Saturday, May 4, 2013

U.S. Airways, Inc. v. Barnett case brief

U.S. Airways, Inc. v. Barnett case brief
535 U.S. 391

CASE SYNOPSIS: Plaintiff employee sued defendant employer under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 42 U.S.C.S. § 12101 et seq., alleging that the employer failed to reasonably accommodate his disability by not making a disability-based exception to the employer's seniority system. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed the grant of summary judgment to the employer. The employer petitioned for certiorari.

FACTS: The employee, who injured his back while working, requested assignment to a mailroom position as a reasonable accommodation. The assignment would have violated the rules of the employer's seniority system because at least two co-workers senior to the employee were entitled to the job. The employer decided not to make an exception to the seniority system, and the employee lost his job. The United States Supreme Court determined that the ADA did not require the employer to assign the employee to the mailroom position in violation of the established seniority system. The showing that the assignment would violate the rules of the seniority system warranted summary judgment for the employer, unless the employee presented evidence of special circumstances surrounding the particular case that demonstrated the assignment was nonetheless reasonable.

CONCLUSION: The appellate court's judgment was vacated, and the case was remanded for further proceedings.


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