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ADA

What to do if disability emerges after offer

01/27/2012

Job applicants aren’t required to reveal dis­­abilities during the hiring process. That means you may occasionally find yourself making a job offer to someone you don’t realize is disabled. At that point, what you say and what you do may mean the difference between smoothly integrating a new employee into the workforce and a costly, drawn-out lawsuit.

Never automatically fire employees just because they exhaust FMLA leave

01/25/2012
Many employers wrongly assume that they can automatically terminate an employee once she used up her 12-week entitlement of FMLA leave. Such a policy could spell trouble.

Can we ask about disabilities before hiring?

01/20/2012
Q. We recently extended an employment offer to someone who was later determined to be unable to perform the job’s essential functions due to a visual impairment. As a result, we wasted a significant amount of time. Aren’t workers obligated under the ADA to disclose that they suffer from a disability?

Can mental health problems be covered by the FMLA in addition to the ADA?

01/20/2012
Q. One of my employees recently informed me that she needs to take time off to seek psychiatric treatment. I realize that this employee may be disabled under the ADA, but could she also be considered to be suffering from a serious health condition under the FMLA?

Fired disabled worker receives $40K from American Apparel

01/20/2012
Los Angeles clothing manufacturer and retailer American Apparel has agreed to settle an ADA lawsuit filed by a former employee who was fired while out on medical leave.

AutoZone must pay $415,000 for disability discrimination

01/18/2012
Now there’s a price tag on an ADA case that has been percolating through Illinois courts for years. The Auto­­Zone chain of car-parts stores must pay $415,000 to a former manager who balked at doing custodial chores because of a debilitating neck injury.

Beware ADA lawsuit if you fire after FMLA leave expires

01/18/2012
Don’t make a common, but potentially expensive mistake. You can terminate an employee who isn’t ready to return to work when he has used up his FMLA leave without violating the FMLA. However, you may be violating the ADA by doing so.

Inability to perform a specific job doesn’t mean employee is disabled

01/18/2012

Some employees seem to believe that every medical problem is a disability that requires accommodation. That’s not true. Employees aren’t disabled unless their condition substantially limits a major life function. If the only effect is an inability to perform a specific job—not a class of jobs—the employee isn’t disabled and doesn’t have to be accommodated.

Like grocery prices, lifting requirements fluctuate

01/12/2012

Minneapolis-based grocery chain Supervalu faces a lawsuit from a former employee at a distribution center in Pennsylvania. Long-time employee Terri Wolfinger claims the company changed the lifting requirements in her job description to prevent her from returning to work after she injured her arm.

Miami ADA case could lead to Supreme Court hearing

01/12/2012
The EEOC has filed suit against Miami-based Vitas Healthcare alleging it violated the ADA when it made a disabled employee compete for a vacant position. The case raises a critical question that could carry it all the way to the Supreme Court.