Washington v. Geren

Washington v. Geren: Federal Employee Loses Discrimination Case

This case involved a federal employee who sued the Secretary of the Army, claiming disability discrimination and retaliation. The worker alleged that their employer took negative actions against them because of their disability and because they had previously filed complaints or engaged in other protected legal activities.

The court ruled completely in favor of the Army. The judge dismissed all of the employee's claims and granted summary judgment to the employer. The court found that the worker could not prove their case - specifically, they failed to show that any negative employment actions were actually motivated by disability discrimination or retaliation. Instead, the evidence showed that the employer's decisions were based on legitimate workplace issues: the employee's chronic absenteeism and violations of leave policies.

What this means for workers: This case highlights how important it is to maintain good attendance and follow workplace policies, even when dealing with a disability. While employers cannot discriminate based on disability, they can still take action for legitimate performance issues like excessive absences or policy violations. Workers need strong evidence to prove that negative employment actions were actually motivated by discrimination rather than legitimate workplace concerns.