Verizon to Pay Record $20M, Change Attendance Policy to Settle ADA Case With EEOC
After several years of negotiation, Verizon Communications Inc. has agreed to pay a record $20 million to resolve a complaint that it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by applying the same “no fault” cookie-cutter attendance policy to all workers, regardless of whether they had disabilities that might affect their attendance.
Under a consent decree with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Verizon also agreed to change its attendance policy to consider giving additional leave to disabled workers who may need it, according to the Baltimore Sun and Bloomberg.
The EEOC, which filed the consent decree yesterday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore along with a discrimination suit against Verizon, said the settlement is the largest ever made in an ADA case.
Verizon did not admit any wrongdoing.
