In June 2018, a healthcare provider secured an Iowa Supreme Court win after being sued for aiding and abetting disability discrimination. Our firm represented the healthcare provider in the litigation.
The plaintiff—a would-be firefighter—had received conditional offers of employment from two Iowa cities. Those offers were withdrawn after physicians employed by our client opined that he was not medically qualified for a firefighter position based on his diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis and recent symptoms.
The plaintiff argued the physicians had aided and abetted disability discrimination by failing to conduct an individualized assessment of him and by withholding information from the potential employers. Our firm secured summary judgment for the healthcare provider and successfully defended the plaintiff’s appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court, which issued an opinion affirming a physician’s right to provide his or her independent medical judgment to Iowa employers without running afoul of anti-discrimination laws.
