Employers Must Make Reasonable Parking Accommodations

Cloverland Farms Dairy has agreed to pay $75,000 and other equitable relief to resolve a lawsuit that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission brought against it alleging disability discrimination.  The EEOC alleged that the company abruptly stopped accommodating three of its employees who suffered from disabilities.  The employees had worked for Cloverland between eight and twenty-two years, and throughout that time Cloverland permitted the disabled employees to use dedicated parking spots near to the building.  The EEOC claims that in July 2017, the company mandated that these disabled employees must now park at a lot that was farther away and simultaneously allowed non-disabled employees to take these previously-reserved spots.  Employers must make reasonable accommodations for disabled employees under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the ADA also prohibits discrimination against employees because of their disability.  See EEOC v. Cloverland Dairy Limited Partnership, No. 1:18-cv-02759 (D. Md.).