When Employers Pay the Markup: How a $10 Solution Became a $100,000 Mistake
A $10 stool from Amazon…
Or a $100,000 stool courtesy of the EEOC.
One keeps your employee comfortable. The other keeps your legal counsel busy.
This is exactly what happens when an employer skips a simple, inexpensive accommodation and ends up buying the world’s most expensive piece of furniture — via settlement check.
As 2025 wraps up, here’s a look back at the disability accommodation missteps that proved one thing loud and clear:
You can invest early in compliance… or pay exponentially more later.
2025’s Most Memorable ADA “Oops” Moments
The Ned NoMad hotel paid $100,000 after allegedly denying a straightforward accommodation: a simple stool for a host with a medical condition.
Takeaway: Reasonable accommodations are almost always cheaper than litigation.
Sanmina Corporation paid $77,500 after the EEOC alleged the company denied an employee with osteoarthritis a reasonable accommodation to continue remote work and instead terminated her.
Takeaway: Remote work can be a reasonable accommodation when the role allows it — refusing to discuss it is a fast track to liability.
ViaQuest and its affiliates agreed to pay $175,000 after the EEOC charged the company with failing to accommodate and refusing to hire an applicant because of her disability during the hiring process.
Takeaway: The duty to accommodate begins before day one — applicants are protected too.
The Results Companies paid $250,000 to settle an EEOC claim after allegedly failing to provide a blind employee with screen-reader technology and instead placing them on unpaid leave.
Takeaway: Assistive technology accommodations must be implemented quickly — delays function as denials.
Elon Property Management paid $200,000 to settle allegations that it denied reasonable accommodations and retaliated against an employee who requested disability support.
Takeaway: Retaliation often costs more than the accommodation itself — train, escalate, discuss, document.
St. Petersburg Senior Living paid $405,083 after a federal jury awarded $405,083 to an applicant with PTSD after the employer allegedly refused to accommodate her during the hiring process.
Takeaway: Jury verdicts carry reputational and financial consequences.
Key Lessons Hiding Behind the Settlements
Accommodations are usually inexpensive. Most fixes cost less than $50 and prevent six‑figure settlements.
Culture is a compliance tool - Employees who feel safe raising concerns are less likely to make external claims.
Data tells the real story - Hiring, pay, complaints, and promotions all reveal risk trends.
Training is not enough - Follow‑through, accountability, and documentation prevent lawsuits.
And the biggest lesson?
Most ADA missteps start on the front lines. Which means your supervisors can be your strongest compliance tool — or your most expensive liability.
If all of this feels like a lot (because it is), you don’t have to navigate it alone.
People415 helps organizations build simple, practical compliance practices — training supervisors, updating accommodation processes, and making sure you never have to buy a $100,000 stool.
