Judge: Hy-Vee Discriminated against Blind Applicant

by Fiedler Law Firm

Congratulations to our client Sandy Braaksma!

On Monday, February 15, 2016, Polk County District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger entered judgment against Hy-Vee, Inc. for discriminating against Sandy because she’s blind. In 2014, Sandy applied for a job as a dishwasher at Hy-Vee’s Market Grille in Chariton, Iowa. Even though she had 3 ½ years’ experience working in restaurants, Hy-Vee told Sandy she “didn’t have the necessary skills” to wash dishes.

Hy-Vee also admitted the only reason it didn’t hire Sandy was her blindness. Attorneys Emily McCarty and Paige Fiedler proved Sandy was perfectly capable of performing the essential functions of the job and that Hy-Vee failed to reasonably accommodate her disability.

The Court ordered Hy-Vee to pay Sandy $27,017 in lost wages.

Sandy is an amazing lady who’s been through intensive training from the Iowa Department for the Blind, including preparing and serving a 7-course meal for 40 people! It was an honor for us to be her lawyers.