EEOC Sues Las Vegas Call Center for Disability Discrimination and Retaliation

LAS VEGAS — GSK Research Inc. and KGS Research, Inc., doing business as VRI Research, operators of a call center in Las Vegas, violated federal law when they discriminated against employees because of their disabilities and retaliated against them for requesting accommodations, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, since August 2018 the defendants failed to observe their legal responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For example, one employee needed short breaks to address muscle spasms caused by muscular dystrophy but a manager responded saying he “didn’t do accommodations.” In another instance, a human resources official said she was not aware of any law that required the company to accommodate an employee’s medical condition.

The defendants required another employee, who did not have use of his legs and worked remotely full time, to travel to the office to sign administrative paperwork and pick up his paychecks, refusing his request for accommodation to not travel to office for minor administrative tasks. Employees were terminated, placed on unpaid leave, and/or retaliated against for requesting accommodations.

“Employers must adhere to the requirements of federal anti-discrimination laws, including the ADA,” said Michael Mendoza, director of the EEOC’s Las Vegas Local Office. “The EEOC stands ready to enforce those laws when employers choose to ignore them.”

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination based on disability, requires accommodation of disabilities absent undue hardship, and prohibits discharge of an employee because of their disability or because they requested an accommodation. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. GSK Research Inc. et al., Case No. 2:26-cv-03093) in the U.S. District Court for Nevada after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

Beatriz Andre, acting regional attorney for the EEOC Los Angeles District, said, “The EEOC will continue to enforce protections on behalf of employees with disabilities so they are not excluded from the workforce, and protect them from retaliation when they assert their rights under the ADA.”

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

The EEOC’s Los Angeles District Office is responsible for addressing discrimination charges and conducting agency litigation in central and southern California, southern Nevada, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Wake Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands with offices in Los Angeles, Fresno, Las Vegas, San Diego and Honolulu. 

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.