Crosner Legal’s Illinois office is actively pursuing a class action lawsuit against a major parcel delivery, freight transportation, and logistics company. This case centers on the protection of workers’ highly sensitive health data and alleged violations of the Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA).
The Allegations: We allege that this massive logistics corporation requires prospective and current employees, including truck drivers, to undergo mandatory medical examinations as a condition of their employment. During these exams, the employer allegedly requires applicants to disclose their family medical history—specifically, the manifestation of inheritable diseases or disorders in their family members.
Why This Matters Under Illinois Law: The Illinois Legislature enacted GIPA to ensure residents are not subjected to genetic discrimination in the workplace.
- Under GIPA, an individual’s “genetic information” explicitly includes their family medical history.
- Employers are strictly prohibited from directly or indirectly soliciting, requesting, or requiring this information as a condition of employment.
- The law provides robust penalties to protect workers, allowing for statutory damages of $2,500 for each negligent violation and $15,000 for each intentional or reckless violation.
Workers should never have to choose between securing a job and protecting their sensitive family health history.