I hope everyone had a good weekend. I just got back from the Federal Bar Association national convention in Kansas City, which was fabulous. I was part of a fantastic panel speaking on policing and persons with disabilities. In particular, we talked about a lot of different things. My part focused on why Graham v.
Sutton v. United Airlines
Did You Know that Asthma Might Not be a Disability? I Didn’t Either Until Now
Did you know that asthma might not be a disability? How is that even possible? After all, asthma is certainly a physical impairment that limits breathing and the immune system. Even so, the Sixth Circuit in Andrews v. Tri-Star Sports and Entertainment Group, Inc., here, on August 21, 2024, said that a plaintiff’s asthma…
Bar Examiners, Colleges and Universities May All Want to Reconsider the Extent of Their Documentation Requests When Receiving Accommodation Requestss
Today’s blog entry come from the Supreme Court of Maryland in a case called In the Matter of Antavis Chavis, here. The case, a 4-3 decision in favor of the plaintiff, should have high-stakes testing entities, and even colleges, and universities reevaluating the documentation they demand before deciding to make accommodations/modifications for an individual…
Is it Necessary to Allege a Causal Link Between the Accommodation and the Disability?
Today’s case comes from 2003 and represents the start of a line of cases that I am not sure I have discussed before. I am authoring a chapter in a federal employment litigation treatise on disability discrimination and the case came up during the course of that work. The case is Felix v. New York…
What do You Have to Show for Regarded As Claims and the Transitory and Minor Exception
Today’s blog entry deals with two questions when it comes to regarded as claims. First, just what does a person have to show to qualify for a regarded as claim? Second, for the transitory and minor exception to apply, must that be a situation where the illness is both transitory AND minor? As we will…
Physical Characteristics but not Physical Impairments Require a Look Behind the Hood
Back in July of 2020, I blogged on the case of Colton v. Fehrer Automotive, North America, LLC., here. That case explored the question of whether a 4’6” tall person has a disability under the ADA. The District Court threw the case out because the plaintiff did not allege any underlying reason for her…
Definitional Terms Still Matter: Physical or mental impairment and Substantial Limitation
Today’s blog entry is a two-for-one dealing with the fact that definitional terms still matter even after the amendments to the ADA. In the first case, Colton v. Fehrer Auto, North America, LLC, we revisit the question of whether being short is a disability without more. In the second case, Darby v. Childvine, Inc.…
Illinois Assistance Animal Integrity Act
One thing I have noticed with the pandemic is that legal bloggers have shifted what issues they are talking about to anything related to Covid-19. That said, there are other issues besides Covid-19 going on. For example, service animals and emotional support animals in housing. I am aware of reports from those in university towns…
Just Don’t go There or Even Hint at it: Alleging working as the Major Life Activity
I am back from the Windy City. We had a good time. We did the family thing. We got some time to ourselves as well. The weather was not too bad.
Before moving on to the blog entry of the day, my wife and I are huge Queer Eye fans. A new season of…
Legal Malpractice Risks and the ADA
Previously, I have talked about how the EEOC if it wasn’t the EEOC would have committed legal malpractice in the case we talked about here. From going through my search engine, it doesn’t seem like I have talked about where the legal malpractice risks are with respect to the ADA. In going through my…