The following content section contains 3 specific case highlights.

GERARD FITZHUGH AND DERRICK FITZHUGH v. GRADELINE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

In this case, an uncle and nephew filed an EEOC charge against a construction company for terminating them because of their race. After the EEOC issued a determination of reasonable cause for discrimination, the parties entered into a conciliation agreement. Pursuant to the agreement, the employer agreed to submit to training, remedy its employment practices, and pay damages to the complainants.ase-specific links:

CONCILATION AGREEMENT
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BIRCH v. PEPSI BOTTLING COMPANY.

In this case, an employee who suffered from post traumatic stress disorder sued her  employer for failing to allow her to return to work with an accommodation at the workplace.  The employee asked the employer to exempt her from working in the palletizer area of a bottling company after she had been caught in one of the palletizer machines and suffered, as a result, extensive physical and psychological injuries.   After the federal district court denied the defendant’s motion to dismiss the federal claim, and after extensive discovery, a confidential settlement was obtained. Case-specific links:

COMPLAINT --|-- DECISION-
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SWAIN v. MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE.

An employee with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare eye disease that causes a person to lose peripheral vision,  challenged the refusal of the Baltimore City Department of Public Works to accommodate his disability.  After several motions in limine were granted in plaintiff’s favor, the case was tried before a jury which returned a verdict in favor of the employee for back pay and emotional harm. The judge reinstated the employee to his former job and awarded plaintiffs' attorneys’ fees and costs. Case-specific links:

COMPLAINT--|-- DECISION ON TEMPORARY RELIEF --|-- DECISION ON PERMANENT RELIEF --|-- NEWS ITEM-
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BRYANT v. BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU.

In this precedent-setting case, a female employee who was also deaf  sued her employer for sex and disability discrimination.  The employee alleged that the president of the company had sexually assaulted her and had refused to provide her with access to the Maryland relay system in order for her to do her job.  The federal district court analyzed the burden of proof requirements in an employment case under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act and denied defendant's motion for summary judgment.   After opening statements before the jury, the parties reached a confidential settlement. Case-specific links:

COMPLAINT --|-- DECISION-