The EEOC's Chicago district office sued Greenville Ford-Mercury, Inc., an Illinois company that owns a number of car-dealerships, on September 28, 2000 in the United States District Court for the District of Southern Illinois. The suit was premised on Greenville's violations of the ADA (42 U.S.C. ß1210) when it fired one of its employees for his disability (diabetes). After a lengthy and very contentious discovery process, the case went to trial before a jury on July 22, 2002. After a three day trial, the jury returned a verdict that the defendant discriminated and awarded the employee $25,000 in compensatory damages with an additional $60,000 in punitive damages. This amount was limited statutorily to $50,000 and the aggrieved employee further received $526 in back pay and $949 for medical expenses. The court also prescribed injunctive relief, amounting to an anti-retaliation provision, an anti-discrimination provision, and other measures designed to curb discrimination within the Greenville plant.

Aaron Weismann - 05/30/2007


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