EVANSTON, IL — A lawsuit filed against the City of Evanston recently alleges the city illegally collects sensitive genetic information about employees before they are allowed to start working.
According to the complaint, the city requires employees to complete a pre-employment physical that includes a questionnaire, which requested information about family medical history. The lawsuit claims this is a violation of the Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA), which protects individuals from having their genetic information used against them in a discriminatory matter.
The lawsuit was filed on Aug. 15 on behalf of Melvin Jeter, a former equipment operator, and similarly situated individuals.
“[The City of Evanston] chose to disregard Illinois’ genetic privacy laws by repeatedly asking job applicants and/or employees to provide genetic information, in the form of family medical history,” the lawsuit states.