McDonald's Worker Fired for Having HIV

A lawsuit has been filed against the owners of a McDonald’s restaurant in Arkansas for allegedly firing a male employee because he has the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed the lawsuit on July 5. Not only is the reason for termination illegal, but it violates the law at a federal level.

The EEOC said that the restaurant fired the employee within days of learning that he was HIV-positive — violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was signed in July 1990.

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“The ADA mandates that persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity to achieve success in the workplace,” Katharine W. Kores, district director of EEOC’s Memphis District Office, said in a statement.

The lawsuit also says that the franchise carries out a policy that requires all employees to report any prescription medication use — another violation of the ADA.

“People with HIV face enough obstacles in their lives,” Kores continued. “The ability to work in an environment free of discrimination should not be one of them.”

The franchise in question is owned and operated by Mathews Management Company and Peach Orchard, Inc. in Bentonville — which owns and operates a total of 34 McDonald’s in Northwest Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

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