Papa John's Pizza is paying $175,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Michael Barnes claims the pizza chain fired him over his use of a service dog in one of their Athens locations. Barnes is legally blind and relies on his service dog for his commute, but Papa John's reportedly wouldn't accommodate his request to bring his service dog to work.
"Not allowing blind and visually impaired people to travel to and from work in the way that affords them confidence and independence is akin to telling sighted workers who rely on the flexibility and independence of driving that they may not travel to work by car," Karla Gilbride, the EEOC's general counsel, said in a statement.
According to the EEOC, Barnes applied for a job at his local Papa John’s restaurant in Athens, Georgia, in early 2020 after hearing from a friend that the company hired individuals with vision impairments. Barnes was hired but could not start until his accommodation request to bring his service dog was formally granted by Papa John's.
Papa John's denied Barnes's accommodation request and fired him before he worked a single shift, the EEOC said.
Officials determined that Barnes' firing violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, which states that service animals are considered a "reasonable accommodation" but employees must request that the animal be present.
The EEOC filed suit after attempts to reach a pre-litigation settlement were unsuccessful.
Papa John's will now pay Barnes $175,000, train its employees on the ADA, review its employment policies, and allow the EEOC to monitor complaints of discrimination or retaliation.
The company has not publicly commented on the lawsuit.