City Of Blaine Discriminated Against Worker With Alcohol Disorder, Federal Authorities Say

BLAINE, MN — Authorities have filed a complaint in federal court in Minnesota regarding allegations that the city of Blaine discriminated against an employee with alcohol-use disorder in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The worker voluntarily disclosed he was undergoing treatment for the disorder and the city required him to pay for alcohol and drug testing and evaluation, authorities said.

“Employees with alcohol use disorder, or other disabilities, should not have to pay for employer-required health assessments to document information about their disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, of the justice department’s Civil Rights Division, in a news release.

The department has proposed a consent decree, which the court must approve, requiring the city to implement policies and procedures regarding nondiscrimination in employment, train personnel on the rules of Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and pay out-of-pocket losses and compensatory damages to the worker.