Lawsuit accuses Arkansas McDonald's owners of firing employee over HIV status

A federal lawsuit accuses the owners of several McDonald’s restaurants in Arkansas of firing an employee at one of their stores because of his HIV status.

The lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas in Fayetteville was filed Tuesday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against McDonald’s franchise owners Mathews Management Co. of Springdale and Peach Orchard Inc., according to a news release.

It accuses the companies of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act when they fired the unidentified employee from a Bentonville store “within days of learning his HIV status,” the federal commission said.

“People with HIV face enough obstacles in their lives. The ability to work in an environment free of discrimination should not be one of them,” said Katharine W. Kores, assistant director of the commission’s Memphis district office, which has a jurisdiction that includes Arkansas.

The lawsuit, which states that the commission initially attempted to reach an agreement, seeks monetary relief and an injunction against future discrimination.

Mathews Management owns and operates 34 McDonald's restaurants in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, according to the release.

Read Wednesday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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