State Department, Employee Settle Bias Suit Over Daughter’s ADHD

The State Department settled a disability discrimination lawsuit filed against it by an employee who was denied a posting in India because his daughter had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and dyslexia.

Steve Martin sued the department in 2022, claiming associational discrimination under the Rehabilitation Act and seeking class certification. He said that the department engaged in systemic discrimination against federal employees with disabled family members when vetting them for overseas medical clearances, including failing to undertake the required individualized assessment of their conditions. But Martin and the department agreed to dismiss the lawsuit Monday, subject to their settlement agreement. ...