NEW YORK - Sears Roebuck & Co. has agreed to settle a case under the Americans With Disabilities Act for $6.2 million, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said. A federal judge approved a consent decree settling the lawsuit yesterday.
The retailer was accused of terminating employees instead of providing reasonable accommodations for their disabilities. The settlement is the commission’s largest in a disability-related case.
“The facts of this case showed that, nearly 20 years after the enactment of the ADA, the rights of individuals with disabilities are still in jeopardy,’’ said Stuart J. Ishimaru, the commission’s acting chairman. “The EEOC will use its enforcement authority boldly to protect those rights and advance equal employment opportunities.’’
Sears Holdings Corp., the biggest US department-store company, settled because legal proceedings could have taken another five years and “considerable expense’’ to resolve, a spokeswoman said. But the company said it acts in good faith to follow the law.
