A Winter Park plastic surgery center has agreed to pay $40,000 to settle allegations that it refused to treat patients with disabilities.
On Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced that Kamran Azad MD P.A., doing business as Azad Plastic Surgery, reached the settlement after federal investigators determined the facility violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The investigation was initially launched after a man filed a complaint alleging the clinic refused to provide him with plastic surgery services because he has Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). During the probe, a second complaint surfaced from a woman who claimed she was denied services because she has Crohn’s disease.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, investigators determined that the clinic discriminated against both individuals by refusing to even schedule consultations due to their respective medical conditions. Investigators stated that the facility “relied on incorrect assumptions and stereotypes about HIV and Crohn’s disease, not on current medical knowledge” when denying access to its services.
Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the plastic surgery clinic must pay a total of $40,000 in compensatory damages, with $20,000 being awarded to each of the two complainants.
In addition, the clinic is required to “adopt, maintain, and enforce a non-discrimination policy regarding the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability,” which must be posted on its website. Furthermore, the clinic must provide comprehensive ADA compliance training to all personnel, which will cover HIV discrimination and the provision of services to patients with HIV.
For the next two years, the clinic is also mandated to report any disability discrimination complaints it receives directly to the U.S. government.
Title III of the ADA strictly prohibits public accommodations, including the professional offices of healthcare providers, from discriminating against individuals based on a disability.
Anyone who believes they have experienced similar discrimination are encouraged to contact the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida via phone (813-274-6095) or email ([email protected]).