The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued Mannatech Inc. for firing disabled employee

By Dallas Business Journal The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued Mannatech Inc., alleging in recently filed court documents that the local multilevel marketing firm violated federal law by firing an employee who had a disability.

The suit, filed last week in federal district court in Dallas, alleges that Mannatech engaged in “unlawful employment practices” by firing the worker, Jill Roberts, from her job in a call center because Roberts is “disabled, regarded as disabled or because she has a record of a disability.”

According to the EEOC’s complaint, Roberts also asked for a “reasonable accommodation to use the restroom on an as-needed basis.” That request was denied, the EEOC’s court records allege.

Roberts has multiple sclerosis, court records say, along with a condition called neurogenic bladder syndrome, which she developed as a consequence of the multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord are attacked by the body’s immune system, the result being that the damaged areas can’t transmit nerve signals.

Among other things, the EEOC’s suit seeks a court order ensuring compliance with the federal Americans With Disabilities Act, along with providing Robert back pay and punitive damages.

An EEOC attorney could not be reached for comment.

In an e-mailed statement, a Mannatech spokesman said the company “will actively defend itself against the allegations described in the complaint.”