The Franklin, Tennessee-based company allegedly denied employment opportunities to manufacturing workers since at least January 2020 after learning they were using narcotics and opioids to treat disabilities, even when those employees had been medically cleared to perform their job duties.
The EEOC's lawsuit charged that Carlstar allegedly violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to consider or provide reasonable accommodations to its drug testing and substance abuse policy that would have enabled disabled employees to work while using their prescribed medications.
The agency filed the suit in May 2025 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee after its administrative conciliation process failed to produce a pre-litigation agreement. The case is styled *EEOC v. The Carlstar Group, LLC*, Case No. 3:25-cv-00575EJR.
Under the terms of a five-year consent decree, Carlstar must adopt new policies and procedures for providing reasonable accommodations to employees taking prescription medication. The company is also required to train supervisors and other employees on these compliance obligations.
The decree further obligates Carlstar to track and maintain all requests for disability accommodations related to prescription medication, post notices regarding federal anti-discrimination rights, and provide periodic reports to the EEOC throughout the duration of the agreement.
Andrea G. Baran, regional attorney for the EEOC's St. Louis District Office, said, "Federal law provides protections for disabled employees who lawfully take prescription medication for qualifying disabilities." She added that "Employers must follow the law, train their supervisors, and ensure they provide required accommodations to employees who take such medications and can perform the essential functions of their jobs."
David S. Davis, district director of the EEOC's St. Louis District Office, said, "Compliance with the ADA requires more than a one-size-fits-all approach. Employers must individually assess such employees to determine whether they can safely perform their job duties while taking the medication."