Williams v. AT&T Mobility Services, LLC

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Williams, an AT&T Customer Service Representative (CSR), since 2006, suffered from depression and anxiety attacks. AT&T terminated Williams in 2014 for job abandonment and for violating the company’s attendance policy. Williams filed suit under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. 12101, asserting failure to provide a reasonable accommodation, failure to engage in the interactive process, disparate treatment, and retaliation. The Sixth Circuit affirmed summary judgment in favor of AT&T. The court noted that, from 2007-2014, Williams received warnings every year about her absences. Williams was absent for most of 2013, using Family Medical Leave Act and short-term disability leave. She was denied FMLA leave for absences beginning in December 2013 because she failed to meet the threshold requirement of having worked 1,250 hours in the preceding year, and was denied additional short-term disability leave due to insufficient medical documentation. She failed to return to work despite three warnings. Her subsequent requests for “flexible scheduling and additional breaks” were also denied for failure to timely submit medical information. The court noted “the reality that there are some jobs that a person with disabilities is simply unable to perform. … Williams who reacts to random customer calls with anxiety attacks that require her to log off of her workstation is not capable of performing the essential job functions of an AT&T CSR.” View "Williams v. AT&T Mobility Services, LLC" on Justia Law