.
“We applaud Main Event Entertainment for voluntarily resolving this matter and for implementing important policy changes to protect the employment rights of individuals with disabilities, including providing training on the ADA and revising its reasonable accommodation policies,” said Karen McDonough, acting director of the Cleveland Field Office and enforcement manager of the Philadelphia District Office.
The EEOC’s Cleveland Field Office is one of four offices in the Philadelphia District, which has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. Attorneys in the Philadelphia District Office also prosecute discrimination cases in Washington, D.C., and parts of Virginia.
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.
