2009 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 10-29-2009 

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. Uni v Pgh M ed C tr P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 08-3359

F o llow thi s and a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2009

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

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w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " J o yc e Mi lle r v

. U niv Pgh M e d C tr " (2009). 2009 D e cisio n s . P ape r 361. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2009/3611 NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

___________ N o. 08- 3359

___________ J OY CE A . M I LLER

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ro m th e U n ited S tate s D istric t C o u rt forthe W e ste rn D istric t o f

P e n n sy lv a n ia ( D . C . C i vi l N o. 06- cv- 00937) D istric t Ju d g e : H o n o ra b le J o yF lo w e rs C o n ti Subm i t t ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL . A . R . 34. 1( a)

on O ct ober27, 2009 B efore: S L O V ITE R , F U E N T E S , and H A R D IM A N C i rcui tJudg es.

( O pi ni on Fi l ed: O ct ober29, 2009)

OPI NI ON O F THE COURT

FU E N T E S, C i r cui tJ udge:T he D i s tr i ctC our thad j ur i s di ct i on under28 U . S. C . § 1331. W e have j ur i s di ct i on 1 pur s uantt o 28 U . S. C . § 1291. 2 J oy ce M i l l erappea l s the D i s tr i ctC our t ’ s gr antof the U ni ver s i tyof Pi t t s bur gh M edi cal C ent er ’ s ( “U PM C ”) m ot i on fors um m aryj udgm enton hercl ai m s underthe A m er i cans w i th D i s abi l i t i es A ct( “A D A ”) and the Penns y l vani a H um an R el at i ons A ct (“ P H R A ” ). F o r th e f

o llo w in g re a so n s, w e w ill a f f irm th e ju d g m e n t o f

th e D istric t C o u rt. 1 I. B eca us e w e w r i t e pr i m ar i l yforthe part i es , w e onl ydi s cus s the fa ct s and pr ocee di ngs t o t he ext entnece s s aryforr es ol ut i on of thi s cas e. M i l l erw as hi r ed i n M ay 1991 as a s ur gi cal t echnol ogi s tbyU PM C . She contr act ed H epat i t i s C dur i ng her empl oym entand r ece i ved thr ee s epar at e l eave s of abs ence betw een 1999 a nd N ovember 2004 t o obt ai n t r eatm ent . M i l l er ’ s fi nal tr eatm entr ender ed the vi rus non- act i ve and s he r eturned t o w or k i n N ovember2004, butw as i ni t i al l yr es tr i ct ed t o for tyhour s eac h w eek a n d e ig h t- h o u r s h if

ts . B etw een N ovember2004 and N ovember2005, M i l l erhad thi r t een uns chedul ed abs ence s . O n A pr i l 5, 2005, M i l l err ece i ved a ve rbal w arni ng forpooratt endanc e, as s he had mi s s ed ni ne day s of w or k dur i ng the pr i ortw el ve mont hs . O n J une 1, 2005, M i l l er r ece i ved a w r i t t en w arni ng form i s s i ng t en day s ; on A ugus t18, 2005, s he r ece i ved a thr ee- days us pens i on beca us e s he had mi s s ed tw el ve day s ; and on D ece m ber1, 2005, s heSi nce Penns y l vani a court s i nt erpr etthe PH R A i n acc or d w i th the A D A , our 2 a n a ly sis w ill a p p lyto M ill e r’s c laim s u n d e r b o th sta tu tes . S e e B u sk irk v . A p o llo M e tal, 3 0 7 F .3 d 1 6 0 , 1 6 6 n .1 (3 d C ir . 2 0 0 2 ). W e e x e rc is e p le n a ry re v ie w o v e r a d is tr ic t c o u rt ’s s u m m a ry ju d g m e n t ru lin g . 3 T o w n sh ip o f P iscataw ayv . D u k e E n erg y , 4 8 8 F . 3 d 2 0 3 , 2 0 8 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 7 ). 3 re c e iv e d a f

iv e -d a ys u s p e n s io n , p e n d in g te rm in a tio n , f o r h a v in g m is s e d th ir te e n d a y s . A r eportdocument i ng the r eas ons M i l l eroffe r ed w hen ca l l i ng i n abs enti ndi cat es thats he neverattr i but ed herabs ence s t o H epat i t i s C , i ns t ead typi cal l ys t at i ng s he w as notfee l i ng w el l , vom i t i ng, s i ck, ori l l . She w as t erm i nat ed ef fec t i ve D ece m ber8, 2005 forexce s s i ve a b s e n t e e i s m i n v i o l a t i o n o f U P M C ’ s A b s e n c e a n d T a r d i n e s s p o l i c y. M ill e r b ro u g h t an a c tio n a ss e rtin g c laim s f o r d isc rim in a tio n , fa ilu re to acc om m odat e, and r et al i at i on underthe A D A , as w el l as othercl ai m s thatar e notthe su b jec t o f th is a p p e a l. T h e D istric t C o u rt c o n c lu d e d th a t M ill e r c o u ld n o t m a k e o u t a

2 pr i m a fa ci e ca s e of di s abi l i tydi s cr i m i nat i on as s he had nots how n thats he w as qual i fi ed t o per form the es s ent i al funct i ons of herj ob, w hi ch the courtfound i ncl uded att endanc e and bei ng abl e t o “t ake c al l s and w or k s hi ft s as r equi r ed. ” A ccor di ngl y , on J ul y10, 2008, the courtgr ant ed s um m aryj udgm entt o U PM C on M i l l er ’ s fede r al cl ai m s and, decl i ni ng t o exer ci s e s uppl ement al j ur i s di ct i on, di s m i s s ed hers t at e- l aw cl ai m s w i thoutpr ej udi ce. O n a p p e a l, M ill e r a rg u e s th a t th e D istric t C o u rt e rre d in (1 ) d e ter m in in g th a t sh e is n o ta q u a l i f

i e d i n d i v i d u a l w i th i n th e m e a n i n g o f th e A D A ; a n d ( 2 ) f

i n d i n g th a tU P MC foll ow ed itow n p oli ci es r egardi ng absenc e and t ardi ness. 3 II.4

