EEOC Sues Buc-ee’s, Disability Discrimination Suit Says Travel Center Fired Cashier Over Seating Request

AUSTIN, Texas (LN) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Buc-ee’s, Ltd. on Tuesday, alleging the travel center chain violated federal disability law by refusing to provide a cashier with seating at his workstation and later firing him after he could not return to work.

According to the EEOC’s complaint, a cashier at Buc-ee’s Bastrop, Texas location requested accommodation in October 2024 for physician-imposed restrictions stemming from myasthenia gravis, a chronic neuromuscular condition. The employee asked to have seating available at his workstation so he could avoid standing continuously for more than 15 minutes at a time and recover his stamina after standing. Buc-ee’s denied the request, requiring the cashier to stand continuously, the EEOC alleged.

The agency charged that Buc-ee’s subsequently terminated the employee after he was unable to return to work due to the denial of his accommodation request.

“All too often, employers run afoul of their duty under federal law to provide reasonable accommodations because of inflexible thinking, unwarranted assumptions, and failure to seek technical assistance that is available, often at little or no cost,” said acting EEOC Dallas Regional Attorney Ronald L. Phillips.

The EEOC alleged the conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations unless doing so would cause an undue hardship.

“Employers must understand that disability accommodations are not optional suggestions; they are legal obligations,” said EEOC San Antonio Field Office Director Norma Guzman. “When employees come forward asking for support that allows them to do their jobs, employers must act diligently and in good faith.”

The agency said it filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division, after attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

The case is EEOC v. Buc-ee’s, Ltd., Case No. 1:26-CV-0139.