Randstad, US LP and the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission settled a lawsuit that claimed the staffing firm refused to hire a recovering drug addict enrolled in a methadone treatment program.

According to the EEOC, April Cox applied in January 2015 with Randstad in Timonium, Md., for a vacant production laborer position. However, the agency claims the company did not hire Cox after she revealed she was in a methadone program. The EEOC announced the lawsuit in November.

Randstad will pay Cox $50,000. The 18-month consent decree resolving the lawsuit also requires Randstad to advise all employees responsible for conducting pre-employment drug screenings that applicants shall not be rejected for hire because of a lawful prescribed medication, including methadone, or participation in a treatment program. Randstad will also provide training on the ADA and its protections regarding the use of lawfully prescribed medications and will post a notice about the laws EEOC enforces and the settlement.

“Randstad is proud of its commitment to equal employment opportunity,” Randstad said in a statement. “The company has robust policies, procedures and training in place to ensure that applicants and employees are treated fairly and in compliance with the law. As noted in the consent decree entered by the Court, the company did not admit any liability whatsoever and there has been no determination by the Court that the company violated any laws. After assessing the alternatives, the company decided that an early resolution of the lawsuit simply presented a better alternative than protracted, disruptive and expensive litigation.”

“While employers may conduct pre-employment drug tests for illegal drug use, medically prescribed methadone is a well-known and effective treatment for individuals recovering from drug addiction,” said EEOC Philadelphia District Director Spencer H. Lewis. “Thus, employers violate the ADA if they refuse to hire a qualified applicant based on fears or stereotypes about an applicant's disability or medically supervised drug rehabilitation.”