A parent otherwise eligible for FMLA leave can use that leave to care for a child 18 years of age or older, if that child (1) has a “disability” under the ADA; (2) is incapable of self-care due to that disability; (3) has a “serious health condition” under the FMLA; and (4) needs care due
Disability
Swine Flu Snafu: Court Tosses ADA Perceived Disability Claim Based on Employer’s Mistaken Perception
The company told the plaintiff he was being terminated because it “feared that he had contracted swine flu while in Mexico for his sister’s funeral.” For a time, swine flu had been declared a public health emergency and medical authorities feared the worst. We now know that the swine flu hospitality and mortality profile is very similar…
Plaintiff With Many Chemical and Other Sensitivities Not Qualified Under Rehab Act
A plaintiff with chemical or other sensitivities alleging disability discrimination is not unusual. The typical claim is that such a plaintiff, despite such sensitivities, is a qualified individual with a disability and the employer failed to accommodate those sensitivities. The pro se plaintiff in an Eleventh Circuit case making that claim, a nurse in a…
It Depends on Your Definition of “Has”: Connecticut Appellate Court Rejects State Law “Perceived Disability” Claim.
The Connecticut law prohibiting discrimination against an individual who has a “physical disability” does not create a cause of action for discrimination by someone who does not have, but is perceived to have, a physical disability, according to the Connecticut Appellate Court. Desrosiers v. Diageo (Aug 14, 2012). The Court noted that the state law…
Working Through the Workplace Haze from Connecticut’s New Medical Marijuana Law
Under a new Connecticut law, a “qualifying patient” with a “debilitating medical condition” may obtain a supply of marijuana from a licensed dispensary to alleviate symptoms or effects of such symptoms. The statute lists eleven “debilitating medical conditions” and gives the Department of Consumer Protection the ability to add others.
The act also gives guidance to address the…
Oktoberfest Jaunt Leads to Disability Fraud Firing
The Sixth Circuit has affirmed summary judgment for an employer who terminated an employee on FMLA leave based on its “honest belief” that the employee had “over-reported” his restrictions to avoid doing light duty work. Seeger v. Cincinnati Bell Telephone, (6th Cir. May 8, 2012).
Under the labor contract, an employee on otherwise unpaid…
“Severe Obesity” is a Disability Under the ADA, Federal District Court Rules
“Severe obesity” is a disability under the ADA and a plaintiff need not prove an underlying physiological basis for it, according to a Louisiana federal court. The court denied the employer’s motion for summary judgment. EEOC v. Resources for Human Dev., E.D. La., 12/7/11).
Noting that there is no federal law prohibiting discrimination based on…
Swine Flu Snafu: ADA Claim Dismissed, Even if Plaintiff Had Swine Flu
A plaintiff who thought she had the swine flu, and thought she had an ADA claim when she was terminated after four days of absence for the flu, had neither. Lewis v. Florida Default Law Group,P.L. (M.D. FL Sept. 15, 2011).
The plaintiff was diagnosed with “seasonal flu” but “understood” she was diagnosed with the H1NI…
Rotating Assignments as an Essential Job Function under the ADA: The Cases of the Acrophobic Bridge Worker and Incontinent Court Reporter
Recall the incontinent court reporter. She had a steady assignment compatible with her medical condition until the chief judge required court reporters to rotate through all courtrooms. In the lawsuit challenging the court reporter’s termination, the court held that rotating was an essential function of the court reporter’s job and because she could not do…
Huge Win for Employer Wellness Plans!!
Employers who use financial incentives to motivate employees to complete health risk appraisals as part of their group health plans can breathe a little easier. Relying on the ADA’s "safe harbor" for insurance practices, a Florida federal district court has rejected a class action lawsuit challenging Broward County’s use of a $20 surcharge to motivate completion of a health…