Tech giant Amazon last week urged a federal judge to dismiss a proposed class-action lawsuit from employees who say the company mishandled disability accommodations requests. It’s the latest in an uptick of litigation in the wake of widespread return-to-office requirements—and one that puts the company’s use of HR technology directly in the legal crosshairs.
In the suit, initially filed in federal court in Washington during November, the nine plaintiffs—who work in different divisions, job levels and across states—contend Amazon routinely denies accommodations requests, despite medical necessity. They also charge that the company has unfairly terminated or requires employees pursuing accommodations to take unpaid leave.
The plaintiffs, who are pursuing claims of violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, also allege that Amazon’s policy requiring employees to submit accommodations requests through its internal employee A to Z app has led to long wait times and technical issues, and that the company is using AI to evaluate accommodations requests.
The lead plaintiff in the case is a cloud engineer based in Texas. Ashley Cook alleges in the suit that she requested to work remotely in light of a diagnosis of uterine fibroids; she says her communication through the app was ignored and she was placed on unpaid leave without her consent.
In its latest filing, Amazon emphasized that if the court won’t altogether dismiss the case, it should deny the proposed class-action...
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