Indiana Residential Services Provider to Pay $65K Over Discrimination Suit

Damar Services, Inc., an Indianapolis residential services provider for individuals with developmental disabilities, will pay $65,000 and provide other relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Damar applied hiring standards which screened out applicants with hearing and vision disabilities, made prohibited disability-related inquiries, and rejected a qualified housekeeper applicant because he is deaf, despite his ability to perform the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

The lawsuit alleged that on March 1, 2023, Damar conducted a phone interview, learned of the applicant’s deafness during that interview, and told him it could not accommodate his disability and then rejected the applicant.

Additionally, the company’s interview questions included prohibited medical inquiries, and its qualification standards required applicants to communicate verbally and hear and see within normal ranges.

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which prohibits disability discrimination. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Damar Services, Inc., Case No. 1:26-cv-00575-MPB-TAB) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

Source: EEOC