The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has settled a workers’ compensation lawsuit against Sears, Roebuck & Co for $6,200,000.

In the lawsuit the EEOC claimed that Sears maintained an inflexible workers’ compensation leave exhaustion policy and opted to terminate employees instead of providing them with reasonable accommodations for their disabilities. The settlement is the largest in the EEOC’s history dealing with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The terms of the consent decree provide claim forms to certain Sears employees who had been terminated under the company’s old policy. The EEOC found that 235 employees were entitled to a share in the settlement. The average award per person was around $26,300.

Following court approval of the settlement, EEOC Acting Chairman Stuart Ishimaru said “It is a satisfying day indeed when victims finally receive compensation for the wrongful discrimination they have endured.”

If you or someone you know has been injured on the job contact a Raleigh workplace injury lawyer to help you obtain the full compensation you deserve. Please call a Raleigh workers’ compensation attorney of Scudder & Hedrick at 919-851-3311.