Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Labor & Industry Review Commission

**What Happened** A Wal-Mart employee with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was fired for insubordinate behavior at work. The employee claimed he was discriminated against because of his mental illness, arguing that his OCD caused the behavior that got him fired. Wisconsin's Labor & Industry Review Commission initially sided with the employee and found that Wal-Mart had discriminated against him. **What the Court Decided** The Wisconsin Court of Appeals overturned the commission's decision in favor of Wal-Mart. The court ruled that the employee failed to provide proper expert testimony proving that his OCD directly caused the insubordinate behavior that led to his firing. Without this crucial medical evidence linking his mental illness to his workplace conduct, his discrimination claim could not succeed. **Why This Matters for Workers** This case shows that workers with mental health conditions need strong medical evidence to prove disability discrimination. Simply having a mental illness isn't enough – employees must demonstrate through expert testimony that their condition directly caused the behavior in question. Workers should work with medical professionals to document how their mental health conditions affect their work performance to strengthen any potential discrimination claims.