Suit says auto firm rejected note from doctor

A federal lawsuit filed Thursday alleges that Crain Automotive Holdings Inc. in Sherwood violated federal disability discrimination laws by firing an employee because she suffered from emotional disabilities.

The lawsuit was filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and alleges that the business, which comprises 16 automotive dealerships, terminated an accounts payable clerk in February because she suffered from severe panic attacks.

The complaint said the woman, Judith Vaughn, went to a hospital emergency room after work Jan. 31 because she was experiencing chest pains and feared she was having a heart attack. She was admitted and released the next day, and she told her supervisor she would call her after a doctor’s appointment Feb. 2, the lawsuit says.

Her supervisor called her while she was at the doctor’s office, and Vaughn later returned the call, telling her supervisor what had happened and saying she planned to report to work the next day, the suit says. But, it says, when Vaughn reported to work Feb. 3, she experienced another panic attack and, after notifying her supervisor by email, left to go to the doctor.

Although the employee supplied a doctor’s letter urging the business to excuse Vaughan from work until Feb. 27, the business refused to grant the request for a disability accommodation and fired her, the lawsuit alleges.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, seeks monetary relief for Vaughan in the form of back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, compensation for lost benefits, and an injunction against future discrimination.

A call to Crain’s Sherwood headquarters Friday afternoon wasn’t returned.