A Case Attorney Brett Kaplan Handled Himself
This one is personal to our firm: Attorney Brett Kaplan represented Stevel Smith, a Walt Disney World Yacht & Beach Club Resorts housekeeping cast member with type 2 diabetes, in his disability discrimination lawsuit against Disney. Smith, who worked at the resort for roughly two years, alleged that Disney denied him easy access to his medication and to non-employee restrooms — accommodations he needed to safely manage his diabetes during his shifts — and that he also experienced discrimination from coworkers. Disney terminated Smith in March 2020, citing failure to complete safety inspections and falsified records; Smith maintained the real reason was his disability and his complaints about how he was being treated.
The case settled during mediation in August 2022, and the lawsuit was dismissed that October. Like most employment settlements, the terms are confidential, but the outcome reflects something we see again and again in our practice: when an employer denies an employee access to basic accommodations for a documented medical condition — something as simple as bathroom or medication access — and then fires that employee soon after they complain, it creates real exposure under the ADA and the Florida Civil Rights Act.
If you have a disability and your employer isn’t accommodating your basic medical needs at work, or you were let go after raising concerns about it, contact Kaplan Employment Law for a confidential consultation.
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