Source: http://wa.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.20150129_0000130.WWA.htm/qx
Timestamp: 2017-07-25 06:28:09
Document Index: 295584749

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 12112', '§ 12112', '§ 12112', '§ 1630', '§ 12112', '§ 12112']

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION, Plaintiff,v.BNSF RAILWAY CO., Defendant.
ORDER DENYING DEFENDANT’S RENEWED MOTION TO DISMISS
THIS MATTER comes before the Court on Defendant BNSF Railway Co.’s Renewed Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act filed on behalf of Russell Holt. Having considered the motion (Dkt. No. 21), the response (Dkt. No. 23), the reply (Dkt. No. 24), and all attached documents, the Court DENIES Defendant’s Renewed Motion to Dismiss.
Background BNSF Railway Co. (“BNSF”) offered Russell Holt (“Holt”) a position as a patrol officer, contingent upon Holt passing a post-offer, pre-employment medical examination. (Dkt. No. 23 at 5.) The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) alleges that BNSF discriminated against Holt when, after BNSF’s contract doctor cleared Holt for the position based on a routine medical examination required of all applicants, it demanded that Holt procure a follow-up MRI. (Id. at 5.) Because the MRI was deemed not medically necessary by Holt’s doctor, Holt’s medical insurance would not cover it; Holt would have to pay for the MRI himself. (Id. at 5.) When Holt refused to procure the MRI because of the cost, BNSF refused to waive the requirement, and rescinded the offer of employment. (Id. at 5.)
EEOC contends the MRI was an improper additional inquiry not required of all entering employees, and discriminated on the basis of disability in a manner that was not job-related and not consistent with business necessity, violating sections 42 U.S.C. § 12112(d)(3)(A) and (C) of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). (Dkt. Nos. 11, 23.) Defendant argues that the ADA allows BNSF to require the MRI because it was a follow-up examination that is medically related to the initial examination. Defendant now moves to dismiss Plaintiff’s ADA claim.
Analysis I. Legal Standards A. Motion to Dismiss To survive a Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) motion, a complaint must state a claim for relief that is plausible on its face. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). A claim is facially plausible “when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Id. Plausibility does not mean probability, “but it asks for more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully.” Id. Merely reciting the elements of a cause of action will not suffice. Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007).
Courts follow a two-pronged approach when deciding whether a complaint survives a Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) motion. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678-79. First, “a court must accept as true all of the allegations contained in a complaint” unless the allegations are legal conclusions. Id. Second, the claim for relief must be plausible, which is a context-specific task. Id. Courts can consider “documents attached to the complaint, documents incorporated by reference in the complaint, or matters of judicial notice” when making their determination. U.S. v. Ritchie, 342 F.3d 903, 908 (9th Cir. 2003).
B. Discrimination in the Hiring Process Under the ADA
No covered employer shall discriminate against a qualified individual on the basis of disability in the hiring process. 42 U.S.C. § 12112(a). After an offer of employment but before the start of work, the employer may require a medical examination and may condition the offer of employment on the results of such examination. 42 U.S.C. § 12112(d)(3). These examinations are not required to be job-related and consistent with business necessity, 29 C.F.R. § 1630.14(b)(3), but if the results of the examination screen out or tend to screen out individuals with disabilities, the screening criteria must be job-related and consistent with business necessity. 42 U.S.C § 12112(b)(6).
The examination is subject to three restrictions: all entering employees must receive an examination regardless of disability, information obtained from the examination must be kept sufficiently confidential, and the results of the examination must only be used “in accordance with this subchapter, ” i.e., they must not be used to impermissibly discriminate against a candidate with disabilities. 42 U.S.C. § 12112(d)(3)(A)-(C).
EEOC guidance provides that, after the examination, an employer may request more medical information from an entering employee if the follow-up examinations or questions are &ldquo;medically related to the previously obtained medical information.&rdquo; EEOC, EEOC Notice No. 915.002, Enforcement Guidance: Preemployment Disability-Related Questions and Medical Examinations (1995); see also, McDonald v. Webasto Roof Sys., Inc., 570 F.App'x 474, 476 (6th Cir. 2014); Flores v. Am. Airlines, Inc., 184 F.Supp.2d 1287, 1294 (S.D. Fla. 2002). An employer may choose to ask only ...