Papa John's to pay $175,000 to settle discrimination claim from blind former worker

The fourth-largest pizza delivery restaurant chain in the country will shell out over $100,000 to settle disability discrimination allegations made by a newly hired employee in 2020. 

Papa John’s Pizza will pay $175,000 to former employee Michael Barnes, a blind man who was denied an accommodation and subsequently fired before working a single shift, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 

The move violates the American with Disabilities act, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government’ programs and services.

“Not allowing blind and visually impaired people to travel to and from work in the way that affords them confidence and independence is akin to telling sighted workers who rely on the flexibility and independence of driving that they may not travel to work by car,” said Karla Gilbride, part of EEOC’s general counsel. 

In addition to the payment, Papa John’s has also agreed to train its employee on the Americans with Disabilities Act, review its employment policies and allow the EEOC to monitor complaints of discrimination or retaliation, the EEOC announced this week. 

Here’s what we know.

What brought on the lawsuit against Papa John’s Pizza? 

Barnes applied for a job in early 2020 at a Papa John’s Pizza restaurant in Athens, Georgia, his hometown, after hearing from a friend that the company hired people with vision impairments, the EEOC stated. 

He contacted the store manager and was able to apply for an open position at the store. Barnes, who relies on a service dog to help him get around since he is legally blind, had to have his accommodation request formally approved by the company.

Not only did Papa John’s deny Barnes from bringing his service dog to work with him, but the company also fired him before he could start, according to the EEOC. 

What happens next? 

To avoid further litigation and expense, the parties have decided to resolve the lawsuit in this way, a Papa John’s Pizza spokesperson shared with USA TODAY.

“Papa Johns is proud to be a People First company where Everyone Belongs. As an employer, we are committed to achieving equal opportunity and maintaining a diverse and inclusive culture for all of our team members, including those with disabilities,” the company said in a statement. 

Papa John’s has pledged to financially compensate Barnes and provide other forms of relief over the next two years in order to resolve the dispute.

“The ADA protects workers with disabilities by requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities to afford them an equal opportunity to work. The EEOC is pleased that Mr. Barnes has been compensated and the company agreed to implement training and evaluate its policies to prevent this type of discrimination from occurring again,” Marcus G. Keegan, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Atlanta District Office, said in the announcement. 

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