News & Analysis as of

Summary Judgment Essential Functions

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Fifth Circuit Weighs in for the First Time Since COVID-19 as to When Remote Work Can Be Reasonable Accommodation

Fifth Circuit precedent recognizes the “general consensus among courts” that regular, in-person work is an essential function of most jobs. Yet the continued viability of this premise has been in question, given the ability...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Tenth Circuit Upholds Employer’s Decision to Deny Telework Accommodation Request Under Rehabilitation Act

On September 15, 2021, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of an employer. In Brown v. Austin, the Tenth Circuit found that an employee’s telework, weekend work, and...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Regular Attendance Is Essential Even If Employer was Lenient In The Past, Fifth Circuit Holds

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An employer’s past leniency in applying and enforcing its attendance policy did not contradict the employer’s later position that regular worksite attendance was required for employment, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the...more

Laner Muchin, Ltd.

Seventh Circuit Affirms that Multi-Month Leave of Absence Is Not Reasonable Accommodation Under ADA

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In a recent opinion, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed that a multi-month leave of absence is not a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)....more

Payne & Fears

Key California Employment Law Cases: June 2019

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This month's key California employment law cases involve EEOC charges, disability discrimination, and meal breaks....more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Employers Can Modify or Revoke ADA Accommodations if Underlying Job Duties Change

In his classic 1998 business book “Who Moved my Cheese?,” Spencer Johnson discussed the need for businesses and employees to focus on the need to adapt to changes in their industries. In our practice, we frequently see claims...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Eleventh Circuit Opinion Clarifies Definition of ‘Similarly Situated’ Comparators

On March 21, 2019, finding in favor of an employer seeking summary judgment, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, in Lewis v. City of Union City, clarified the definition of “similarly situated” comparators for...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Doctor, Doctor: Fourth Circuit Allows Case to Proceed on Employee Medical Exam

When can you send an employee for a medical exam? In EEOC v. McLeod Health, Inc., the Fourth Circuit recently provided some guidance and allowed a plaintiff’s claim for an illegal medical exam to proceed to the jury despite...more

Polsinelli

Four Circuits Agree: Regular and Reliable Attendance is an Essential Job Function

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Recently, the United States Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals reaffirmed that regular and reliable attendance is an essential function of most jobs under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). Lipp v. Cargill Meat...more

Littler

Sixth Circuit Rejects Argument that Full-Time Job Requires Full-Time Hours in ADA Failure to Accommodate Case

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Holding that full-time presence at the workplace is not always an essential job function, on July 17, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed summary judgment in favor of the employer in an Americans...more

Knobbe Martens

Can Ear Plugs Tune Out Color? Bright Green Color For Ear Plugs Not Functional

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Moldex-Metric, Inc. filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against McKeon Products.  Moldex-Metric asserted that McKeon infringed its unregistered trade dress consisting of a bright green color for foam ear plugs by using a...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

First Circuit Decision Underlines the Importance of Law Over Sympathetic Facts in Disability Discrimination Cases

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Seyfarth Synopsis: Plaintiffs in disability discrimination cases often have sympathetic facts on their side. A recent decision out of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, however, highlighted that courts...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Does the ADA Protect a Customer Service Agent With Dissatisfied Customers? The Ninth Circuit Says No

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled against a failure-to accommodate claim brought by a customer service employee who was fired for poor performance. According to the court, the former employee, who suffered...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Permanent Light Duty Not Required Under ADA

Employers frequently offer light duty work as a means for injured employees to return to their regular job duties. Light duty is typically associated with employees with Workers’ Compensation related injuries. ...more

Weintraub Tobin

Ninth Circuit Says Employee Who Made Death Threats Against His Co-Workers Could Not Sue His Employer For Disability Discrimination

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Joining similar holdings from several other circuits, the Ninth Circuit recently held in Mayo v. PCC Structurals, Inc. that a depressed employee who threatened to kill his co-workers and was thereafter fired was not a...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Employers Can Decide That Physical Presence at the Workplace is an Essential Function

On April 10, 2015, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its long-awaited en banc decision in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Ford Motor Company following a vacated panel decision from April 2014 in which a...more

Proskauer - California Employment Law

Disability Discrimination Claims Were Properly Dismissed On Summary Judgment

Tony Nealy worked as a solid waste equipment operator for the City of Santa Monica before injuring his knee in July 2003 while moving a large bin full of food waste. Nealy was temporarily totally disabled due to the injury...more

Baker Donelson

Rarely Performed Duties May Still Be Essential

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Even a rarely performed job function may still be "essential" under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently ruled in Wardia v. Department of Juvenile Justice. ...more

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