Criswell Chevrolet to Pay $30,000 in EEOC Disability Discrimination Suit

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Criswell Chevrolet, Inc., an automobile dealership, will pay $30,000 and provide other relief to settle a federal disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

The EEOC charged that Criswell Chevrolet violated federal law by refusing to allow a worker with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to have a service dog with him at work, leaving him no choice but to leave his employment.

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). After attempting to reach a pre-litigation resolution through its conciliation process, the EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland (EEOC v. Criswell Chevrolet, Inc., Case No. 8:25-cv-01632-TDC). In addition to the monetary relief, the consent decree settling the suit provides for injunctive relief, training on the ADA, and compliance-related reporting to the EEOC.

EEOC’s Philadelphia Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence said, “Criswell Chevrolet has implemented policy changes so that this situation should not reoccur. We are pleased that this company promptly resolved the suit.”

For more information on disability discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/disability-discrimination.

The EEOC’s Baltimore Field Office is one of four offices in the EEOC Philadelphia District Office, which has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. Attorneys in the EEOC Philadelphia District Office also prosecute discrimination cases in Washington, D.C. and parts of Virginia.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC.gov)