Red Royal Electric to Pay $34,500 in EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawsuit

TAMPA, Fla. — Red Royal Electric, Inc., a provider of residential electric services to counties in western Florida, will pay $34,500 and implement significant policy and training reforms to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, in January 2025, Red Royal refused to hire an applicant with a neurodevelopmental disorder and failed to accommodate his request to provide documentation of prescription medication to pass the employer’s drug screen for hiring.

“We appreciate Red Royal’s willingness to enter into an early resolution of this case that appropriately compensates the applicant,” said EEOC Miami Regional Attorney Kristen Foslid. “The changes in policy paired with newly implemented training stemming from this resolution ensure that future applicants and employees with disabilities will receive reasonable accommodations moving forward.”

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), requiring prospective employers to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities applying for jobs who advise that their prescribed medication may cause a positive drug test result. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Red Royal Electric, Inc., Case No. 8:26-cv-01270-JLB-CPT) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida after first attempting to resolve the matter through its administrative conciliation process.

EEOC Miami District Director Evangeline Hawthorne said, “Many employers may not be aware that applicants on prescribed medication can face problems passing drug screening tests. It is the EEOC’s job to bring awareness to this issue and this lawsuit helps to amplify a critical but often overlooked aspect of workplace civil rights law.”

Under the three-year consent decree resolving the lawsuit, Red Royal will pay $34,500 in back pay and compensatory damages to the job applicant. The company will also implement a comprehensive disability accommodation policy, provide regular training to managers and employees on disability discrimination and accommodation obligations, and report complaints and accommodation requests to the EEOC.

For more information on disability discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/disability-discrimination.

The Miami District Office’s jurisdiction includes Florida, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.