HonorHealth to pay $1.75M to settle disability discrimination case
Scottsdale-based nonprofit HonorHealth has agreed to pay $1.75 million to settle a disability discrimination case.
The settlement, announced Monday, resolves a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2020. The original lawsuit names plaintiffs who said that when they worked for HonorHealth, the health system failed to provide reasonable accommodations for their disabilities, including failing to provide job reassignments when they had disabilities that prevented them from performing their current jobs.
The money will go to about 100 people, and a vast majority are former HonorHealth employees, though a few are current, said Mary Jo O’Neill, regional attorney of the EEOC’s Phoenix District Office. O’Neill said the employees held a wide range of jobs, including nursing and IT and their disabilities also varied, and included heart issues and cancer treatment.
“The main reason I brought this case is to clarify and to hopefully tell employers, if someone becomes unable to do their job, you have an obligation under the Americans with Disabilities Act to provide them with reassignment − that is a word that is actually in the statute, reassignment,” O’Neill said.
In addition to the settlement money, HonorHealth agreed to review and update as necessary their Equal Employment Opportunity and reasonable accommodation policies to ensure they comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and EEOC guidance, EEOC officials said. HonorHealth has also agreed to provide training on the ADA and its revised reasonable accommodation policies to its employees.
“Individuals with disabilities are a vital part of the workforce,” O’Neill said in a written statement. “We are very pleased that HonorHealth has resolved this matter and that they have reaffirmed their commitment to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and EEOC guidance on the ADA. We encourage all employers to develop policies and practices that ensure their workplaces are free from disability discrimination.”
The original lawsuit recounts an instance where an employee who had worked for the health care system for a decade was injured in an HonorHealth parking lot and had surgery that limited her ability to lift anything. The woman notified HonorHealth and requested reasonable accommodation, court documents say, but ultimately she was fired after HonorHealth told her she’d need to find a new job within the system, and she was unable to get one.
Officials with HonorHealth on Monday said they are committed to complying with all employment laws, supporting employees and “providing a respectful and inclusive place to work” and that throughout the litigation process the company has contended that it complies with ADA policies and accommodates employees’ needs as required under the law.
“We are pleased we could resolve this case through a settlement agreement and without the EEOC requiring a consent decree,” the statement says. “Our focus will continue to be providing a safe and supportive environment for our employees and patients to work and to heal.”
Reach health care reporter Stephanie Innes at [email protected] or at 602-444-8369. Follow her on Twitter @stephanieinnes.
Scottsdale-based nonprofit HonorHealth has agreed to pay $1.75 million to settle a disability discrimination case.
The settlement, announced Monday, resolves a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2020. The original lawsuit names plaintiffs who said that when they worked for HonorHealth, the health system failed to provide reasonable accommodations for their disabilities, including failing to provide job reassignments when they had disabilities that prevented them from performing their current jobs.
The money will go to about 100 people, and a vast majority are former HonorHealth employees, though a few are current, said Mary Jo O’Neill, regional attorney of the EEOC’s Phoenix District Office. O’Neill said the employees held a wide range of jobs, including nursing and IT and their disabilities also varied, and included heart issues and cancer treatment.
“The main reason I brought this case is to clarify and to hopefully tell employers, if someone becomes unable to do their job, you have an obligation under the Americans with Disabilities Act to provide them with reassignment − that is a word that is actually in the statute, reassignment,” O’Neill said.
In addition to the settlement money, HonorHealth agreed to review and update as necessary their Equal Employment Opportunity and reasonable accommodation policies to ensure they comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and EEOC guidance, EEOC officials said. HonorHealth has also agreed to provide training on the ADA and its revised reasonable accommodation policies to its employees.
“Individuals with disabilities are a vital part of the workforce,” O’Neill said in a written statement. “We are very pleased that HonorHealth has resolved this matter and that they have reaffirmed their commitment to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and EEOC guidance on the ADA. We encourage all employers to develop policies and practices that ensure their workplaces are free from disability discrimination.”
The original lawsuit recounts an instance where an employee who had worked for the health care system for a decade was injured in an HonorHealth parking lot and had surgery that limited her ability to lift anything. The woman notified HonorHealth and requested reasonable accommodation, court documents say, but ultimately she was fired after HonorHealth told her she’d need to find a new job within the system, and she was unable to get one.
Officials with HonorHealth on Monday said they are committed to complying with all employment laws, supporting employees and “providing a respectful and inclusive place to work” and that throughout the litigation process the company has contended that it complies with ADA policies and accommodates employees’ needs as required under the law.
“We are pleased we could resolve this case through a settlement agreement and without the EEOC requiring a consent decree,” the statement says. “Our focus will continue to be providing a safe and supportive environment for our employees and patients to work and to heal.”
Reach health care reporter Stephanie Innes at [email protected] or at 602-444-8369. Follow her on Twitter @stephanieinnes.
