The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued Huntington Ingalls for allegedly refusing to hire pipefitter Stanley Dowdle after discovering his hearing impairment. The company gave a conditional offer of employment to Dowdle in July 2013 to work at its shipbuilding facility in Newport News, Virginia. Dowdle had to take a physical exam before beginning work. Dowdle wears hearing aids in both ears and requested to be tested while wearing the aids. The company denied his request and rescinded its offer after he failed the hearing test.