CAMBER CORPORATION TO PAY $100,000 TO SETTLE EEOC DISABILITY AND AGE DISCRIMINATION SUIT
CONTACT:
Kimberly Smith-Brown
Christine Nazer
James Ryan
Joseph Olivares
202-663-4191
newsroom@eeoc.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, July 2, 2018
CAMBER
CORPORATION TO PAY $100,000 TO SETTLE EEOC DISABILITY AND AGE DISCRIMINATION
SUIT
Defense Contractor Refused to Transfer Employee Due to
Son's Disability, Then Fired Him, Federal Agency Charged
WASHINGTON – Federal contractor
Camber Corporation has agreed to pay $100,000 and furnish other relief to
settle a disability and age discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
The EEOC charged
that Camber Corporation violated federal law when it denied an employee a transfer
based on his son's medical condition and then fired him, replacing him with
someone more than 20 years younger.
According to
the EEOC, employee Ashok 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. Further, immediately after management learned that Pai was
exploring the transfer to care for his disabled son, Camber 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.
Such alleged behavior violates
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Age Discrimination in
Employment Act (ADEA). The EEOC filed its suit (EEOC v. Camber Corporation,
Case No. 1:17-cv-01084-AJT-JFA) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District
of Virginia after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through
its conciliation process.
On July 2, 2018, U.S. District
Court Judge Anthony J. Trenga entered a consent decree resolving the case. In
addition to a $100,000 award for lost wages, the two-year decree includes
injunctive relief to prevent disability and age discrimination from occurring
at the company in the future. The decree requires continued annual training on
the protections of the ADA and ADEA, including the ADA provision barring
employers from discriminating against workers because of their association with
disabled persons. The company must also post anti-discrimination notices at its
Huntsville, Ala., and Fairfax, Va., 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. “Mr. Pai simply asked for a transfer to help
deal with his son’s severe disability, and the company made a bad situation
worse by punishing him for trying to do the right thing and showing age bias at
the same time. The EEOC is here to fight for the rights of people like Ashok
Pai.”
EEOC Regional Attorney Debra
M. Lawrence added, “When employers violate the law, the EEOC will hold them
accountable. We are pleased that the parties were able to reach a resolution to
better protect the rights of employees under federal law.”
Camber Corporation was headquartered in Huntsville, Ala. This discrimination
took place in Falls Church, Va., where the employee worked for Camber at an
office within the U.S. Department of Justice.
The EEOC's Washington Field
Office has jurisdiction over the District of Columbia and the Virginia counties
of Arlington, Clarke, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, Prince William,
Stafford and Warren; and the independent Virginia cities of Alexandria, Fairfax
City, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park and Winchester.
The EEOC advances opportunity
in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment
discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by
subscribing to our email updates.
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