Court sides with employer when disabled employee can’t do job
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit, which hears appeals from New Hampshire federal courts, decided Feb. 5 that an assistant manager of a Friendly’s restaurant in Ellsworth, Maine, couldn’t go forward with a claim of disability discrimination for being fired for not doing manual tasks after she injured her shoulder.
In the case of Katharine Richardson v. Friendly Ice Cream Corp., the court stated that Richardson couldn’t go to a jury on her claim that she was fired in violation of federal employment discrimination laws.
To be protected under the ADA, you need to show that you’re disabled as well as that you’re able to perform the essential functions of your job with or without a reasonable accommodation. Friendly’s focused on whether Richardson could perform the essential functions of her job.
