It’s always worthwhile keeping an eye on discrimination cases ‘across the pond’ as evidenced by the ‘historic’ verdict by an Iowa jury last month, who awarded the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) damages totaling $240m (£160m) – the largest verdict in the federal agency's history – for disability discrimination and severe abuse. The jury agreed with the EEOC that Henry's Turkey Service subjected a group of 32 men with intellectual disabilities to severe abuse and discrimination for over 20 years. Specifically, the EEOC presented evidence that the owners and staffers of the business subjected the workers to abusive verbal and physical harassment. Verbal abuses included frequently referring to the workers as “retarded,” “dumb ass” and “stupid.” Victims reported acts of physical abuse including hitting, kicking, at least one case of handcuffing, and forcing the disabled workers to carry heavy weights as punishment.
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