The seal of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is seen in their office in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 17, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
(Reuters) - Hobby Lobby Stores Inc unlawfully fired a Kansas store clerk with post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions after barring her from bringing a service dog to work, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claimed in a lawsuit filed on Friday.
The EEOC, in a complaint filed in Kansas federal court, said a manager last year told the worker, identified as S.C., that the dog was a safety hazard and she could not have it in the store during her shifts, and fired her when she stopped coming to work.
The agency accused Hobby Lobby of violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to accommodate the worker and firing her on account of her disability.
The ADA requires employers to provide accommodations to workers with disabilities unless they would create an undue hardship.
Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
David Davis, the acting director of the EEOC's regional office in St. Louis, Missouri, said service animals allow people with a range of disabilities to live and work independently.
"Employers must not reject service animals, or any other reasonable accommodation, based on stereotypes or assumptions regarding the safety or effectiveness of the accommodation," he said.
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