Tire Maker Carlstar Group to Pay $300,000 to Settle EEOC Suit Over Firing Workers Who Used Prescription Opioids

The agency's suit alleged that Carlstar, headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, had since at least January 2020 denied job opportunities to manufacturing workers in Tennessee and South Carolina after learning those employees were taking certain prescription medications — including narcotics and opioids — even when the workers had been medically cleared to perform their duties. The EEOC also alleged that Carlstar failed to consider or provide reasonable accommodations to its drug testing and substance abuse policy that would have allowed those employees to continue working while lawfully using their prescribed medications.

The EEOC filed suit in May 2025 in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, case number 3:25-cv-00575EJR, after first attempting to resolve the matter through its administrative conciliation process. The agency charged that the alleged conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The five-year consent decree settling the case requires Carlstar to do more than write a check. The company must adopt strong policies and procedures for providing reasonable accommodations to employees who take prescription medication, train supervisors and other employees, track and maintain all accommodation requests related to prescription medication, and post a notice informing employees of their federal right to be free from disability discrimination. Carlstar must also report periodically to the EEOC.

Andrea G. Baran, regional attorney for the EEOC's St. Louis District Office, said that federal law provides protections for disabled employees who lawfully take prescription medication for qualifying disabilities, and that employers must 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 that ADA compliance requires more than a one-size-fits-all approach and that employers must individually assess such employees to determine whether they can safely perform their job duties while taking the medication.