Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Northwest Airlines, Inc.

EEOC v. Northwest Airlines: Court Rules on Disability Discrimination Case

This case involved a job applicant who claimed Northwest Airlines discriminated against them because the company viewed them as disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the airline on the applicant's behalf, arguing that Northwest illegally refused to hire the person due to perceived disability and failed to provide reasonable accommodations during the hiring process.

Northwest Airlines asked the court to dismiss the case entirely without a trial, claiming there was no valid discrimination claim. However, the court refused this request. The judge found there were important factual questions that needed to be resolved at trial, specifically whether Northwest actually regarded the applicant as having a disability under the ADA.

The court sent the case back for a full trial to determine if discrimination occurred.

What this means for workers: This ruling reinforces that employers cannot discriminate against job applicants simply because they think someone has a disability, even if the person isn't actually disabled. The case shows that courts will carefully examine whether employers are making hiring decisions based on perceived disabilities, and workers have legal protection against this type of discrimination during the job application process.