Dillard’s Settling Charges Made on Sick Workers Illegally Revealing Conditions

Dillard’s, the department store chain is paying out $2 million to settle numerous charges that is illegally required their workers that took sick leave to reveal their confidential medical information to them. The settlement was announced early in the week by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. It is going to resolve a 4 year long lawsuit against the store violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. They are stating that thousands of their employees, currently and formally sought out sick leave and were forced to submit a doctor’s note that not only explains their method of treatment but the exact nature of the medical condition that they have. A lot of the workers did not feel comfortable submitting this information to them, and then were fired due to it, even when their doctors stated that they did not have to disclose this private medical information to their employers.

Their policy to confirm medical absences are needed, but they cannot ask for any particulars when it comes to treatment and specifics of the medical condition. Dillard’s of course, denied the whole thing. “In order to avoid further protracted litigation with the EEOC over policies that are no longer in effect, Dillard’s determined that the most efficient resolution was to settle with the EEOC,” the company said. Some of the employees were forced to disclose gynecological information, their mental illnesses, and even cancer to their employers just to get an absence from work. “We found that managers weren’t trained and they were really harassing people,” Park said. The lawsuit also continues to cover the fact that Dillard’s fired those employees that refused to give up this personal information.