An EEOC Victory Provides Lessons on Applicant Drug Testing Accommodations
A recent jury verdict reminds employers of their reasonable accommodation obligations for applicants under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), in the context of drug testing. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued a retirement community for denying employment to an applicant based on a failed drug test—one that the applicant warned the employer she would fail because of her medications. And, as the EEOC announced in a recent press release , a jury awarded her over $400,000 in damages. Quick Hits A jury awarded more than $400,000 in damages to an applicant who was denied employment due to a failed drug test—one that the applicant, a veteran, informed the employer she might fail because of legally prescribed medications she took for PTSD . The EEOC successfully argued that the employer, a retirement community, violated the ADA by failing to allow the applicant to explain her non-negative drug test result . The verdict serves as a reminder for employers ...