An American firm has declared to pay $100,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit filed on behalf of an Indian-origin employee who was dismissed for seeking a transfer to aid his specially-abled son.
Ashok Pai had worked at federal contractor Camber Corporation and was fired by the company. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged that Camber profaned federal law when it denied Pai a transfer based on his son’s medical condition.
Camber agreed to pay $100,000 and render other relief to settle an impairment and age discrimination lawsuit filed by the agency.
According to the EEOC, Pai’s son sustained catastrophic injuries in a car accident as a child and, as a result, has been disabled for more than 25 years. Pai sought a transfer to work nearer to where his son lived and requested leave to assist with his care.
However, immediately after Camber management learned that Pai was exploring the transfer to care for his son, it classified him as “resigned,” began processing termination paperwork and ultimately fired him for pretextual reasons, the EEOC said. Camber then replaced Pai, who was then in his mid-60s, with a much younger worker.
The discrimination took place in Camber’s Virginia office where Pai worked at an office within the U.S. Department of Justice.
The EEOC said such behavior violates provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The EEOC had filed its suit against Camber in District Court of the U.S. for the Eastern District of Virginia subsequently endeavoring to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation procedure.
In addition to a $100,000 award for lost wages, the two-year decree includes injunctive relief to forestall disability and age discrimination from occurring at the company in the future. The company is as well needed to post anti-discrimination notices at its office locations.
“The ADA not only prohibits employers from discriminating against people with disabilities, it also bans discrimination against employees and applicants based on their association with a person with a disability for good reasons,” said Washington Field Office Acting Director Mindy Weinstein.
By Sowmya Sangam
