U.S. Justice Dept. sues Alabama Dept. of Transportation

The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Transportation, claiming that ALDOT violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The federal lawsuit says that ALDOT refused to hire a person because of his physical disability that restricts his ability to lift heavy objects.

According to court documents, the person worked as a Transportation Maintenance Technician at ALDOT for many years before being injured on the job. The lawsuit says that caused a disability that limits his ability to lift heavy objects.

The Justice Department says even with his disability, he continued to work successfully with accommodations at ALDOT for several years. However, the Justice Department claims when he reapplied to be a TMT after a brief retirement, ALDOT refused to re-hire him because of his disability and instead hired less experienced applicants.

“Qualified people with disabilities must have an equal opportunity to participate in the workforce,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This lawsuit reflects the Justice Department’s ongoing commitment to protect the employment rights of people with disabilities under the ADA.”

Title I of the ADA prohibits employers from discriminating against qualified individuals on the basis of disability. This includes refusing to hire qualified applicants because of their disability, or using selection criteria that screen out qualified applicants that are not job-related or consistent with business necessity.

WAKA 8 has contacted ALDOT for a response to the lawsuit. Spokesman Tony Harris said,  “Attorneys for ALDOT plan to file a response sometime before the end of August.”

— Information from the U.S. Justice Department