A back injury from military service caught the employer's attention during screening
A disabled veteran applied for a machinist job at a Florida shipyard, passed every part of the physical exam - and still had his job offer pulled, the EEOC alleges, after he disclosed a service-related back condition.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a federal lawsuit against Eastern Shipbuilding Group on September 24, 2026, alleging the Panama City-based company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act when it rescinded a conditional offer of employment.
According to the complaint, the applicant applied for a millwright machinist position with Eastern Shipbuilding in November 2024. The company extended a conditional offer on December 9, 2024, pending a pre-employment physical.
He passed it.
On February 25, 2025, the applicant completed the post-offer physical examination successfully, including the required 50-pound lifting tasks. But during the exam, the complaint states, he asked about the safety of lifting 50 pounds while turning 270 degrees.
The medical examiner noted, according to the filing: "Complained that he did not want to reinjure his back by lift 50#. Military injury 2021."
The clinic transmitted those results to Eastern Shipbuilding. A recruiting coordinator then spoke with the applicant about them, the complaint alleges, and during that conversation the applicant disclosed that he is a disabled veteran. The EEOC alleges the applicant has degenerative...
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