A Denver jury awarded $8 million Friday to a man who claimed he was denied employment at EchoStar Communications Corp. because he is blind.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued EchoStar in 2002, claiming the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act when Dale Alton applied for a customer-service job in 1999.
According to the EEOC, EchoStar could have accommodated Alton by installing assistive software. EchoStar argued that the installation was cost-prohibitive.
A three-day trial began Monday, and the jury awarded Alton $2,000 in pay, $5,000 in compensatory damages and $8 million in punitive damages.
The award is likely to be reduced to $300,000 to comply with federal guidelines, said lawyer Rita Byrnes Kittle of the EEOC, who tried the case with Anjuli Kelotra.
Still, Kittle said, the case sends a message to employers that they must take reasonable steps to accommodate disabled workers and job applicants.
EchoStar said it will appeal the verdict.
