On Thursday, a jury found that Walmart violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by firing and refusing to rehire Marlo Spaeth, a sales associate with Down Syndrome. In November 2014 the company switched their scheduling system which changed Ms. Spaeth’s hours from 12-4pm to 1-5:30pm which caused a disruption in her routine. Her mother and sister advocated for her schedule to be changed back as Ms. Spaeth needs a routine. Walmart refused, issued disciplinary action for absenteeism and tardiness, and eventually fired her for excessive absenteeism. The jury found that Walmart failed to reasonably accommodate Ms. Spaeth. Ms. Spaeth was awarded $125 million is punitive damages and $150,000 in compensatory damages.
See "Walmart found guilty of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act", Michael Levenson, The New York Times, July 19, 2021