Workers and job applicants can file employment discrimination complaints with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and/or the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). During the complaint process, there is an opportunity to resolve complaints informally.
In August 2026, MDHR announced a settlement with Glacier Ice House where an employee went on a disability leave for cancer treatment, but laid off the employee during a larger layoff even though the employer let other workers without disabilities move to other open positions. The employee who was on leave for cancer treatment was not given that option and the employer referred to the employee’s medical condition as a reason for the layoff. MDHR investigated and concluded that Glacier violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act before arriving at a $115,000 settlement and an agreement that Glacier would revise its policies, provide training, and make reports to MDHR.
Also, the EEOC entered into a settlement agreement with:
- Pearson Education in New Jersey to resolve a claim that it discriminated against employees with visual impairments when it required employees to use an inaccessible benefits platform and did not provide any reasonable accommodations to access the platform.
- A Kroger’s in Atlanta, Georgia to resolve a claim that it stopped scheduling an employee, who was a breast cancer survivor who had nerve damage, for shifts and ignored her calls after she asked to sit on a stool or chair during her shifts.
- Piedmont Cheerwine Bottling Company in North Carolina resolve a claim that it improperly made an employee do an agility test and asked her asked impermissible questions about her health, even though the employee met the physical requirements of the job.
