SAN FRANCISCO—Global retailer Walmart, Inc. violated federal law when it failed to provide a readily available reasonable accommodation for an employee with a disability, which would have allowed her to return to work; instead, the company placed her on unpaid leave, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the EEOC’s suit, Walmart repeatedly refused to allow a longtime employee to return to the work she had successfully performed for nine years at its San Leandro, California store. After she took an approved period of leave, the company failed to reinstate or reassign her to an open position and instead placed her on unpaid leave, despite her positive work performance in the company’s “Temporary Alternative Duty” program.

Walmart’s alleged conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which forbids discrimination against a qualified individual because of a disability. The EEOC filed suit on June 30, 2025 (EEOC v. Walmart, Inc., Case No. 4:25-cv-5484) in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process. The lawsuit seeks back pay and compensatory and punitive damages, as well as appropriate injunctive relief to prevent such discriminatory practices from occurring again.

EEOC Senior Trial Attorney Mariko Ashley said, “Losing the ability to earn income is devastating. Failing to accommodate workers with disabilities who can perform the essential functions of their jobs denies them the opportunity to make an independent living, and the EEOC will vigorously defend workers from this type of employment discrimination.” 

“Employers have an ongoing obligation to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified workers with disabilities, as long as the accommodation does not cause undue hardship to the employer,” said Christopher Green, district director for the EEOC’s San Francisco District. “When an employer denies a reasonable accommodation and offers no interactive process, it has ignored its clear obligations under federal law.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one in four adults in the United States have some type of disability, so it’s vital that employers understand how to respond to requests for workplace accommodations. The EEOC has a variety of disability-related resources for employers on its website.

The suit was brought by the EEOC’s San Francisco District Office which has jurisdiction in Northern California as well as Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Montana, Northern Nevada, and Idaho. The San Francisco District has offices in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Seattle.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.