Disability Law

Air travelers should have a private right of action if discriminated against, ABA House says

The ABA House of Delegates approved a resolution targeting air carriers’ discrimination against people with disabilities after lengthy debate Monday at the midyear meeting in Austin, Texas.

Feb 17, 2020 4:17 PM CST

Lawyer is suspended after he is accused of misleading and bullying judge

The Tennessee Supreme Court has suspended a Georgia lawyer after a hearing board found that he misled an administrative law judge and bullied her during his representation of a methadone clinic.

Feb 13, 2020 10:18 AM CST

Former BigLaw lawyer files suit claiming firm fired him because of nerve-compression disability

A former lawyer at Arent Fox filed a lawsuit Wednesday that claims that his nerve-compression disability led the law firm to reduce his assignments, change his job duties, and then terminate his employment.

Jan 31, 2020 2:08 PM CST

Supreme Court to decide scope of exemption from bias laws for religious schools

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to decide two cases involving the “ministerial exception” that bars courts from hearing some employment suits against religious employers.

Dec 20, 2019 3:14 PM CST

Insurer miscalculated benefits for lawyer who had heart attack 1 day before $65K raise, judge rules

A tax lawyer who had a heart attack over Labor Day weekend—a day before he received a $65,000 raise—was entitled to disability benefits based on the higher paycheck, an Illinois federal judge has ruled.

Dec 12, 2019 11:06 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: AG Barr said to disagree with IG; 350-plus lawyers who had abortions file SCOTUS brief

AG Barr reportedly disagrees with DOJ watchdog on justification for Russia probe U.S. Attorney General William Barr reportedly disagrees with a key conclusion in an upcoming report by the Department of Justice’s inspector general on the origins of the Russia investigation. Sources told the Washington Post that Barr thinks the…

Dec 3, 2019 4:40 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Prosecutor killed in ‘freak accident’ in courtroom; lawyer accused of filing suits for nonclients

South Africa prosecutor is killed in courtroom gun incident A South Africa prosecutor was killed Monday when a gun being entered into evidence discharged and the bullet struck her in the hip. The incident that led to the death of Addelaid Ann Ferreira Watt has been described as a “freak…

Nov 20, 2019 3:47 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Author sues Trump for defamation; court tosses bias suit by white male lawyer

Author files defamation suit against Trump for denying he raped her Author and advice columnist E. Jean Carroll has filed a lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of defaming her when he denied raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s. The suit claims Trump’s denial was accompanied…

Nov 5, 2019 4:20 PM CST

Law firms settle suit accusing them of civil RICO conspiracy to collect ADA settlements

Two California law firms have resolved a lawsuit accusing them of engaging in a civil RICO conspiracy by filing multiple lawsuits against small businesses for alleged violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Oct 29, 2019 10:46 AM CDT

LSAT will change for all would-be lawyers as a result of blind man’s lawsuit settlement

Corrected: The current analytical reasoning section of the Law School Admission Test will eventually be dropped as a result of a settlement in a lawsuit by a legally blind man who said he was unable to draw diagrams to help him answer the questions.

Oct 9, 2019 2:11 PM CDT

SCOTUS rejects pizza delivery company’s appeal over web and mobile app accessibility

The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear Domino’s Pizza Inc.’s appeal over its website and mobile app and whether they are required to comply with federal disabilities law.

Oct 7, 2019 12:54 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Nursing home executives fined $400 daily; did black nationalism influence Justice Thomas?

New book seeks to explain conservatism of Justice Clarence Thomas A new book called The Enigma of Clarence Thomas contends that the justice’s conservatism is shaped by his immersion in black nationalism in the 1960s and 1970s. Author Corey Robin sees parallels between the movement and Thomas’ dedication to achievement…

Sep 24, 2019 3:11 PM CDT

College grad banned from AmeriCorps position for anxiety counseling wins reforms

A national service program for young adults has agreed to revise its health screening process after the American Civil Liberties Union alleged a violation of disability law.

Sep 18, 2019 12:18 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Judge says state violated ADA; Notorious B.I.G.’s sampling is fair use, court says

Mississippi violated ADA in its treatment of people with mental illness, judge says U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled this week that Mississippi’s failure to provide community-based mental health care violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reeves will appoint a special master to oversee changes. He ruled in a suit…

Sep 5, 2019 4:49 PM CDT

ADA questions remain over web accessibility cases and the lack of DOJ regulations

Disability rights advocates say web accessibility, the practice of designing and coding websites so that people with disabilities can use them, can be accomplished through simple changes, such as changing color contrast and adding video captions. However, the legal landscape surrounding web accessibility has become more complex.

Jul 1, 2019 2:15 AM CDT