LANSING, Mich. — Ingham County is settling a lawsuit filed by a former employee who says she asked for reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and instead got discrimination and retaliation.
In 2016, finance clerk Patricia Kidd asked for accommodations in the workplace that would help her focus and be productive. Kidd suffers from PTSD and anxiety issues and requested to be in a ground floor office away from other employees.
The county initially worked to honor those requests and built her an office at an approximate cost of $3,000 dollars.
But when upper management changed and that space was earmarked for other workers, Kidd re-submitted her ADA accommodation request things didn't go so well.
In a lawsuit filed by Kidd back in April, she alleges she was subjected to disciplinary action twice during the time of her requests.
She also filed Equal Employment Opportuity Commission complaints, which went unanswered according to court documents.
In December, after months of hearings, both parties agreed to settle the case for $75,000.
“The county was facing a jury trial, a forced mediation for settlement session. When you get into those situations it's not uncommon for a defendant to settle to avoid the uncertainty of a jury trial,” said the county's attorney, Bonnie Toskey.
Kidd never stopped working as a financial services clerk and is due to retire in a couple of months, according to Toskey.
Fox 47 News reached out to Kidd’s attorney but received no response.
Toskey says she’s represented Ingham County since 1985 and this is only the second time a complaint of this kind has been brought against the county.
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