Michigan: Judge dismisses lawsuit filed by HIV-positive dental worker

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A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former dental centre employee in Michigan who claimed he faced discrimination at work and was fired because he is HIV-positive.

The Associated Press reports US District Judge Robert Cleland in late November granted summary judgment to Great Expressions Dental Centres.

James White accused the Bloomfield Hills-based company of violating the Americans With Disabilities Act.

He worked for Great Expressions in 2008 and 2009.

In a statement, Great Expressions CEO Richard Beckman says the company has “stood firm since this lawsuit was filed that it had no merit whatsoever.”

A message seeking comment was left for White’s lawyer on Tuesday.

In 2011, a survey found that 5% of US dentists polled do not offer services to people living with HIV.

The study authors said another 5% of the 612 dentists’ offices in Los Angeles County, California, would take people living with HIV as patients, but would only offer teeth-cleaning services, ask them to come in on separate days or isolate them from other patients.

 

 

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