Working with physical disabilities can be extremely difficult, especially later in life. After a two-week trial, jurors awarded a California woman $175,500 in her claim against Home Depot. The plaintiff claimed that Home Depot fired her due to her medical conditions, age and speaking out against company sales practices.
Home Depot claimed the woman was fired for giving customers unpermitted discounts on merchandise. The company also claimed that it terminated the woman’s entire department for the same reason. While the jury did not find that the woman’s medical conditions or age were the reason for her termination, they believed the company could have done more to assist her.
The court found that Home Depot did not “participate in a good faith effort to accommodate” the plaintiff’s disabilities due to her medical conditions, according to a recent article. Jurors also found the company violated her whistleblower protections from retaliation after she spoke out against company practices.
Being one of the oldest employees in an office can be stressful. At age 58, the plaintiff was the oldest person working in her position. She had trouble lifting heavy items because of her battle with breast cancer and varicose veins. Her position also required her to stand for the majority of her time at work, which was difficult for her to do.
According to the lawsuit, Home Depot made no effort to accommodate the woman with her responsibilities or move her to another position. The woman originally sought $3.3 million in her claim against the company. The jury ended up awarding her the following damages:
- $100,000 in future damages
- $75,500 in past damages
California law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities. If you feel like you have been wrongfully terminated by your employer or your employer is not providing you reasonable accommodations, you should consider filing a lawsuit.
