Having kidney disease and being on dialysis is hard. Trying to find employment while having kidney disease and being on dialysis is a lot harder.
Unfortunately, disabled people can and often do face discrimination, in matters ranging from education to housing to employment. When schools, shops, landlords, employers or others discriminate against disabled people, they may be breaking the law and violating laws aimed at protecting civil rights.
Federal civil rights laws are designed to ensure equal opportunities for people with disabilities. Sometimes, though, enforcing those rights may lead a victim of disability discrimination to consult an attorney. A civil rights lawsuit alleging disability discrimination may be a good solution, but the legal process does not move quickly, as the story of “Larry” makes clear. Though fiction, this experience is typical of disability discrimination cases we’ve seen over the years.
“Larry” suffers from kidney disease. After months of fruitless searching and completing dozens of job applications, a restaurant chain offered him a job to join its kitchen staff.
His celebration was short-lived, however. The restaurant asked him to undergo a drug screening. That was no problem; Larry was clean. The problem was how the drug screening would be conducted: Larry had to provide a urine sample.
Providing a urine sample on demand is no simple matter for someone with kidney disease. Larry asked if they could use a blood or hair sample instead. Those tests are more expensive but would make it possible for Larry to complete the drug screening and start work.
Not wanting to pay for the more expensive, alternative testing methods, the restaurant declined Larry’s request and rescinded his job offer.
In doing so, they may have broken the law. Larry consulted an attorney, who reviewed the matter and said that Larry’s desire for an alternative drug screening method was a reasonable request for accommodation as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Now, at the advice of his attorney, Larry is suing the restaurant for violating his civil rights under the ADA.
Larry’s attorney took the case on contingency and told him that he may receive a settlement offer sometime this year. In the meantime, though, Larry is still out of work. He’s still having trouble paying his bills. Last December, he took the insurance off his car and shut off his basic cable so that he could pay his winter heating bills. He still faces the possibility of homelessness when his lease expires in the spring; the landlord already told him the rent will be going up by almost $100 per month. Larry can’t afford it. After he told his attorney of his financial situation, Larry was directed towards USClaims.
USClaims talked to Larry and his attorney about his civil rights lawsuit. After USClaims approved Larry’s application for pre-settlement funding, Larry had cash in hand within days. He put insurance back on his car and is no longer worried about finding a new place to live this spring. If you or someone you know may have been discriminated against, we can provide the financial help you need.
At USClaims, we offer pre-settlement funding, if a case is qualified for pre-settlement funding then we would purchase a portion of the proceeds of the anticipated court judgment or settlement for some cash now. USClaims only gets paid if a case is won or has reached a settlement! Apply now or call us today at 1-877-USCLAIMS to learn more.
