FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.
Employee Files Lawsuit Against West Chester University For Disability Discrimination and Violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Peter began work as a full-time professor at West Chester University around August of 2014. With the loss of his left eye and reduced vision in the right, Peter has difficulty reading small print type, and relies heavily upon the peripheral vision in his right eye.
On his first day of employment with West Chester University, Peter contacted the Director of Disability to discuss accommodations, and was told that office only dealt with disabled students – not faculty. When Peter asked who he should contact to discuss accommodations, he was directed to West Chester University’s HR Department. Peter was then allegedly advised that there was no office that specifically handled matters for disabled faculty.
When Peter contacted West Chester University’s HR to inform them of his disability and request an ADA form, he was allegedly told he should just send an email instead. Peter also did not receive the ADA form he requested.
Peter then tried notifying another West Chester University employee of his disability. He elaborated that he needed his class rosters printed in large font due to his loss of vision and difficulty reading small print. That employee denied his request and allegedly stated Peter “wasn’t disabled” because he had a job.
Over the course of the four years Peter worked at West Chester University, Peter made multiple requests for an ADA form, but still none was provided to him. No accomodation was ever offered.
Around May of 2016, Peter was informed he’d be teaching five class sections in the Spring of 2017. Yet come November of 2016, despite increasing student enrollment, Peter was dropped from teaching two of those sections.
After filing a complaint in 2017 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against West Chester University, Peter was allegedly accosted by a coworker. This coworker allegedly blocked the hall, swore at Peter, and complained that Peter was “making waves”. Though Peter reported this incident, no corrective actions were ever taken against that coworker.
Ever since Peter filed that complaint with the EEOC, West Chester University has yet to schedule Peter to teach any classes, retaliating against him for filing this charge. Now as a client of KM&A, Peter fights for his rights. KM&A challenges employers who fail to uphold the law and discriminate against employees like Peter. Full text of this complaint, as filed with the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, is available at docket no: 5:18-cv-04950-GJP. Kraemer, Manes & Associates LLC is an employment law firm with principal offices in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, serving all counties in Pennsylvania, focusing on employment law, business law, litigation, and civil issues. KM&A clients include employees, small businesses, parties in litigation, and people with a variety of legal issues. For more information about this case, contact Attorney Michelle Dempsky at 215-475-3567 or md@lawkm.com.
NOTICE: All information contained in the statement comes from the Complaint which has been filed as a public record with the court. As dedicated civil rights attorneys, we strongly believe in the public value of telling our clients’ stories: violators can be held accountable, and other silent victims can feel empowered to stand up for their legal rights. Although we make every attempt to verify our clients’ claims, note that the defendant is expected to oppose our client’s position, and the court has not ruled one way or the other as of the date of this statement.
