EEOC Settles GINA Matter Reports Employment Law Attorney Keith Clouse

Dallas, United States, 02/02/2014 / SubmitMyPR /

The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently announced that it settled its third lawsuit concerning genetic information discrimination. The dispute centered on the employer’s requests for family medical information from prospective employees. The employer, a nursing and rehabilitation facility, will pay $370,000 to settle the matter.

The EEOC, the federal agency charged with enforcing federal discrimination statutes, alleged that the employer requested family medical history information as part of its post-offer, pre-employment medical exams of applicants. The EEOC alleged these requests were made in violation of the federal Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (also known as GINA). GINA prevents employers from requesting genetic information and from making employment decisions based on genetic information.

GINA passed with little fanfare five years ago, and some employers remain unsure about the obligations GINA imposes on employers. These employers should contact an employment law attorney to discuss compliance concerns, especially in light of the EEOC’s indication that it intends to vigilantly pursue illegal instances of genetic information discrimination.

To discuss genetic information discrimination with an employment law attorney, contact an employment lawyer in your area. This article is presented by the employment law attorneys at Clouse Dunn LLP. For inquiries, send an email to [email protected] or call (214) 239-2705.