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Appellate Court Upholds Termination of Employee Who Exceeded Light Duty Limit

By on May 30, 2016 in ADA, NJ Workers' Comp with 1 Comment

Most employers put limits on light duty and do not allow permanent light duty.  That was the case of the employer in the matter of Frazier-White v. David Gee, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 6318 (11th. Cir. 2016).  Plaintiff Frazier-White worked as a community service officer for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO).  She was responsible for security at a detention center.  She was injured in a work-related accident on July 29, 2010, when a heavy metal door closed on her right arm, pinning her against a door frame.  She was placed on light-duty status and temporarily assigned to a position as a records desk clerk. The HCSO policy limited light duty to 270 days in a two-year period.

During the period of time that plaintiff was on light duty from August 2010 to June 2011, she saw several doctors who found she was at maximal medical improvement and had no restrictions.  Plaintiff sought another evaluation in March 2011.  Her physician ordered an MRI of the neck, which showed degenerative abnormalities which the doctor thought were not caused by work but may have been aggravated by the work incident.  He too put Frazier-White at MMI with no restrictions but he did recommend a neurosurgical consult.

The sheriff’s department wrote to plaintiff several times as she approached the 270-day light duty limit.  In April 2011, plaintiff wrote to Gee saying she was still having problems with her neck and requested “an extension to continue to receive care.”  She did not specify the length of time she would need; nor did she suggest any accommodations that would allow her to return to full duty by April 24, 2011.

The HCSO Risk Management Director Richard Swann wrote to plaintiff on April 11, 2011 advising her that she had been on light duty for 256 days as of April 11, 2011.  He encouraged plaintiff to contact him about potential ADA accommodations that she may be requesting or to make applications for other civil service full-duty jobs.  Plaintiff did not respond,  leading HCSO to take disciplinary action.  A hearing was scheduled once plaintiff passed the 270-day light-duty limit.  By the time of the hearing, plaintiff had been on light duty for 299 days.  Swann asked plaintiff in the hearing whether she would return to full duty within a reasonable period of time.  Plaintiff replied that her most recent MRI showed serious spinal damage.  Her doctor was recommending a spinal fusion surgery.  She said she could not estimate when she could return to full duty.  She did not request any accommodations that would allow her to perform the essential functions of her job, and she did not apply for any other full-time jobs.  HCSO therefore terminated plaintiff’s employment as of June 20, 2011.

Following her termination, plaintiff sued under the ADA and the Florida Civil Rights Act alleging disability discrimination.  The federal court granted summary judgment to HCSO.  The Court of Appeals affirmed.  First the Court said, “To the extent Plaintiff intended to request a permanent light-duty position, it is undisputed that no such position existed.  SOP 213.00 provides that every HCSO employee is essential to its efficient operation, and that eligibility for light-duty status is thus limited to 270 days during a two-year period.  Defendant was not required by the ADA to create a permanent light-duty position especially for Plaintiff.”

Plaintiff produced records showing numerous vacancies in the HCSO during the time she was on light duty.  However, the Court pointed out that she never requested any of the positions.  Further, the Court observed that plaintiff’s testimony was that she could not have physically returned to any full-time work given her serious neck problems.  The Court concluded, “Plaintiff’s only response was to request an indefinite extension of her light-duty status, an unreasonable accommodation as a matter of law.”

This case is relevant for employers because most employers have policies that end light duty based either on a specific time limit or on reaching maximal medical improvement.  Such policies must be flexible enough to consider requests for reasonable accommodation under the ADA or state civil rights law even after the time limit has ended.  In this case HCSO wrote several times to the employee asking her if she was requesting accommodations or other positions that would allow her to return to work full duty.  The plaintiff in this case, as is quite common, simply wanted an indefinite leave extension.  Courts in just about every state believe that indefinite leave is simply an unreasonable request.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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About the Author

About the Author:

John H. Geaney, Esq. is a Shareholder and Co-Chair of Capehart Scatchard's Workers' Compensation Group. Mr. Geaney began an email newsletter entitled “Currents in Workers’ Compensation, ADA and FMLA” in 2001 in order to keep clients and readers informed on leading developments in these three areas of law. Since that time he has written over 500 newsletter updates.

Mr. Geaney is the author of Geaney’s New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Manual for Practitioners, Adjusters & Employers. The Manual is distributed by the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE). He also authored an ADA and FMLA Manual also distributed by NJICLE. If you are interested in purchasing “Geaney’s New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Manual for Practitioners, Adjusters & Employers,” please contact NJICLE at 732-214-8500 or visit their website at www.njicle.com.

Mr. Geaney represents employers in the defense of workers’ compensation, ADA and FMLA matters. He is a Fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers of the American Bar Association. He is one of two firm representatives to the National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network.

A graduate of Holy Cross College summa cum laude, Mr. Geaney obtained his law degree from Boston College Law School.

Mr. Geaney was selected to the “New Jersey Super Lawyer” list (2005-2017, 2021 in the area of Workers’ Compensation). Only 5% of attorneys are selected to “Super Lawyers” through a peer nominated process based on independent research and peer evaluation. The Super Lawyers list is issued by Thomson Reuters. For a description of the “Super Lawyers” selection methodology, please visit https://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection_process.html

For the years 2022-2024 Mr. Geaney was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® list in the practice area of Workers’ Compensation Law - Employers. The attorneys on this list are selected based upon the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area. A complete description of The Best Lawyers in America® methodology can be viewed via their website at https://www.bestlawyers.com/methodology.

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Capehart Scatchard is a full service law firm with offices in Mt. Laurel and Hamilton, New Jersey. The firm represents employers and businesses in a wide variety of areas, including workers’ compensation, civil litigation, labor, environmental, business, estates and governmental affairs.

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  1. Morris says:

    Great for the information, thanks for sharing

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