Prince George's County sued over disability discrimination claims

By AI, Created 4:35 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – A former Prince George’s County employee says the county refused disability accommodations, singled her out at work and fired her 10 days after she filed a written complaint with Human Resources. The lawsuit, filed in Maryland circuit court, seeks back pay, reinstatement or front pay and compensatory damages.

Why it matters: - The lawsuit accuses Prince George’s County of violating state and local anti-discrimination laws in a case that centers on disability accommodations, workplace treatment and alleged retaliation. - The complaint claims the county fired Aisha Walker shortly after she reported discrimination internally, raising the stakes for public employers handling accommodation requests and HR complaints.

What happened: - Justly Prudent filed the lawsuit on behalf of Aisha Walker in the Circuit Court of Maryland for Prince George’s County. - The complaint alleges disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, retaliation and hostile work environment under the Maryland Fair Employment Practices Act and the Prince George’s County Code. - Walker says Prince George’s County hired her in December 2023 as an Administrative Aide II in the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement. - Walker says she has Graves’ disease and suffered cervical and lumbar injuries in a March 2024 motor vehicle accident. - Walker says she disclosed her autoimmune condition before hiring and began formal accommodation requests in late March 2024.

The details: - The requested accommodations included a sit-stand desk, an ergonomic chair, breaks as needed, reassignment or transfer to reduce stress, telework during flare-ups and leave if accommodations could not be provided. - The complaint says the county did not provide any of the requested accommodations. - The complaint says the county did not complete the interactive accommodation process it started in April 2024. - Walker alleges supervisors required daily work logs that were not required of colleagues. - Walker alleges supervisors monitored her telephone calls back-to-back, denied her access to a customer-tracking system used by peers and limited her hands-on training. - Walker says she overheard a first-line supervisor comment to the county’s Human Resources liaison about the time needed for her to recover from her accident injuries. - Walker says she made an informal complaint to a second-level supervisor in about June 2024. - Walker says she raised concerns multiple times with the county’s Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator. - Walker says she submitted a written complaint of discrimination, hostile work environment and harassment to Human Resources on July 23, 2024. - The complaint says the county issued a Notice of Termination 10 days later, placed Walker on administrative leave effective immediately and ended her employment effective Aug. 9, 2024. - Walker says she never received formal written discipline, a performance improvement plan or a documented warning. - Walker alleges the county’s stated reasons for firing her were pretextual. - Managing Attorney Jordan D. Howlette said Walker disclosed her conditions, submitted medical documentation, used the county’s accommodation process and reported the issues through internal channels. - Howlette said the county refused every accommodation request, increased scrutiny and fired Walker 10 days after her written complaint reached Human Resources.

Between the lines: - The timeline in the complaint is the key legal pressure point: Walker says she engaged the internal process, then faced escalating scrutiny and termination soon after she complained in writing. - If proven, the allegations would support a retaliation theory on top of the underlying disability discrimination and accommodation claims. - The case also puts a spotlight on how public employers document performance issues before taking termination action.

What’s next: - Walker is seeking back pay, front pay or reinstatement, and compensatory damages. - The case is Aisha Walker v. Prince George’s County, Maryland, Case No. C-16-CV-26-002796. - The lawsuit will now move through the Maryland circuit court process, where the county can respond to the allegations.