EEOC Sues Company Alleging Woman Was Fired Over Crutches

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing a Minnesota company on behalf of a woman who says she was illegally fired from her office job because she needed crutches after knee surgery.

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, the EEOC says the Eden Prairie payroll servicing company, Employer Solutions Group, violated the federal disabilities law when it fired Shannon Enstad in April 2018.

The EEOC alleges the company explained to Enstad that she would be a safety risk if she returned to work on crutches. Employer Solutions Group benefits manager Carissa Huffman says Enstad twice told the company the dates for her return, only to change her mind. Huffman says the company fired her because they didn't know if, or when she would return.