EEOC Sues United Insurance Company of America for Disability Discrimination

The EEOC has filed a lawsuit charging that a United Insurance Company of America violated federal disability discrimination law when it refused to hire an applicant at its in Raleigh, N.C., office because of his disability.

According to the EEOC’s complaint, in January 2010 the company offered Craig Burns a position as an insurance agent in its Raleigh office, conditioned upon Burns’ passing a drug test. Burns, a recovering drug addict, has been enrolled in a methadone treatment program since 2004 and the drug test showed the presence of methadone in his system. Burns submitted a letter to United Insurance from his treatment provider explaining that he was participating in a supervised methadone treatment program and taking legally prescribed medication as part of the treatment. United Insurance notified Burns that he was not eligible for hire and withdrew its offer of employment.

The EEOC has alleged that the company’s conduct violated the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) because it discriminated against an individual with a record of past substance abuse.