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Jury orders Walmart to pay $125M after firing worker with Down syndrome

Gregory Gochanour, regional attorney of the EEOC’s Chicago District Office, represented Marlo Spaeth, a former 16 year Walmart employee. 

A Wisconsin jury has determined that Walmart violated the Americans with Disabilities Act when it fired a sales associate who has Down syndrome over schedule-related issues.

The jury awarded Marlo Spaeth more than $125 million in damagesAccording to the lawsuit,  by the EEOC, Spaeth’s work schedule changed after Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer with over 1.6 million employees in the US, rolled out a new computerized system in 2014, which created significant hardship for Spaeth.

Spaeth’s attorney’s stated “She requested multiple times that Walmart restore her prior work schedule of noon to 4 p.m. but instead, Walmart fired her.” 

The jury ruled that Walmart’s actions constituted a failure to provide reasonable accommodation. They awarded Spaeth $125 million in punitive damages and $150,000 in compensatory damages.

Despite the lofty order by the jury, Walmart said in a statement that the verdict would be reduced to $300,000, the maximum amount allowed under federal law for compensatory and punitive damages.

Original story from The New York Post

Case Type: Wrongful termination, Employment Law

Original Story

https://nypost.com/2021/07/20/walmart-ordered-to-pay-125m-after-firing-worker-with-down-syndrome/

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Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Federal agency

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