U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Mariscos El Puerto, Inc.

**Court Rules Against EEOC in Disability Discrimination Case Due to Company Size** The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued AMIKids Baton Rouge, Inc. on behalf of a worker who claimed disability discrimination. The case involved allegations that the company violated employment laws by discriminating against an employee because of their disability. The court ruled in favor of AMIKids Baton Rouge and threw out the case entirely. The judge found that the company was too small to be covered by Louisiana's employment discrimination law. Under Louisiana law, employers must have at least 20 employees before they're required to follow state anti-discrimination rules. AMIKids Baton Rouge didn't meet this minimum employee requirement during the time period in question. This decision highlights an important limitation for workers: not all employers are required to follow anti-discrimination laws. Small companies with fewer than 20 employees in Louisiana (and fewer than 15 employees under federal law) may not be covered by these protections. Workers at smaller companies may have fewer legal options if they face discrimination. Before pursuing a discrimination claim, workers should verify that their employer is large enough to be covered by applicable employment laws.