Motel 6 to Pay $50,000 to Resolve EEOC Disability Discrimination Charge

TAMPA – Hare Krishna Lakeland, LLC, operating as a Motel 6 in Lakeland, Florida, resolved a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the charge filed with the agency, the Lakeland Motel 6 discriminated against an employee of the basis of disability, ultimately forcing her to quit her job in approximately July 2023.

“The hotel industry often faces persistent labor shortages,” said EEOC Miami District Director Evangeline Hawthorne. “Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities can effectively fill needed jobs with or without reasonable accommodations.”

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of disability and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations, unless doing so would present an undue hardship.

As part of the three-year conciliation agreement resolving the charge, Motel 6 agreed to pay the employee $50,000 in back pay and compensatory damages. The company also agreed to implement policies to comply with the ADA, including specific provisions requiring the company to respond to requests for reasonable accommodations in a timely manner. In addition, the employer will provide annual ADA training to all management and non-management staff and report to the EEOC on accommodation requests for three years. Further, Motel 6 will post a notice about equal employment opportunity rights, which encourages employees to report allegations of discrimination.

Tamra Schweiberger, director of the EEOC’s Tampa Field Office, said, “We commend Motel 6 for reaching an early resolution of this matter. The policy changes and reporting that the company agreed to are important steps in ensuring a workplace free of discrimination.”

For more information on disability discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/disability-discrimination. For more information about the ADA, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/publications/ada-your-employment-rights-individual-disability.

The EEOC’s 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 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 is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.