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The case was brought by a lab-tech employed by the university’s medical school, alleging several claims, including harassment, disability discrimination, and retaliation for taking FMLA leave for anxiety. The plaintiff also alleged she was called a “typical millennial,” “Princess Diana,” and teased about needing psychiatric help, or being “off her meds.” The FMLA claim named…
Read MoreMany jobs require regular overtime or some minimum number of hours per day or week. If working a certain number of hours amounts to an essential function of a job, employees or applicants who cannot work those hours are generally unqualified. Even under the ADA, excusing a disabled individual from regularly working the hours essential…
Read MoreThe Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, in a recent decision (June 12, 2019) in the case of Richardson v. Chicago Transit Authority has joined the Second, Sixth and Eighth Circuit in finding that Obesity, standing alone, is not an impairment under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) absent an underlying psychological cause. This is an…
Read MoreIn this ever-litigious society of ours, it is comforting to see reason prevail on occasion, and the court’s recent decision in Summers v. Target Corporation, Case No. 18-C-32 (E.D. Wis. 2019) is a good example. In Summers, an employee contended that his supervisor caused him anxiety, stress, palpitations and panic disorders, for which he was…
Read MoreI am fairly certain that a number of readers of this article will have been on airlines or in restaurants where they have observed individuals being allowed to have “service animals” accompany them on their trip or their restaurant excursion. It is not surprising that the issue of service animals in the workplace is now…
Read MoreAdministering employee leaves of absence is complicated. For employers of 50 or more employees there obviously are the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and D.O.L. regulations to deal with. Then there is the EEOC, which has interpreted the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to require leaves of absence, or extending them under certain circumstances…
Read MoreAlthough pregnancy itself is not a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, pregnancy-related conditions that substantially limit an employee’s major life activities, even temporarily, may entitle the employee to accommodations for her condition. If a pregnant employee states that she cannot work, or cannot perform certain job functions, employers should engage in an interactive…
Read MoreSince I was a child back in the early 1950s, I was taught many things by my parents, including “treat others as you want to be treated” and “do not steal or take other people’s property.” Obviously, the Federal Court System and, specifically, U.S. District Court Judge William H. Orrick, have either never been taught…
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