EEOC Sues DHL Over Firing Of Metro Atlanta Worker

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The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a federal lawsuit against DHL Supply Chain, accusing the company of illegally denying a reasonable accommodation and then firing a temporary worker with sickle cell disorder from its Forest Park, Georgia warehouse. The EEOC is seeking money damages and policy changes to prevent similar denials in the future.

Why it matters

This case highlights the ongoing challenges faced by workers with disabilities in securing reasonable accommodations from employers, as required under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The outcome could pressure logistics companies that operate cold-storage facilities to re-evaluate policies that flatly reject medical restrictions, potentially impacting hiring and scheduling practices at warehouses across metro Atlanta.

The details

According to the EEOC's complaint, the worker, who was hired through a staffing agency, was reassigned to a refrigerated area of the DHL warehouse in January 2023. When she requested either shorter shifts in the cold or a reassignment to a different job, her requests were denied. The company allegedly told her it "does not accommodate restrictions" before terminating her employment. The EEOC claims other temporary workers were later converted to permanent roles, while the worker with sickle cell was never offered a job.

• In January 2023, the worker was reassigned to a refrigerated area of the DHL warehouse.
• The worker requested accommodations or a reassignment, but her requests were denied.
• The worker was then terminated from her position.
• The EEOC filed the federal lawsuit against DHL on March 31, 2026.

What’s next

The case will now move through the federal court system in Atlanta, where discovery and a flurry of motions could set the schedule for either a trial or a settlement.