Settlement
reached in the firing of HIV-positive man

A man fired from his job as a cook because he is HIV-positive has reached a financial agreement with his former employers, Lambda Legal announced Monday. Mike and Katy's Causeway Cafe of Wrightsville Beach, N.C., terminated Aron Pelela in October after learning of his HIV status. The settlement, brokered in part by Lambda, argued that the restaurant violated the Americans With Disabilities Act as well as North Carolina law.

As part of the agreement, the restaurant will institute a policy ensuring that it will no longer discriminate against HIV-positive employees, conduct training to educate staff about the transmission of HIV, and award Pelela an undisclosed amount of money. "There is no risk of transmission of HIV through the preparation of food, yet myths about transmission are clearly still running rampant," said Greg Nevins, senior staff attorney in Lambda's southern regional office in Atlanta. "We are happy to see the owner of this restaurant instituting a policy based on the facts and training their employees on the truth about HIV transmission."

Lambda is currently working on a similar case involving a man being fired from his job as manager of a successful Subway restaurant after a superior learned he is HIV-positive. (Advocate.com)