Opinion ID: 3036591
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Procedural and Factual Context

Text: Rachael Lundquist was employed by RMH as a nurse during three distinct time periods. She was first hired in 1968. She left the position voluntarily in 1975 due to child care responsibilities and injuries she sustained in a car accident. In 1980, RMH rehired Lundquist as a nurse. In 1995, she experienced neck pains. She was diagnosed with degenerative changes at several levels of her neck and a herniated disc. By March 1995, Lundquist’s doctors restricted her physical activities to exclude any heavy lifting, so RMH accommodated this restriction by assigning Lundquist to a shift coordinator position. In July 1995, Lundquist’s neurologist restricted her physical activity further and ordered that she should not lift more than fifteen to twenty pounds at one time, and that she should not lift this weight repetitively for more than thirty consecutive minutes. The doctor also restricted bending and twisting. By August 1995, RMH placed Lundquist on medical leave pursuant to the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”). Then, on February 27, 1996, RMH terminated Lundquist for the first time, reasoning that she could not perform the essential functions of a nursing job. Lundquist filed a grievance which resulted in an arbitration order that Lundquist should be allowed to return to work if she was willing to perform the essential requirements of her job. She returned, but could or would not do any lifting, so on January 15, 1997, RMH placed Lundquist on administrative leave. On January 27, 1997, Lundquist filed an action against RMH alleging disability discrimination under the ADA and various Minnesota statutes (“Lundquist I”). Lundquist I concerned the time period from July 1995 through January 27, 1997, and alleged that RMH discriminated against Lundquist on the basis of disability by (1) placing her on unrequested medical leave; (2) wrongfully terminating her -2- employment in February 1996; and (3) failing to provide reasonable accommodation for her disability. While Lundquist was on leave the first time, RMH sent two different job descriptions to her. RMH instructed Lundquist to submit the job descriptions to her neurologist to assess whether she could perform either of them. The neurologist explained that although Lundquist could perform the “cerebral” aspects, she could not meet the physical demands of either. He later stated that if lifting is an essential duty of a job, then Lundquist would not be able to perform that job. During Lundquist’s second leave of absence, RMH required Lundquist to undergo a functional capacities evaluation (FCE) to determine whether she could fulfill the physical requirements of a staff nurse position. The FCE concluded that Lundquist could not perform patient transfers except under very limited circumstances but could carry out most other physical activities associated with registered nursing. RMH considered this statement to be “inconclusive” and ordered another FCE. The second FCE concluded that Lundquist could “rarely” or “occasionally” lift or push weight in excess of twenty pounds. RMH also hired a company to create a functional job description for the staff nurse position and sent it to Lundquist’s doctor to assess whether she could meet the requirements of the position, with or without reasonable accommodations, as defined by the description. The doctor responded that Lundquist could not meet some of the physical demands in the description. RMH fired Lundquist for a second time on December 31, 1997. Based on her medical evaluation, RMH reasoned that her physical restrictions were permanent and that she was unable to perform the essential functions of her job. -3- In April 1998, Lundquist brought a motion to amend a pretrial order setting forth the deadlines for amending the complaint in Lundquist I. Although the deadline had passed, Lundquist hoped to add new counts of retaliatory discharge under the ADA and a Minnesota statute to her original complaint in light of the December discharge. The district court denied Lundquist’s motion and enforced the original deadline. Lundquist did not appeal the denial of her motion. Subsequently, RMH brought a motion for summary judgment. On March 29, 1999, the district court released an order dismissing the allegations in Lundquist I, which Lundquist did not appeal. Instead, on February 20, 1999, Lundquist filed another action against RMH (“Lundquist II”). This action again claimed disability discrimination under the ADA and various Minnesota statutes, but it was allegedly related to a different time period than Lundquist I, and involved the heretofore unlitigated claim for Lundquist’s (second) wrongful termination by RMH on December 31, 1997. RMH filed a motion to dismiss Lundquist II based on res judicata (“claim preclusion”). The district court granted RMH’s motion. On appeal, the Eighth Circuit reversed. See Lundquist v. Rice Memorial Hosp., 238 F.3d 975, 978 (8th Cir. 2001) (per curiam). Since Lundquist II involved a claim arising from a termination of Lundquist that occurred after the first suit was filed, claim preclusion did not apply. Id. at 977 (noting “it is well settled that claim preclusion does not apply to claims that did not arise until after the first suit was filed”) (citing Baker Group, L.C. v. Burlington N. & Santa Fe Ry. Co., 228 F.3d 883, 886 (8th Cir. 2000)). Upon remand, RMH again brought a motion for summary judgment. This time, RMH simply argued that there was no genuine issue of material fact as to whether Lundquist was disabled within the meaning of the ADA. The district court agreed, concluding that Lundquist had not alleged a disability. Lundquist’s ADA claims -4- were dismissed with prejudice. The district court1 declined to exercise supplemental jurisdiction as to the remaining state law claims and they were dismissed without prejudice. See Order dated February 6, 2004, at 11 (“Order”). Lundquist now appeals the district court’s post-remand judgment in Lundquist II.