EEOC Sues Dana Sealing Manufacturing for Illegally Acquiring Genetic Information

DANVILLE, Ky. — Dana Sealing Manufacturing, LLC, a manufacturer of automotive parts, violated federal law when it collected the medical history of applicants’ family members during the pre-employment physical examination process at its facility in Danville, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the EEOC’s suit, from at least January 2022 until October 2024, Dana Sealing requested genetic information from applicants by requiring applicants to state whether their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and grandparents had ever had certain medical conditions (e.g., cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes, epilepsy, asthma or mental illness) as a part of its pre-employment physical examination process.

“The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act prevents employers from requesting family medical history information from employees and applicants, except in narrow circumstances, none of which applied here,” said Kenneth L. Bird, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Indianapolis District. “The EEOC will continue to enforce GINA and other federal anti-discrimination laws.”

Such alleged conduct violates the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), which makes it unlawful for an employer to request, require or purchase genetic information with respect to an employee or applicant. “Genetic information” includes information about any disease or disorder manifesting in an employee or applicant’s family members. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Dana Sealing Manufacturing, LLC, Case No. 5:26-cv-00233-REW-EBA) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

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

The EEOC’s Indianapolis District Office has jurisdiction over Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, and parts of Ohio.

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.