Convenience Store Management Company Settles EEOC Disability Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation Case

Sarafina Network settles ADA case charging that convenience store worker with multiple disabilities was harassed and then subjected to retaliatory discharge

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Sarafina Network, LLC, a management company for gas station convenience stores based in Alabama, will pay $40,000 and furnish other relief 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, store managers, employees and customers routinely mocked a neuro-divergent cashier with eye problems, anxiety, and a seizure disorder. The lawsuit further charged that after receiving complaints about the harassment, the store manager responded by demanding that the employee provide a medical release related to a seizure episode. The employer subsequently refused to accept a medical release tendered by the employee and proceeded to terminate him. The business failed to maintain any anti-harassment or anti-discrimination policies or train employees about their obligations under federal anti-discrimination laws, the EEOC said.

Such alleged conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits disability-based harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Sarafina Network, LLC, Case No. 6:24-cv-01312) in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

“Bullying, especially on the basis of an employee’s disability status, should never be tolerated in the workplace,” said EEOC Regional Attorney Marsha Rucker. “The EEOC is committed to upholding the ADA’s promise: ensuring that every American, regardless of any disability, is afforded the opportunity to share in the dignity of work in an environment free of discrimination and harassment.”

EEOC District Director Bradley Anderson said, “Employers are required to follow the law – not punish those who are protected by it. The ADA explicitly prohibits retaliation and the EEOC is committed to empowering and protecting employees who speak out against unlawful harassment and discrimination in the workplace.”

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

The EEOC’s Birmingham District Office has jurisdiction over Alabama, Mississippi (except 17 northern counties) and the Florida Panhandle.

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 is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. 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. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.