In the District of Columbia, for example, the law applies to employers with just one or more worker. The standard is six employees in Indiana. Clearly, a startup company with growth plans should expect to quickly meet these employee minimums. That's not the case in many states, where individuals can be held liable. Small-business owners should be aware, then, of the extent of their personal responsibility.
Some cases can even survive past a company's bankruptcy.
As Beverage Media found out, obesity can be classified as a disability. Indeed, small businesses need to know just how legal disabilities are practically defined. With one in three adults estimated to have had a mental disorder in the past year, employers should be particularly aware of their impact. A clinical diagnosis of depression, for instance, will very likely qualify as a disability. A court would probably say yes.