From the National Law Journal:

The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission has filed a federal lawsuit against a North Carolina employer for alleged workplace discrimination against an employee with mental illness.

The EEOC argues that the Smith International Truck Center relied on “myths, fears and stereotypes about mental impairments” when it unlawfully terminated Stephen Kerns, an employee who returned to work after taking a leave for a mental health issue.

Carol Miaskoff, assistant legal counsel to the EEOC, said discrimination against employees with mental illnesses has been an ongoing problem since the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990.

“There’s just a lot of stigma about mental illness,” she said, adding that the North Carolina case highlights the difficulties that individuals with mental illness face in landing a job and keeping one. “‘Getting employers to slow down and not jump to these negative conclusions is not easy.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 5:27 pm and is filed under ADA, discrimination, employment/jobs, mental health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.