This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A federal agency that polices workplace discrimination is suing a Papa John's franchise company over allegations it illegally fired a worker in the Farmington restaurant because he has Down Syndrome.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing the companies that own and operate the store for alleged violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Civil Rights Act.
Scott Bonn, who has Down Syndrome, began working at the Farmington restaurant in September of 2011 folding boxes, a task he was able to do with a job coach who was independently employed and insured to assist him, according to the lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court for Utah.
Bonn successfully did the job until a partner in the business visited the store, observed Bonn working with the job coach and then moved to have him fired.
The firing violates federal laws that require employers to provide "reasonable accommodations" such as a job coach to persons with disabilities and that the firing violated those laws, the lawsuit alleges.
The partner at PJ Utah of Murray, the local operator of the franchise, did not return a voice mail message seeking comment, nor did the corporate parent known as PJ United of Birmingham, Ala.
The lawsuit asks that Bonn be awarded back pay and reinstatement in his position and seeks an injunction prohibiting the company from further discrimination against persons with disabilities. It also asks for unspecified punitive damages.