Helicopter Paramedic With HIV Settles Discrimination Case With Employer

The health care worker alleges he was removed from the job after disclosing his HIV status.

February 3, 2017

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Flight paramedic Clint Moore secured a favorable settlement in his HIV-related discrimination lawsuit against his employer, Air Evac Lifeteam, according to a press release by Lambda Legal, an LGBT and HIV rights organization that represented Moore.

Moore, who was hired as a flight paramedic in 2008 for the Missouri-based helicopter ambulance service, alleges that shortly after he was diagnosed with HIV in late 2013 he notified the company. He was then told he had to petition the medical board in all five states served by the company to continue working in the same capacity. According to the press release, Moore said those steps weren’t necessary because his HIV status didn’t put his patients or coworkers at risk. He ended up taking a different job at the same company and remained employed during litigation.

The lawsuit claimed Air Evac violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits workplace discrimination based on HIV status.

The case was settled for an undisclosed sum.

“We are very happy to resolve this case on behalf of Clint. He was and is an excellent employee and an advocate for people living with HIV in the health care field,” said Kyle Palazzolo, an attorney with Lambda Legal’s HIV Project, in the press release. “Lambda Legal will continue to fight on behalf of all people living with HIV, particularly HIV-positive health care workers, to ensure they are protected in the workplace.”

  

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