Louisiana Woman Fired For Taking Her Meds Wins $100K Settlement
Almost everyone in this country who listens to their doctor has had to take a prescription drug at some point in their lives. Lots of people take a pill (or more) to help with one condition or another, and as long as you follow the instructions on the label - you should be good, right? Unfortunately for one Covington, Louisiana woman, taking her legally prescribed medication led to her getting fired - but that's not the end of this story.
This Covington Louisiana Woman Was Following Her Doctor's Instructions, and It Got Her Fired
According to a report from News 10, an unnamed female employee at Honda of Covington was fired for taking her prescribed ADHD medication in October of 2017. Reportedly, the employee had disclosed her condition and the medication (Adderall) prescribed by her doctor to treat it. After a pre-employment drug screen and review by managers checked out, she was cleared to work at the dealership.
Management at This Covington, Louisiana Dealership Told This Unnamed Employee to Stop Taking Her Medication
Months after being hired, the unnamed employee's husband was involved in a motorcycle accident putting him in the hospital. Over the course of the next week, the woman was understandably shaken and under stress. Reportedly, management noted this and asked her to stop taking her medicine because she was "emotional."
This Louisiana Woman Did What Her Boss Told Her To Do And Still Lost Her Job
She complied, but a week later the same manager that told her to stop taking the medicine complained that she “was acting weird, off, and unfocused," and ordered her to take a drug test. That test came back "presumptive positive," for amphetamines, and she was fired for it.
The Unnamed Louisiana Employee's Drug Test Came Back Positive (For Her Prescription Medication)
Even though her prescribed medicine (Adderall) is an amphetamine, the manager stuck by his decision. When the unnamed employee explained that the test simply showed that she was taking the legally prescribed medication and a medical review would show that, she was reportedly told “I don’t think that’s going to happen. We’ll cross that bridge if we get there.”
This Louisiana Car Dealership Had to Shell Out $100K For Their Disability-Based Discrimination
According to the News 10 report, a lawsuit was filed on the woman's behalf by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for allegedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reportedly, that suit has now been resolved now that Hollingsworth Richards, LLC (Honda of Covington's parent company) has been ordered to pay the former employee $100,000 in back pay. The company will also conduct thorough training on what constitutes disability-based discrimination for the company's employees and managers.