Opinion ID: 6330219
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: King’s Medical Condition

Text: King was diagnosed with asthma as a young adult, but it began worsening around 2013 and 2014. Her asthma was often triggered by stress and seasonal allergies, causing intermittent flare-ups and severe asthma attacks. At times, these flare-ups left King unable to perform her work duties. Her co-workers occasionally helped her by giving her more stationary tasks. During particularly bad asthma flare-ups, King could not complete daily tasks like cooking and doing dishes. On those days, King would call in sick and tell the Hospital why she could not work that day. No. 21-3445 King v. Steward Trumbull Mem. Hosp. Page 3 To call in sick, King usually called the central staffing office and spoke to the house supervisor—who was not always Bungard, her immediate supervisor. However, King called Bungard directly several times and said that she needed time off because of her asthma. She said: When [she] called [Bungard] to report off of work . . . [she] would tell him that [she] literally could not breathe. Most of the time when it was that bad, [she] could hardly talk. And [she] would tell [Bungard] that [she couldn’t] get off of the couch without being out of breath and wheezing. (King Dep., R. 44, Page ID #210–11.) Bungard “was aware that [King] had asthma,” and he said that King’s asthma was “common knowledge” among the Hospital staff. (Bungard Dep., R. 50, Page ID #1393–94.) He also knew that King “was off [work] sometimes because of her asthma.” (Id. at Page ID #1411.) King allegedly told Bungard that her “asthma was so debilitating that it was disabling.” (King Dep., R. 44, Page ID #211.)