Another employer has
The EEOC told a Practising Law Institute conference two years ago of a number of workplace issues which it planned to address, one of which was targeting violations of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. The law was new, and few cases had been filed.
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What is GINA?
GINA makes it illegal to discriminate against employees or job applicants because of genetic information, which includes family medical history, and restricts employers from requesting, requiring or purchasing such information.
Under GINA, employers cannot, in the hiring process, request such genetic information and family medical history.
The first GINA lawsuit
The first lawsuit ever filed by the EEOC alleging genetic discrimination under GINA was settled in May of 2013. The EEOC alleged in that Oklahoma case that the employer refused to hire a woman who had been given an offer of a permanent position because tests it had conducted concluded that she had carpal tunnel syndrome. The company had sent her to an outside laboratory for a drug test and physical, and there she had to fill out a questionnaire disclosing the existence of numerous listed disorders in her family medical history.
According to the EEOC, [t]he questionnaire asked about the existence of heart disease, hypertension, cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes, arthritis and mental disorders in her family. [She] was then subjected to medical testing, from which the examiner concluded that further evaluation was needed to determine whether [she] suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).
Although her own doctor found that she did not have CTS, her offer was revoked because the companys outside lab indicated otherwise.
GINA and the EEOCs Strategic Enforcement Plan
On
The EEOC alleged that the company conducted post-offer, pre-employment medical exams of applicants, and annual exams if the person was hired, and requested family medical history. The case was settled for $110,400.
The new settlement
The EEOC has just announced that it has settled another GINA class action brought against three California farm suppliers who required job applicants to take physical exams and fill out questionnaires which asked about medical conditions, and the applicants family medical histories.
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One applicant was required to report disability-related information and family medical history which was unrelated to the job requirements, and ultimately refused hiring due to his perceived disability.
Takeaway
An EEOC attorney cautioned employers: The law with respect to genetic information is relatively new, and this is one of the first cases resolved in litigation by the EEOC in this district. Employers need to familiarize themselves on the prohibitions with respect to pre-employment inquiries and maintaining the confidentiality of medical information.
Another EEOC attorney summed up compliance with GINA: There are strict guidelines prohibiting inquiries into a job applicants medical condition and disability prior to hire. Even after hire, employers should avoid asking questions about an applicants medical condition if it is not job-related. With respect to genetic information or family medical history the law is even more restrictive in that most employers may never ask or acquire genetic information from applicants or employees.
Richard B. Cohen is a partner at Fox Rothschilds New York City office. To contact the author:
