Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc. is facing a lawsuit after the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) accused the company of disability discrimination. The case involves an employee in Lafayette, Louisiana, who worked as a delivery driver and was diagnosed with renal disease, which required regular dialysis treatments.
The employee asked his employer for a schedule change to attend dialysis sessions. However, the company said it couldn’t accommodate the request and suggested he apply for other jobs within the company that fit his medical needs. The worker found a suitable position that would allow him to work full time while managing his dialysis schedule. Despite being qualified, he was not placed in the new role. Instead, the company fired him in August 2022.
The EEOC claims Coca-Cola Bottling Company United broke federal law by not making reasonable accommodations for the employee’s disability and by terminating him because of it. The case highlights ongoing concerns about how companies handle workers’ health issues and their legal duty to support employees with disabilities.