By:  James L. Brannen

In Sanchez v. Swissport, Inc. (2013) 2013 Cal. App. Lexis 131, the Second Appellate District of California, for the first time, has addressed whether an employer who provides the full amount of leave allotted by the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) and Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL) to a pregnant employee with early pregnancy-related disabilities, can still be held liable for failing to provide additional leave to that employee under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) as a reasonable accommodation until after the employee gives birth.Continue Reading Second Appellate District Holds that Employers do not Fulfill FEHA Obligations by Providing the Statutory Four-Month PDL Leave to Employees with Pregnancy-Related Disabilities

By:    Duyen T. Nguyen

In Young v. UPS, 2013 U.S. App. Lexis 530, a UPS worker sued her employer for sex and race discrimination under Title VII and for disability discrimination under the ADA on the basis of her pregnancy. On January 9, 2013, the Fourth Circuit Appellate Court issued a decision affirming the district court’s grant of summary judgment for the employer.Continue Reading The Fourth Circuit Court Says Pregnant Employee Not Entitled to Accommodation

By:       Lizbeth V. West, Esq.

Robert v. Board of County Commissioners of Brown County, Kansas, et. al. (10th Cir. Aug. 29, 2012) No. 11-3902

The job description for Robert’s job as a supervisor of felony offenders included 18 “essential functions.”   Some of those included functions like performing drug screenings, ensuring compliance with court orders, testifying in court, and “field work,” which consisted of visiting the homes of individuals who had been released from prison to assist them in their reentry into society. The job required “considerable fieldwork . . . throughout the 22nd Judicial District," "visits in less than desirable environments," and "potentially dangerous situations in field/office contacts."Continue Reading Is Leave Required As An Accommodation If It Is Unclear If The Employee Will Be Able To Perform The Job In The Near Future?

By: Chelcey E. Lieber

Attendance at work seems like an obvious requirement to keep a job, right? The unfortunate answer often given by lawyers to that question is, “it depends.” In the employee-friendly state of California, permitting telecommuting or exemptions to an attendance policy may be a reasonable accommodation if a person has a disability. However, recently, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed that predictable attendance can be an essential function of certain jobs; in this case, the job of a neo-natal intensive care unit (“NICU”) nurse.Continue Reading Is Compliance with an Attendance Policy an Essential Function of the Job? The Ninth Circuit says “Yes!”

By:       Scott M. Plamondon

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) thinks so. The EEOC recently posted a letter to its website stating that it may be unlawful for employers to require a job applicant to have obtained a high school diploma if the applicant suffers from a learning disability and has been unable to obtain one. The EEOC’s position represents a significant departure from traditional interpretation by the courts with regard to matters of unintentional discrimination resulting in a disparate impact on certain groups.Continue Reading Is It Discrimination To Require A High School Diploma?