Texas Property Management Companies Pay $55K in Disability Discrimination Suit

Texas property management companies Castle Hills Master Association Inc., Bright Realty LLC, Bright Industries LLC, and Bright Executive Services LLC will pay $55,000 and furnish other relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

According to the suit, the companies terminated a pregnant resident coordinator who was diagnosed with placenta previa, a pregnancy-related disability.

After the employee was hospitalized and prescribed bedrest, she requested a leave of absence for the remaining month of her pregnancy as a reasonable accommodation, but the property management companies then terminated her employment.

At the time of the termination, the defendants told the employee that, because she was not eligible for leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or short-term disability benefits, they would not accommodate her.

Such alleged conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which prohibits discrimination based on an individual’s disability, including pregnancy-related disability. The EEOC filed suit, Civil Action No. 4:24-cv-00871, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division.

Under the terms of the three-year decree, Castle Hills Master Association Inc. will pay $55,000 in damages to the employee and will provide significant non-monetary relief designed to ensure equal employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

Castle Hills Master Association Inc. and its parent companies will also create new protocols for requesting reasonable accommodations and train all employees on these protocols and the ADA annually for the duration of the decree.