Civil rights complaint against CVS to go forward

New York City -- The Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights will allow a civil rights complaint over an online job application used by CVS Caremark Corp. to go forward, saying there is probable cause to believe the pharmacy chain violated state anti-discrimination laws, the Associated Press said.



The finding, released by the American Civil Liberties Union, allows the ACLU to sue the company.



The complaint, filed in 2009 by the Rhode Island chapter of the ACLU, says CVS's application for customer service jobs at its pharmacies includes a series of about 100 statements that applicants are asked to respond to regarding their emotional well-being.



The ACLU said the application could be used to elicit information about people's mental health, and discriminate against those who have depression, attention deficit disorder, social anxiety and other mental impairments or disorders. It believes the statements violate state law, as well as the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.