Schultz v. Labor & Indus. Review Comm'n

Worker Loses Disability Discrimination Case Against County Employer

This case involved a worker named Schultz who claimed that Manitowoc County refused to rehire him because of his back condition, which he said was disability discrimination. Schultz also argued that the county failed to provide reasonable accommodations for his disability.

The court ruled against Schultz and sided with the county. The court found that there was strong evidence showing the county had legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for not rehiring Schultz. These reasons included concerns about his poor attitude and weak work ethic - not his back condition. The court determined that the county's decision was based on these performance-related issues rather than his disability.

This case shows workers that winning a disability discrimination lawsuit requires proving that their disability was the real reason for negative employment actions. Even if a worker has a disability, employers can still make decisions based on legitimate work performance issues like attitude, productivity, or work quality. Workers need strong evidence that their disability - not their job performance - was the primary factor behind an employer's decision. Simply having a disability and facing adverse employment action is not enough to win a discrimination case.