Help Desk Technician Unlawfully Fired Because of Disability, Federal Agency Charges

BALTIMORE – Sinclair Broadcast Group will pay $85,000 and provide other relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

A help desk technician who was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder worked for Sinclair Broadcast Group at an office located in Cockeysville, Maryland. After Sinclair Broadcast Group learned of the help desk technician’s mental impairment, the company suspended and fired her, the EEOC said.

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits disability discrimination and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities unless it would cause undue hardship. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., Case No. 1:22-cv-02406) in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

The one-and-one-half-year consent decree settling the suit requires Sinclair Broadcast Group to pay $85,000 in back pay and compensatory damages, and to provide periodic reporting, monitoring, and a process for reviewing future disability discrimination complaints. The decree also requires Sinclair Broadcast Group to provide training to ensure compliance with the ADA, including anti-stigma training aimed at reducing stigmatizing behavior in the workplace and protecting those with mental impairments from harassment, degrading conduct and discrimination.

Philadelphia District Office Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence said, “The ADA protects disabled workers from discrimination and employment decisions based on subjective perceptions, fear or stereotypes about the nature or effect of a person’s disability.”

For more information on disability discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/disability-discrimination.

The EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. The legal staff of the EEOC also prosecutes 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.