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One to Keep An Eye On: EEOC v. WalMart (Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals)

 

As with many labor & employment law related cases (and bills) being litigated around the country, there are always a few that stand out.  This is one to keep an eye on.


A recent case out of the Seventh Circuit caught my eye as it turns on whether WalMart provided a reasonable accommodation to a disabled employee.  In the case, Paul Reina (“Reina”), worked at WalMart as a cart attendant but was limited due to his severe cognitive delay and legal blindness.  While Reina could physically push carts, he could not steer them.  As well, he was unable to attend to motorized carts and could not response to basic customer service questions.  WalMart chose to hire a job coach for Reina who helped Reina steer the carts, operate the motorized carts, and answer customer questions.

Following a new manager being hired, it was determined that the job coach assisting Reina should no longer continue.  The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) subsequently sued WalMart and alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).  The case went to a jury in 2019 in which the jury found WalMart in violation of the ADA.

WalMart subsequently appealed the jury’s verdict on the grounds that Reina was not a “qualified individual” under the ADA.  WalMart argued that its decision to accommodate Reina beyond what the ADA required should not be held against them.  In this case, WalMart noted that if another employee came to them and said they could not steer carts, operate motorized carts, or answer customer questions, “no one would claim that the ADA would require WalMart to hire and allow a job coach to perform these essential job functions for [the employee].”

It is worth noting that generally speaking, the ADA has not required employers to hire another employee to provide a disability accommodation.  However, whether the hiring of another employee creates an “undue hardship” on the employer (in regard to the accommodation request) focuses on the resources of the employer.  If this were a “mom and pop” employer, I think this would be an entirely different situation.  I find it hard to believe that a court would find that a small(er) employer would be required to accommodate a disabled employee by hiring another person to do many/a majority of the disabled employee’s job responsibilities.  However, an employer like WalMart likely could accommodate this request to enable a disabled employee to do their job.  Does that mean the Seventh Circuit will uphold the jury verdict?  Not necessarily.  With that being said, oral arguments are set for Friday.  For those interested, this is a case worth keeping an eye on going forward.


For additional information:  https://www.bloomberglaw.com/public/desktop/document/EEOCvWalMartStoresIncetalDocketNo20034737thCirDec182020CourtDocke?1632836502

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