An employee requested a medical exemption from a workplace policy but refused to provide adequate documentation or let her provider clarify her condition. A federal appeals court found that was enough to end the interactive process—and the employer’s obligation. TL;DR: A recent Fourth Circuit decision confirms that the ADA’s…
The ADA bars discrimination against employees with disabilities. But what if the discrimination doesn’t happen until after the employee retires? According to the Supreme Court, the ADA doesn’t follow you into retirement. TL;DR: A firefighter who retired early due to disability sued under the ADA after her post-retirement health coverage…
An Army veteran asked to bring her service dog to work. Her employer took six months to approve it—and that delay may have violated the ADA. TL;DR: A school district took six months to approve a veteran employee’s request to bring her service dog to work. That was too long, according…
A job candidate allegedly asked to reschedule an interview due to severe menstrual symptoms. She didn’t get the job. But she did get the EEOC’s attention—and a settlement. TL;DR: The EEOC alleged that a national fitness company violated the ADA and Title VII when it rejected a female applicant after…
Some jobs just require heavy lifting—literally. And courts aren’t about to tell employers to rewrite essential duties just because someone asks for an exception. TL;DR: An employee recovering from a disability asked to return to his old job, but he couldn’t meet the essential physical demands. The employer…
Flamethrower messages torpedo an ADA claim in this no-nonsense ruling from a federal appellate court. TL;DR: An adjunct professor accused her college of ADA discrimination after it declined to renew her contract. But the Second Circuit quickly dismissed her claims—thanks in no small part to her own emails, which read like…
A machine operator with osteoarthritis tried to return to work with restrictions. Instead, he got terminated. Now his ADA case is headed for trial. TL;DR: A federal court just denied summary judgment in an ADA case involving a machine operator who asked to return from disability leave with light-duty restrictions.…
When employees allege discrimination under the ADA, it’s their burden to prove bias — not the employer’s burden to defend every business decision. A recent Seventh Circuit case reinforces that when employers apply clear policies consistently, even imperfect decisions won’t amount to discrimination. TL;DR: An employee who failed a random…
Now you can listen to The Employer Handbook—check out this week’s podcast recap! TL;DR: I’ve turned this week’s blog content into a short podcast episode using Google NotebookLM. If you missed a post or want to catch up while multitasking, you can now listen to the highlights on the go.…
When two bartenders disclosed medical conditions, a New York brewery pulled them from the schedule, according to the EEOC. That’s not how the ADA works. TL;DR: The EEOC recently settled an ADA lawsuit against a New York brewery, which will pay $225,000 to two former employees—one with cancer, the other…