EEOC sues Walmart, alleges disability discrimination over accommodations

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a discrimination claim against Walmart on November 20, 2025, asserting the retailer denied reasonable accommodations to an applicant or employee with an amputation and excluded that person from job opportunities that were available to other workers. The complaint, summarized by the National Law Review, centers on alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act under which employers must provide reasonable modifications and equal access to positions unless doing so would cause undue hardship.

The EEOC is seeking monetary damages for the aggrieved individual and injunctive relief intended to change Walmart practices. The relief sought includes orders to modify testing processes, alter reassignment policies, and adjust hiring procedures to ensure that applicants and employees with disabilities receive appropriate consideration and accommodations. The agency framed its request as necessary to remedy the alleged discrimination and to prevent similar conduct in the future.

This action is part of a broader enforcement trend. Federal regulators have increased scrutiny of large retailers over how they handle accommodation requests and how hiring and internal mobility processes affect workers with disabilities. For front line employees and job seekers at Walmart, the complaint signals that the EEOC is focused on whether standard policies and procedures inadvertently block access to jobs or advancement for workers with medical conditions and disabilities.

For employees, a successful EEOC action could prompt changes that make it easier to obtain assistive devices or adjusted duties, and that create clearer paths for reassignment when medical limitations affect specific tasks. For managers and human resources teams, the case underscores the need to document accommodation requests carefully, to assess alternatives in good faith, and to review testing and hiring protocols for potential barriers. Changes to testing or reassignment practices could also alter how stores evaluate candidate fitness for roles and how they manage internal transfers.

What follows will depend on litigation or settlement negotiations, and on any court orders that might require Walmart to change policies or pay damages. For workers watching the case, the dispute highlights the legal protections available under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the potential for federal enforcement to reshape workplace practices in one of the nation’s largest employers.