EEOC Sues Mississippi Steakhouse for Firing Employee After Seizure

The federal government sued the operators of a Mississippi steakhouse, accusing them of firing an employee because she had a seizure, then dismissing her with instructions to focus on her health.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the lawsuit, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Diamond Jim's and Mrs. Donna's Ole Farm Beef House, LLC et al., case number 3:26-cv-00151, on March 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. The agency alleges the restaurant violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by terminating the worker because of her seizure condition.

According to the EEOC, the employee had disclosed her past history with seizures before being hired, though she had been seizure-free for years. Several months into the job, she had a seizure. The restaurant fired her in February 2023 and, according to the allegations, told her to focus on her health.

"The ADA protects qualified individuals from employment discrimination on the basis of disability," said Marsha Rucker, regional attorney for the EEOC's Birmingham District. "When an employer violates this protection, the EEOC stands ready to enforce it through litigation."

EEOC Birmingham District Director Bradley Anderson tied the case to the law's long history. "The ADA has prohibited employment discrimination on the basis of disability for more than three decades," Anderson said. "The EEOC remains committed to enforcing the law and fulfilling the statute's promise of equal employment opportunity for individuals with disabilities."

The suit came after attempts to reach a pre-litigation settlement were unsuccessful. The EEOC is seeking back pay, compensatory damages, and punitive damages, along with injunctive relief designed to prevent future violations by the employer.

Diamond Jim's and Mrs. Donna's operated a steakhouse in Meridian that opened in October 2022 and closed permanently in July 2025. The restaurant's owners said at the time of the closure that they intended to open a location in the Tuscaloosa area. No response from the defendants to the allegations was available at the time of publication.

The lawsuit is the latest ADA enforcement action from the EEOC's Birmingham District, which last September sued Smoke BBQ LLC, operator of Cosmos restaurant in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, over the firing of a pregnant server in a separate Title VII case.