The nation’s largest HR trade group has been sued by a woman who alleges it revoked a job offer because it didn’t want her medical service dog in the office.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday by Fiona Torres against the Society for Human Resource Management says she is diabetic, and the dog can detect changes in her blood-sugar levels faster and more reliably than a top-tier glucose monitor.
SHRM says it “fully complied” with the Americans with Disabilities Act in offering Torres an alternative “reasonable accommodation” for her health condition.
Torres’ lawsuit was filed less than two weeks after SHRM was ordered to pay $11.5 million in an unrelated race discrimination and retaliation case.
The new complaint alleges that in June 2024, SHRM offered Torres a role as a senior specialist in its product management department at its office in Alexandria, Virginia, then revoked the offer in July because she wanted to bring her dog to work.
Torres said SHRM’s offer to accommodate her medical needs was to allow her to keep food, water, and an insulin pump at her desk, which she felt was insufficient.
“I was ready and able to work,” Torres said in an email to Business Insider through her attorney. “They said they were eager to have me until they found out I had a disability and a service dog.”
The complaint quotes an email from SHRM to Torres denying her accommodation request.
“[I]t does not appear there are any reasonable accommodations that would allow you to perform the essential functions of the role,” SHRM wrote, according to the complaint.
SHRM spokesman Eddie Burke declined to comment on the specifics of the suit, saying the organization was still reviewing the legal papers.
“We support the ADA and are actively committed to supporting employees through fair, respectful, and legally compliant accommodation processes,” he said. “We fully complied with the ADA in this matter and, in consultation with outside legal counsel, met all of our obligations to provide reasonable accommodations to Fiona Torres.”
Lori Kisch, a lawyer for Torres, told Business Insider that SHRM’s alleged conduct was “ironic” given its mission is to provide information and resources to help HR professionals follow laws such as the ADA.
“They can’t argue that they don’t understand the law, and their actions are a reckless indifference to the law,” she said.
Torres’ case, filed in federal court in Virginia, follows a lawsuit brought by a former SHRM employee that alleged race discrimination and retaliation. Rehab Mohamed, a Black and Egyptian instructional designer, claimed her SHRM manager held her to higher standards than white employees. A jury found SHRM liable for $11.5 million in damages.
SHRM has said it plans to file an appeal and that the verdict “does not reflect the facts, the law, or the truth of how” it operates.
