Home Depot settles discrimination claim
Home Depot will pay a former cashier $100,000 for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act after firing the 13-year employee while she was on unpaid leave recovering from the removal of a cancerous tumor.
The settlement includes a requirement for the Atlanta-based home improvement retailer to provide anti-discrimination training and stops Home Depot from denying reasonable accommodations in the future, according to a statement from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Although Home Depot told Judy Henderson, a Maryland cashier, that she was being let go for lack of work, the company hired another cashier at her store — and others at nearby stores — after Henderson sent Home Depot medical notes saying when she would be able to return to her job, the EEOC said. In the past, when Home Depot had experienced a seasonal slowdown, Henderson had been temporarily laid off, not terminated.
Stephen Holmes, a Home Depot spokesman, said Henderson had taken a total of four and a half years of medical leave during her tenure with the company.
“We don’t believe we violated the law,” he said.
About the Author
Arielle Kass covers Gwinnett County for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She started at the paper in 2010, and has covered business and local government beats around metro Atlanta. Arielle is a graduate of Emory University.
