2010 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 3-24-2010 

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. M onmouth C ounty 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 . 08-2045

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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

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2010 D e c i sion s b y an author i z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion
" M ary Byrne v

. M onmouth C ounty " (2010). 2010 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1659. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2010/1659NOT 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- 2045
M A R Y B E T H B Y R N E , A p p e llan t.

v. M O N M O U TH CO U N TY D EPA RT M EN T O F H EA LTH CA RE FA CI LI TI ES; I L E NE VANDU YNE ; RO BY N S NYDE R; J OHN DO E S 1 T O 5

O n A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt

fort he D i s t r i ctof N ew J er s ey ( D . C
. 3- 06- cv- 05184) D i s t r i ctJ udge: H on. J oel A
. Pi s ano A r gued on J ul y15, 2009 B efor e: R E N D E L L , FU E N T E S and R O T H , C i r cui tJ udges

( O pi ni on fi l ed M ar ch 24, 2010 )
J ohn P. B r ennan, J r . , E s qui r e ( A r gue d) 912 W al l R oad Spr i ng L ake H ei ght s , N J 07762 C ouns el forA ppel l antM aryB eth B yr ne2

D ougl as J . K ovat s , E s qui r e ( A r gue d) D an iel R . R o b erts, E sq u ir e K enney , G r os s , K ovat s & Par t on 130 M apl e A venue, B ui l di ng 8 R ed B ank, N J 07701 C o u n se l f o r A p p e llee M o n m o u th C o u n tyD e p a rtm e n t o f H e a lth C ar e Faci l i t i es
Jo h n A
. C am assa , E sq u ir e R onal d S. Y ur o, E s qui r e ( A r gue d) C o n n e ll, C o n n e ll, C a m a s s a & Y u ro , P . C
. 2517 H i ghw ay35 B ui l di ng L - Sui t e 201 M anas quan, N J 08736 C ouns el forA ppel l ee Roby n Sny der
L i nda G
. J ones , E s qui r e ( A r gue d) C l eary , A l fi er i & J ones 5 R avi ne D r i ve P. O
. B ox 533 M at aw an, N J 07747 C ouns el forA ppel l ee I l ene V an D uyne

O P I N I O N
RO TH , C i r cui tJ udge: M a ryB e th B yrn e a p p e a ls f ro m th e D istric t C o u rt’s g ra n t o f su m m a ryju d g m e n t in favo r of her form er em ploy er, M on m ou t h C ou ntyD epart m ent of H eal t h C are Facil i t i es, and herform ers upervi s or s , I l ene V an D uyne and Roby n Sny der , on hercl ai m s ar i s i ngM s . B yr ne has appar ent l yabandone d herdi s cr i m i nat i on, har as s m ent , and r et al i at i on 1 cl ai m s forpurpos es of thi s appea l
. I n anyevent , w e agr ee w i t h t he D i s t r i ctC our tt hats he f a iled to ra ise a m a ter ial f a c tu a l d isp u te w ith re sp e c t to th e se th e o rie s, a s w e ll.

3 undert he A m er i cans w i t h D i s abi l i t i es A ct , 42 U
. S. C
. § 12101 et s eq. , and the N ew J er s ey L aw A gai ns tD i s cr i m i nat i on, N . J . S. A
. § 10: 5- 1 et s eq . We e x e r c i s e p l e n a r yr e v i e w, c o n s tru in g th e e v id e n c e in th e lig h t m o s t f a v o ra b le to B yrn e . Farrel lv. P l an t ers Li f es aver s C o. , 2 0 6 F .3 d 2 7 1 , 2 7 8 (3 d C ir. 2 0 0 0 ). W e a ss u m e th e p a rties ’ f a m ili a rityw ith t he fa ctual and pr ocedur al hi s t or y , w hi ch w e des cr i be onl yas nece s s aryt o expl ai n our d e c i s i o n . W e wi l l a f

