The EEOC filed a lawsuit against a precision machine shop, Valley Tool, Inc. in Water Valley, Miss., alleging the company terminated an employee who had requested leave on days when her sickle cell blood disease made her too ill to work. The company first placed her on involuntary leave of absence, and then fired her because of her disability and in retaliation for her complaint about her supervisor’s comments about her disability. Also, Valley Tool, Inc. failed to maintain medical records separate form employee personnel files. Ultimately the company reached a settlement with the agency of $32,500 and the three-year consent decree resolving the lawsuit requires Valley Tool to train its supervisors, managers, and owners to recognize and respond to disability discrimination, avoid retaliation and train its Human Resources staff on medical records handling as well as provide annual reporting of any complaints of disability discrimination to the EEOC. U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi (Civil Action No. 3:19-cv-00140)