Wounded veteran gets $100K settlement after Roto Rooter firing

Roto Rooter is paying $100,000 to settle a disability discrimination complaint from a Twin Cities veteran wounded in Iraq.

According to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the plumbing company's Plymouth office violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by firing the employee after he was wounded. The agency is not releasing his name.

The veteran had suffered injuries to his back, leg, and head, but was still capable of working at Roto Rooter, said Julie Schmid, the EEOC's acting area director.

"When employees acquire disabilities, employers shouldn't just move them aside," Schmid said. "They should make good faith efforts to reasonably accommodate them and keep them employed. That's one of the main purposes of the ADA."

A Roto Rooter spokesman said the company is abiding by the terms of the settlement agreement and is glad to have resolved the case.

Schmid said the company also must provide ADA training to its workers.

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