f i r m. A s an i ni t i al m at t er , M s . B yr ne’ s cert i fi cat i on— w hi ch s he ci t es as t he onl ys our ce
o f m a ter ial f

a c tu a l d isp u tes

— f

a ils to m e e t th e re q u ire m e n ts o f F e d e ra l R u le o f

C iv il Pr ocedur e 56( e)
. A n opponentof s um m aryj udgm entcannotr el yupon uns uppor t ed
a s s e rt io n s , c o n c lu s o ry a lle g a tio n s , o r m e re s u s p ic io n s to c re a te a d is p u te d is s u e . See W i l l i am s v. B or ough of

W es tC hes t er , 8 9 1 F .2 d 4 5 8 , 4 6 0 (3 d C ir. 1 9 8 9 ); see al so Luj an v. N at ’ lW i ldl i f e Fed. , 4 9 7 U .S . 8 7 1 , 8 8 8 (1 9 9 0 ) (“ T h e o b jec t o f [ R u le 5 6 (e )] is n o t to
r epl ace concl us or yal l egat i ons of the compl ai nt. . . w i t h concl us or yal l egat i ons of an aff i davi t . ”)
. M s . B yr ne’ s cert i fi cat i on w as uns w or n and w as nots uppor t ed byanyof the d o cu m en tat ion o r fa ctua l t esti m o n yg athe red d u ri n g the d isco v eryp roc ess. S u m m ary j udgm entw as t hus appr opr i at e fort hi s r eas on al one. E ven w er e w e t o cons i derM s . B yr ne’ s cert i fi cat i on, how ever , s he has notm ade a p rim a fa c ie cas e of f

ai l ur e t o acc om m odat e undert he s t atut es . I ti s undi s put ed that 1T o t he ext entM s . B yr ne w ant ed t o be abl e t o l eave w or k fr equent l yw i t houtadvanc e 2 not i ce— i n vi ol at i on of C ount ypol i cy
— s o t hats he coul d s ee he rdoct or s , s uch an acc om m odat i on w as notr eques t ed, and i f i thad bee n r eques t ed, i tw oul d have be en u n r e a s o n a b l e a s a ma t t e ro f l a w. 4 D e f e n d a n ts m e t a ll b u t o n e a c c o m m o d a tio n re c o m m e n d e d b yM s . B yrn e ’s p h y s ic ia n s . D efe ndant s perm i t t ed M s . B yr ne t o have a s el f- pace d w or kl oad, t o m ake pe r s onal phone cal l s dur i ng herbr eaks , t o m ove aboutfr eel yi n herw or kpl ace t o pr eventl eg cr ampi ng, and t o b e absen tfrom w ork, i n acco rdance w i t h co un t ypo l i cy , t o v i si ther doc t ors. 2 D efe ndant s pr ovi ded cl os e s upervi s i on of M s . B yr ne and pr ovi ded furt heri ns t ruct i ons and conf i r m at i on as nece s s ary . T he onl yr ecomm ended a ccomm odat i on notfol l ow ed w as
a re q u e st f

o r lo n g e r o r m o re f

re q u e n t b re a k s, a n a c c o m m o d a tio n th a t w a s u n re a so n a b le gi ven the C ount y ’ s contr actual obl i gat i ons t o i t s empl oy ees . D es pi t e D efe ndant s ’ ( and th e C o u rt’s) re p e a ted re q u e sts , M s. B yrn e h a s n e v e r su g g e ste d w h a t f u rth e r sp e c if

ic
acc om m odat i ons w oul d have pe r m i t t ed hert o per form t he func t i ons of herj ob. Put
s im p ly, th e re w a s n o th in g m o re D e f e n d a n ts re a s o n a b ly co u ld h a v e d o n e . See Taylorv. P h o e n ixv ill e Sc h . D ist. , 1 8 4 F . 3 d 2 9 6 , 3 1 7 (3d C ir
. 1 9 9 9 ). A c c o rd in g ly , 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.