INDIANAPOLIS -- A Carmel company is accused of firing a female employee because she was suffering from postpartum depression.

Midwest ISO, a power grid operator for much of the Midwest, is accused of discriminating against an employee because of a disability in a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The suit alleges the company refused to grant the woman the leave she requested to deal with her postpartum depression.

Officials with the EEOC said the lawsuit was filed only after the agency attempted to reach a settlement with Midwest ISO.

"This company could easily have prevented this situation by working toward a reasonable accommodation, which it was legally obliged to do," said Laurie A. Young, EEOC regional attorney for the Indianapolis District Office.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to provide a reasonable accommodation of an employee's disability, unless the employer would suffer an undue hardship as a result.