On Wednesday (6/21), a public utility district in the state of Washington (Snohomish Dist. 1) was ordered to pay a former employee $1,815,953.78 for violating the Washington Law Against Discrimination when it fired her for allegedly being under the influence of a narcotic at work. A drug test ordered by PUD showed positive for a prescription she was taking for migraines.
The Court concluded, among other things, that the employer failed to consult with the Medical Review Officer (MRO) to understand the meaning of the test result, and that the employee’s migraine treatment (including the hydromorphone drug Dilaudid) was protected as an extension of her underlying protected medical condition.
Encompass Compliance Corporation June 21, 2017