T o s t at e a c l ai m underthe A D A , an i ndi vi dual m us t( 1) be di s abl ed w i thi n the m eani ng of the A D A ; ( 2) be otherw i s e qual i fi ed t o per form the es s ent i al funct i ons of the j ob , w i th o r w i tho ut r easona ble accom m od at i on s; and (3) hav e suffered an adv ers e empl oym entdeci s i on. T he D i s tr i ctC our tfound thatM i l l erfai l ed t o s at i s fythe s econd of these el em ents . In d e ter m in in g w h a t co n stitu tes th e e ss e n tial f u n c tio n s o f

a p o sitio n , co u rts cons i derfac t or s i ncl udi ng the empl oy er ’ s j udgm entof es s ent i al funct i ons and a w r i t t en d esc ri p ti o n o f th e p o sit ion . S ee D ea n e v . P o co n o M ed . C tr . , 1 4 2 F . 3 d 1 3 8 , 1 4 6 (3d C ir . 1998) ( en banc ) . T he D i s tr i ctC our tnot ed thatM i l l er ’ s s upervi s ori dent i fi ed att endanc e and t aki ng cal l as es s ent i al funct i ons of herpos i t i on. T he “Respons i bi l i t i es ” s ect i on of herj ob des cr i pt i on i ncl udes “Take ca l l and w or k s hi ft s as r equi r ed. ” A footnot e i dent i fi es thes e r es pons i bi l i t i es as “pr i nci pal funct i ons . ” A t t endanc e ca n cons t i tut e an e s s ent i al funct i on underthe A D A and the D i s tr i ct C our tpr oper l ydet erm i ned i tw as es s ent i al t o M i l l er ’ s pos i t i on as an emer gencyr oom t echni ci an. See, e. g. , J ovanovi c v. I n- Si nk- E r at orD i v. of Em er s on E l ec. C o. , 201 F. 3d 8 9 4 , 8 9 9 -9 0 0 (7 th C ir. 2 0 0 0 ) (“ C o m m o n se n se d icta tes th a t re g u lar a tten d a n c e is u su a lly a n e ss e n tial in m o st e v e rye m p lo ym e n t se tti n g ; if o n e is n o t p re se n t, he is u su a llyu n a b le t o per form hi s j ob. ”) A l though w e have notdi r ect l yrul ed on the i s s ue, w e have s um m ar i l yaff

i r m ed tw o di s tr i ctcourtcas es thathave he l d acc or di ngl y . See Sant i ago v. T em p le U n iv., 7 3 9 F . S u p p 9 7 4 , 9 7 9 (E . D . P a. 19 9 0 ) af f’d , 9 2 8 F . 2 d 3 9 6 (3d C ir . 1 9 9 7 ); J o h n s o n v . Ch i l d r e n ’ s Ho s p . o f P h i l a . , Ci v . A. No . 9 4 - 5 6 9 8 , 1 9 9 5 WL 3 3 8 4 9 7 a t* 2 ( E . D.5

Pa. J une 5, 1995) , aff’ d, 79 F. 3d 1138 ( 3d C i r . 1996) . G i ven the natur e of M i l l er ’ s j ob, as s i s t i ng dur i ng s ur geryper form ed i n the hos pi t al , w e fi nd i tevi dentthatatt endanc e i s an e ss e n tial e lem e n t o f

th is p o sitio n . P lain tiff

d id n o t p ro v id e e v id e n c e o f a re a so n a b le a c c o m m o d a t i o n th a tw o u l d e n a b l e h e rt o p e r f o r m th i s e s s e n t i a l f

u n c t i o n . A c c o r d i n g l y, w e w ill a f

f ir m th e D is tr ic t C o u rt ’s d e te rm in a tio n . E ven as s um i ng, ar guendo, thatM i l l erw er e capabl e of pe r form i ng the es s ent i al funct i ons of herj ob, w e w oul d s t i l l aff i r m the j udgm entof the D i s tr i ctC our t . W hen a pl ai nt i ff makes outa p rim a fa c ie cas e of A D A di s cr i m i nat i on, “the bur den s hi ft s t o the d ef en d an t ‘ to arti cu lat e so m e leg it im ate, no n d iscri m inato ryrea so n fo r th e e m p loy ee ’s r ej ect i on. ’ ” Shanerv. Synthes , 204 F. 3d 494, 500 ( 3d C i r . 2000) ( quot i ng McD o n n e ll D ouglas C or

p. v. G r een , 4 1 1 U . S . 7 9 2 , 8 0 2 (19 7 3 )). H ere , U P M C cit ed M il ler’s a b se n c e s a s th e n o n d isc rim in a to ryre a so n f o r f irin g h e r. M ill e r c laim s, u n p e rsu a siv e lyin ourvi ew , thatU PM C fai l ed t o fol l ow i t s ow n w r i t t en pr ocedur es . Y etM i l l eroffe r s no evi dence thats he w as tr eat ed anydi ffe r ent l ythan non- di s abl ed empl oy ees , w ho had sim ilar r e c o rd s o f

a b se n tee ism . A c c o rd in g ly , w e f in d n o m a ter ial iss u e o f f a c t in d isp u te re g a rd in g th e le g itim a c yo f U P M C ' s n o n d is c ri m in a to ry re a s o n f o r t h e te rm in a tio n . F o r th e f o re g o in g re a so n s, w e w ill a f f irm th e D istric t C o u rt.