Uta Sauerman was sure the job was hers. But the promised call never came. Now the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says Swift Transportation Co. must pay up.

EEOC attorneys have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court alleging that the Phoenix-based carrier refused to hire Sauermann for a non-driving job after she revealed she has a partially amputated leg. That, the lawsuit says, violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
William F. Riley III, Swift's senior executive vice president, would not discuss the specifics of the lawsuit with reporters, but in a prepared statement, he said his company has "a comprehensive policy prohibiting discrimination in hiring and in the workplace."
The lawsuit charges that in late 1997 Sauermann applied to an available claims adjuster and claims representative position with Swift. During her second interview, a Swift official told her the company would call her the next day to arrange a meeting with a vice president. She was told only one applicant per position was offered this meeting, an implication that the job was hers. At the end of the second interview, when the interviewer asked about a gap in her resume, Sauermann mentioned her prosthesis.
Sauermann was not contacted for the promised third meeting, according to the suit, which also alleges that for two months, even after the position was filled by another applicant, Swift told Sauermann she was still under consideration for the job.
The EEOC is seeking back pay and compensatory and punitive damages up to $300,000.