An Albuquerque health and rehabilitation center will pay $145,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit involving a worker who was terminated while on leave for a heart attack and other medical conditions.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission says the worker was terminated by Paloma Blanca Health and Rehabilitation in January 2012, about five weeks into an approved 12-week leave under the Family Medical Leave Act.
Doug Johnson was told his position had been eliminated and he was being laid off due to a "reduction in force" but the EEOC says no other workers were discharged at that time due to a reduction in force.
According to the EEOC, other settlement terms include a requirement that the company train employees regarding disability discriminations and requests for reasonable accommodations.
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