EEOC v. West Meade Place LLP
Overview
EEOC v. West Meade Place LLP (U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit, February 6, 2021): The Sixth Circuit reversed a lower court’s decision which held that a jury could not find that an employee with an anxiety disorder who was terminated from a nursing home meets the definition of “disabled” under the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). The lower court erroneously granted a motion for summary judgment, meaning that there were no factual disputes in question and that the employee in this matter could not prevail as a matter of law. The Sixth Circuit disagreed and held that there were significant factual disputes in question and that a jury could reasonably find that a nursing home’s employee, Ms. Kean, whose employment was terminated and who suffers from an anxiety disorder, has an “impairment” which entitles her to protection under the ADA. It is not necessary that the nursing home “perceived the disability to limit a major activity,” but only that “there was a perceived impairment.” There also need not be a “showing about the severity of the impairment.” Read the full decision here.
View all cases in the Judicial Trends in Public Health – May 14, 2021.