News & Analysis as of

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Fitness for Duty Exams

Amundsen Davis LLC

Seventh Circuit Ruling Allows Non-Disabled Workers to Seek Backpay Under ADA

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The Seventh Circuit (covering Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin) recently ruled that a non-disabled employee can recover damages under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when his employer required a fitness-for-duty...more

McAfee & Taft

Can a non-disabled employee recover backpay under the ADA? At least one appeals court thinks so.

McAfee & Taft on

In the brilliant 1993 movie The Fugitive, there is an iconic scene in which the wrongly accused Dr. Richard Kimble emphatically tells Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard, “I didn’t kill my wife!” Gerard responds, “I don’t...more

Vedder Price

Seventh Circuit Allows Recovery of Back Pay in ADA Case Absent Proof of Disability

Vedder Price on

In a case of first impression, on April 1, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued an important decision in Nawara v. Cook County Municipality (Case Nos. 22-1393, 22-1430, 22-2395 & 22-2451), holding...more

Venable LLP

Seventh Circuit Ruling Permits Back Pay for ADA Discrimination for Non-Disabled Workers

Venable LLP on

Last month, in Nawara v. Cook County Municipality, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals said a violation of ADA protections from medical examinations or inquiries counts as discrimination on account of disability, regardless...more

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

Seventh Circuit Holds That Unlawful Medical Inquiries Trigger Claims Under the ADA for Non-Disabled Employees

On April 1, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (which has jurisdiction over Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin) issued a landmark ruling that could allow non-disabled workers to recover back pay under a...more

Poyner Spruill LLP

Tenth Circuit Decision Highlights Importance of Fitness For Duty Assessments Under ADA

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The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) places certain limitations on an employer’s ability to ask questions regarding an employee’s medical conditions. One important exception concerns “fitness for duty assessments.” Once...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

Fit for duty? Be careful what you ask for.

At one time or another, one of your employees may have had a serious health condition resulting in multiple absences, followed by a release to return to work with restrictions that you believed prevented the employee from...more

Akerman LLP - HR Defense

When Can An Employer Require Fitness-For-Duty Exams?

Employers with fitness-for-duty exam requirements for employees returning from medical leaves should take note of a recent decision by a federal court in Massachusetts. In that case, the Court considered whether requiring...more

Hinshaw & Culbertson - Employment Law...

Useful Road Map for Employers to Conduct Direct Threat Analysis Under the ADA

Most employers are familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its requirement  to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. There is less certainty about the extent of this...more

McAfee & Taft

Can an employer terminate an employee for conduct caused by a disability?

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Employees who exhibit what appear to be mental issues while in the workplace or performing their job duties present some of the most difficult situations for employers. An employee with a mental or emotional issue may have a...more

Pullman & Comley, LLC

Federal Family and Medical Leave Act and COVID-19

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The United States Department of Labor has issued “COVID-19 or other Public Health Emergencies and the Family and Medical Leave Act Questions and Answers” (the “DOL COVID-19 FAQ”).  The DOL COVID-19 FAQ provides the following...more

Littler

Dear Littler: What to Do When an Employee Threatens Suicide?

Littler on

Dear Littler: One of our employees told a coworker that she is very depressed and contemplating suicide. The coworker feels this is a serious, and potentially imminent, situation and immediately reported her concerns to us. ...more

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP

Eighth Circuit to Decide Viability of Bringing Class Action Claims Under the ADA

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit will soon be deciding a case that may have important implications on the viability of class actions for employment discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Is Your Employee As Fit As A Fiddle?

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Seyfarth Synopsis: While employees often will toot their own horn, employers sometimes may have concerns about their ability to safely perform their job. If this situation rings a bell, it will be music to your ears to hear...more

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...

EEOC Sues Zachry Construction Corporation For Disability Discrimination

Contractor Used Medical Questionnaires and Exams to Weed Out Employees With Potential Medical Issues, Federal Agency Charges - BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Zachry Construction Corporation, a San Antonio-based construction and...more

McAfee & Taft

Court rules employee’s behavior justified mental health exam

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There is a needed focus on mental health issues these days. We see it on social media as well as in the news. And, as a nation, we are hopefully moving to a place were individuals can get the help they need without any...more

McAfee & Taft

Firefighter loses lawsuit over confidentiality provisions of ADA

McAfee & Taft on

In an opinion handed down on February 7, 2018, the federal court of appeals that applies to Oklahoma ruled in favor of an employer in a lawsuit over the confidentiality provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)....more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Rock And A [Softer] Hard Place: Seventh Circuit Eases The Burden For Accommodating Employees With Mental Health Disabilities

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Seyfarth Synopsis: Complying with the ADA, particularly when an employee has a mental health-related disability, can be challenging. Fortunately, a recent decision out of the Seventh Circuit provides helpful guidance for...more

Morgan Lewis

Third Circuit Affirms Priority of NRC Public Health and Safety Requirements

Morgan Lewis on

Court rules that the ADA does not create a loophole to NRC fitness-for-duty and security regulations. On August 15, for the first time, a US court of appeals ruled that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s)...more

FordHarrison

Third Circuit Affirms Judgment in Favor of Employer in ADA Action, Finding that Compliance with NRC Regulations Justified...

FordHarrison on

Recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in McNelis v. Pennsylvania Power & Light Company affirmed the district court’s grant of summary judgment to the employer in a lawsuit alleging disability...more

Littler

Washington Public Employer Hit with $1.8 Million Judgment for Failing to Accommodate Prescription Drug User

Littler on

Last month, a Washington federal district court judge ordered an employer to pay a terminated employee a little over $1.8 million in damages for failing to accommodate the employee’s use of opioids that had been prescribed to...more

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...

Cummins Power Generation to Pay Over $87,000 to Resolve EEOC Disability Lawsuit

Company Fired Employee for Objecting to Overbroad Medical Releases for Fitness-for-Duty Examination, Federal Agency Charged - MINNEAPOLIS - A Minneapolis-based power company will pay $87,500 and furnish other relief to...more

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

New Jersey Court Finds Employer Improperly Required Employee to Submit to Fitness-for-Duty Exam

The Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division recently held, in a case of first impression, that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) permits a New Jersey employer to require an employee to undergo a...more

Franczek P.C.

Requiring an Employee to Return from FMLA Leave "Without Restrictions" or "Fully Healed" Is Playing with Fire

Franczek P.C. on

Do you know what happens when you maintain a policy or practice that requires an employee to return to work without restrictions or “100% healed”? You pay. A lot. Just ask Brookdale Senior Living Communities....more

McAfee & Taft

Rules differ regarding second opinions on fitness-for-duty certifications

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Employers may require fitness-for-duty certifications in a variety of circumstances, including employees returning from leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and determining the existence of disabilities or the...more

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