Piedmont Cheerwine Bottling Company will pay $36,000 to settle an EEOC disability-discrimination lawsuit over how it handled a workplace medical exam at its Colfax, North Carolina facility. According to the EEOC, an employee whose multiple sclerosis medication had deteriorated her hip cartilage — causing her to walk with a limp — was prematurely required to take an agility test and asked impermissible questions about her health. Although she met the physical requirements of the job, the company placed her on unpaid leave pending full medical clearance, then rejected her doctor's return-to-work note and terminated her. Under the two-year consent decree (EEOC v. Piedmont Cheerwine Bottling Company, No. 1:25-cv-00821, M.D.N.C.), the company must revise its written anti-discrimination policies, train managers, supervisors, and HR staff, post an employee notice, and report to the EEOC. The case is a reminder that fitness-for-duty and agility testing must be job-related and consistent with business necessity, and must not become a vehicle for disability-related medical inquiries barred by the ADA.

The EEOC final rule implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations for known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation would cause undue hardship. Covered accommodations include modified work schedules, temporary reassignment, and excusal from strenuous activities.