COURTS
EEOC files federal suit against Christus St. Vincent
Suit alleges medical system fired disabled employee in violation of ADA
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A federal lawsuit alleges that St. Vincent hospital in Santa Fe failed to accommodate an employee after an injury and ultimately fired her in 2022 because of her disability.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed the lawsuit Tuesday alleging the hospital and its parent company violated federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
EEOC, a federal agency that enforces civil rights laws in the workplace, is asking a federal judge to order the parent company, Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, to reinstate the employee and provide her with back pay.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque, also seeks an injunction requiring Christus St. Vincent to provide reasonable accommodations for disabled employees.
Arturo Delgado, a spokesman for Christus St. Vincent, responded Tuesday that the medical system doesn't comment on legal matters involving employees.
"We remain focused on caring for our patients and serving our community," Delgado said.
The suit alleges that Catherine Maes, who worked four years as a patient care assistant at Christus St. Vincent hospital, fractured her foot in 2021, resulting in permanent pain and complications. She worked "light duty" for several months in 2022 after a period of medical leave, it said.
Maes applied for an open position in April 2022 as a receptionist "for which Maes was qualified and that would have allowed Maes to be sedentary for the duration of her shift," the suit said.
In May 2022, human resources told Maes by phone that the system "could no longer accommodate her restrictions with light duty work" and told her to "leave the premises immediately," it alleges. She was terminated by letter in June 2022.
Mary Jo O鈥橬eill, regional attorney for the EEOC鈥檚 Phoenix District Office, said in a statement that employers are required under the ADA to make reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities 鈥渁bsent undue hardship,鈥� including reassignment to open positions.
鈥淧olicies or practices requiring an employee with a disability to be fully recovered or to return to work at full duty levels violate the ADA,鈥� O鈥橬eill said.
Maes filed a charge with EEOC in February 2023. In August, EEOC sent a letter to Christus St. Vincent that found reasonable cause to believe that the company violated the ADA. The EEOC has been unable to reach an agreement with the company through the agency's conciliation process.
