EEOC Sues for Disability Discrimination

The EEOC recently sued Wrightway Ready-Mix, LLC and Wright Concrete & Construction, Inc. in West Virginia for refusing to hire a job applicant solely because he was taking methadone as part of medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. During the interview, the hiring manager illegally asked about his medications, learned he was on methadone, and denied him the laborer position based on a blanket company policy against hiring anyone using methadone. HR confirmed the policy. This violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which protects individuals in recovery as having a disability, bans pre-offer medical inquiries that reveal disabilities, and prohibits qualification standards that screen out people with disabilities unless job-related and necessary. Blanket bans on hiring workers using prescribed methadone or similar treatments are unlawful. Employers must consider applicants individually and cannot discriminate against those managing opioid addiction through medically approved treatment.