EEOC Sues Diamond Jim’s and Mrs. Donna’s for Disability Discrimination

JACKSON, Miss. - Diamond Jim's and Mrs. Donna's Ole Farm Beef LLC, a Mississippi steakhouse, violated federal law when it fired a worker because of a seizure condition, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the lawsuit, the worker disclosed her condition to the restaurant when she started work and told the company that she had not had a seizure in years. The suit stated that she had a seizure months after she began work, and the restaurant fired her in February 2023, shortly after learning of her seizure, telling her that she should focus on her health.

"The ADA has prohibited employment discrimination on the basis of disability for more than three decades," said EEOC Birmingham District Director Bradley Anderson. "The EEOC remains committed to enforcing the law and fulfilling the statute's promise of equal employment opportunity for individuals with disabilities."

This alleged conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which guarantees equal employment opportunity for qualified individuals with disabilities. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Diamond Jim's and Mrs. Donna's Ole Farm Beef House, LLC and Diamond Jim's & Mrs. Donna's of Northport, LLC, Case No. No. 3:26-cv-00151-TSL-RPM) in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

"The ADA protects qualified individuals from employment discrimination on the basis disability," said EEOC Birmingham District Regional Attorney Marsha Rucker. "When an employer violates this protection, the EEOC stands ready to enforce it through litigation."

For more information on disability discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/disability-discrimination .

The EEOC's Birmingham District Office has jurisdiction over Alabama, Mississippi (except for 17 northern counties) and the Florida Panhandle.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government's employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov .