Employer Shouldn’t Fire Employee Needing to go to Emergency Room

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reached an agreement with Macy’s to settle a lawsuit in which the EEOC alleged that the company had discriminated against an employee because of her disability.  The lawsuit alleged that Macy’s fired its employee after she took just a one-day absence because of an emergency related to her asthma.  The lawsuit further claimed that, although Macy’s had a policy permitting absences for reasons related to employees’ disabilities, this particular employee’s request for leave was denied despite needing to be treated in an Emergency Room.  The employee was fired about three weeks after the ER visit.  See EEOC v. Macy's; No. 17-cv-05959 (N.D. Ill.).