News & Analysis as of

Termination Disability Discrimination Employment Litigation

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

Eighth Circuit Chips Away at ‘Honest Belief’ Defense and Creates ‘Intertwinement Test’ for Disability Discrimination Cases

On July 1, 2024, in Huber v. Westar Foods, Inc., in a 2–1 decision, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals departed from the “honest belief” defense recognized by the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Seventh Circuits (and U.S....more

BCLP

UK HR Two-Minute Monthly: May 2024

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Our May update includes a case on whistleblowing where the claimant’s belief in the disclosures was questioned along with whether decision makers who knew little or nothing about the disclosures could be blamed for those who...more

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

Connecticut Appellate Court Rules Employer Could Discharge Medical Marijuana User Impaired on the Job

On March 19, 2024, the Connecticut Appellate Court upheld an employer’s right to discharge an employee for being impaired on the job from medical marijuana under a state law that provides employment protections for qualified...more

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

Medical Marijuana Usage Is Not Protected Under the ADA, Vermont Federal Court Rules

On February 14, 2024, a judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont dismissed a plaintiff’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) discrimination and failure-to-accommodate case, holding that his medical...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Admission That Business Unit Was Closed Due to Employee's Disability Precludes Dismissal of ADA Claim

When advising employers about the legal risks associated with a business reorganization, we generally advise that discrimination claims are less likely when a company closes an entire facility or department as compared to...more

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

Deaf Ramp Agent’s Inability to Communicate With Others While Working Posed ‘Direct Threat’ to Employee Safety, Court Rules

SkyWest Airlines, Inc., was justified in discharging a deaf ramp agent because his inability to hear or effectively communicate posed a “direct threat” to the safety of himself and others, the U.S. District Court for the...more

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...

Cash Depot Pays $55,000 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawsuit

ATM Service Provider Resolves Federal Lawsuit Charging That It Failed to Accommodate And Fired Employee Because of Disability - HOUSTON – Cash Depot, LTD, a privately owned, independent ATM service provider headquartered...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Employee's PTSD Diagnosis May Excuse Violation of Disciplinary Policies

The Americans with Disabilities Act does not require employers to ignore or excuse serious violations of their rules of conduct. For example, an employee who brings a weapon to work in violation of the employer’s policy...more

Venable LLP

Responding to Mental Health Accommodation Requests

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Many employers have experienced an increase in employee requests for accommodations in the past few years. A federal jury’s recent award in Lisa Menninger v. PPD Development L.P. reminds employers that accommodation requests,...more

Genova Burns LLC

NJ Appellate Division Rules No Age or Disability Bias in Termination of 60-Year-Old Employee

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On March 29, 2023, the New Jersey Appellate Division affirmed an employer’s win after a former employee claimed he was fired on the basis of his age and disability. In Estate of Zoto v. Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Brain Tumor: A Little Too Little, Too Late — Sixth Circuit Addresses Late Disclosure of Disability

Employers sometimes face difficult decisions after learning of an employee’s disability. What if you learn of a disability after ongoing repeated employment deficiencies or even after a disciplinary or discharge decision...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Trust But Verify: Conduct Your Own Investigation Before Termination

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Seyfarth Synopsis: In a recent ruling, Brooks v. Avancez, (Decided July 6, 2022) the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed a finding for summary judgment for an employer after it was found to have terminated...more

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

Fifth Circuit Rules Sleepwalking Employee Who Crawled Into Bed With Coworker Cannot Prove Disability Discrimination

On July 15, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court’s ruling that a female employee who crawled into a male coworker’s bed while “sleepwalking” and was subsequently discharged failed to...more

Dickinson Wright

Yes, CBD Registers On a Drug Screen as THC and, Yes, You Can Be Terminated for It

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There is a lot to unpack in the Lehenky v. Toshiba America Energy Systems Corporation, Case No. 20-4573 (E.D. PA, February 22, 2022) case as it answers two very interesting questions. First, does CBD register on a drug screen...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

Unclear, Inconsistently Enforced Policy Supports Employee Discrimination Claim

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Summary Shortly after requesting an accommodation for his disability, an employee was terminated for violating company policy. But because the policy at issue was vague, ever-evolving, and inconsistently enforced, the Utah...more

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

Federal Court: Employee’s Self-Serving Testimony and Discovery Responses Did Not Satisfy Burden of Proof on Summary Judgment

In Buckmaster v. The National Railroad Passenger Corp. d/b/a Amtrak, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland addressed whether an employee had offered any evidence of discrimination or retaliation beyond his own...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Don’t Fire Me! I’m Drug Free! It Was CBD! Indiana Court Examines Termination for Use of Hemp Oil

In our modern world of a booming CBD industry and an increasing number of states that have legalized marijuana, can you terminate an employee for a positive drug test for marijuana? What if the test shows marijuana...more

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

Consistently Inconsistent: An Example of Shifting Reasons for Employment Termination Precluding Summary Judgment

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas recently denied an employer’s motion for summary judgment when its alleged shifting reasons for terminating the plaintiff’s employment contract raised genuine issues...more

Locke Lord LLP

The First Circuit Sends an ADA Warning ‎to Employers

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On September 15, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued a startling and ‎ominous opinion construing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in a manner which ‎employers should take heed. In a...more

Weintraub Tobin

Inoculating Against The Coming Spread Of Employee Lawsuits Related To COVID-19

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As workplaces begin reopening in the coming weeks, attorneys are predicting a rash of lawsuits by employees against their employers related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It seems clear that workers-compensation preemption may...more

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...

Diamond B & Harris Companies Pay $100,000 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Suit

Company Fired Certified Rigger Due to Epilepsy, Federal Agency Charged - SEATTLE - A Bellingham, Wash.-based company formerly doing business as Diamond B Constructors, Inc. and its successor, Harris Companies, will pay...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Nuclear Power Company Avoids ADA Discrimination Claim Meltdown

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Seyfarth Synopsis: In Flaherty v. Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., ___ F.3d ___, No. 18-1759, 2019 WL 7046367, at *1 (1st Cir. Dec. 23, 2019), the First Circuit struck a terminated nuclear plant security officer’s...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Sixth Circuit “Regarded As” ADA case — When Reality and Perception Collide

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Seyfarth Synopsis: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) not only provides protection to individuals who have physical or mental impairments, but to individuals an employer may perceive to have such impairments. These...more

K&L Gates LLP

Working Wise: New Jersey's Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act

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In this episode, Meghan Meade discusses employer obligations towards disabled employees in light of New Jersey's recent amendments to the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, finishing off with a brief update on what's...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Tennessee Federal Court Axes ADA Anxiety Discrimination Claim And Grants Summary Judgment To Employer Against The EEOC

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Seyfarth Synopsis: In an EEOC disability discrimination lawsuit alleging that an employer failed to accommodate and then wrongfully terminated a laundry technician with anxiety, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District...more

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