TARENTUM, Pa. — The operator of Olive Garden’s Tarentum location will pay $30,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The restaurant’s general manager interviewed a person with a disability for a busser position, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit alleged that during the interview, the manager asked the applicant illegal questions related to their disability, including what was “wrong with” them and how “bad” the disability was.
The restaurant didn’t hire the applicant because of his disability and the EEOC filed a suit after learning about the general manager’s questions.
In addition to paying the applicant $30,000, Olive Garden is prohibited from engaging in disability discrimination, asking illegal questions or making employment decisions based on an applicant’s disability in the future.
Olive Garden is required to provide mandatory ADA training to the general manager and other personnel at its Tarentum location.
“Workers with disabilities provide invaluable contributions to their employers and to the American economy when given a fair opportunity to show their job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities,” said EEOC Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence. “The EEOC is strongly committed to protecting disabled workers from job discrimination, including illegal disability-related inquiries, which often produce employment decisions rooted in prejudice, implicit bias, unfounded fears or assumptions, or a desire to evade the legal duty to provide reasonable accommodations.”
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