The Eighth Circuit upheld summary judgment for an employer that denied an employee’s request for closer parking and later terminated him for repeatedly violating its parking policy. The court concluded that the interactive process broke down because the employee never gave the employer the requested medical documentation explaining his limitations or need for an accommodation.
In this case, internal emails showed that a manager had described the request as “ridiculous” because the employee regularly walked long distances and climbed ladders as part of his job. The employer prevailed, but the emails expressing the manager’s personal views created an avoidable risk. The appeals court’s decision underscores that when an accommodation request doesn’t seem to make sense, the correct response is to gather more facts instead of making assumptions.
Click here to read more from the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC), our affiliated nonprofit membership association. CWC’s online course Navigating the Reasonable Accommodation Process offers more insight on these issues.