Updated: May 11, 2021
On October 10, 2019, a jury found that Walmart violated the ADA by refusing to provide a reasonable accommodation to a deaf and visually impaired cart pusher and awarded $5.2 million in damages for firing him due to his disability.
A disabled Walmart employee of 16 years performed his job with the accommodation of assistance from a job coach provided by public funding. A new Walmart manager suspended the employee and requested to resubmit medical paperwork in order to keep his reasonable accommodations.
After a three-and-a-half-day trial, the jury found in plaintiff’s favor and determined that Walmart violated the ADA by failing to provide the employee with a reasonable accommodation and by terminating his employment because of his disability. The jury awarded the employee $200,000 in compensatory damages and an additional $5 million in punitive damages.