Opinion ID: 3155939
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: GINA Discrimination Claim

Text: Ortiz first argues that the district court wrongly dismissed his claim that SAFD discriminated against him in violation of GINA by requiring that he participate in a mandatory wellness program. GINA prohibits an employer from discriminating or taking adverse actions against an employee “because of genetic information with respect to the employee.” 42 U.S.C. § 2000ff-1(a)(1), (2). The Act also makes it unlawful “for an employer to request, require, or purchase genetic information with respect to an employee or a family member of the employee,” with some exceptions. Id. § 2000ff-1(b). One of these exceptions is that an employer that offers medical services “as part of a wellness program” may request genetic information if the “employee provides prior, knowing, voluntary, and written authorization” and certain confidentiality requirements are met. Id. § 2000ff-1(b)(2); see also 29 C.F.R. § 1635.8(b)(2). GINA provides a private right of action, incorporating the enforcement and remedies procedures of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. See 42 U.S.C. § 2000ff-6(a)(1). For purposes of GINA, “genetic information” means information about the “genetic tests” of an individual or her family members, and information about “the manifestation of a disease or disorder in family members of such individual.” Id. § 2000ff(4)(A); see also 29 C.F.R. § 1635.3(c). “Genetic test,” in turn, “means an analysis of human DNA, RNA, chromosomes, proteins, or metabolites, that detects genotypes, mutations, or chromosomal changes.” Id. § 2000ff(7)(A). “The term ‘genetic test’ does not mean an analysis of proteins or metabolites that does not detect genotypes, mutations, or chromosomal changes.” 42 U.S.C. § 2000ff(7)(B). Nor does that term encompass medical 6 Case: 15-50341 Document: 00513276547 Page: 7 Date Filed: 11/18/2015 No. 15-50341 tests such as those for blood counts, cholesterol, or liver function. See 29 C.F.R. § 1635.3(f)(3). And an employer does not violate GINA through “the use, acquisition, or disclosure of medical information that is not genetic information about a manifested disease, disorder, or pathological condition of an employee or member, including a manifested disease, disorder, or pathological condition that has or may have a genetic basis.” Id. § 2000ff-9. The district court correctly dismissed this claim because Ortiz presented no evidence that SAFD requested, required, or purchased his genetic information, or discriminated against him on the basis of genetic information. Rather, he appears to misread the statute as forbidding any mandatory wellness program, regardless of whether it involves a request for or the acquisition of genetic information. Ortiz also ignores the statutory distinction between “medical information” and “genetic information.” Far from plainly erroneous, the district court’s decision comports with the plain language of the statute and the sparse case law in this area. See Dumas v. Hurley Med. Ctr., 837 F. Supp. 2d 655, 666 (E.D. Mich. 2011) (dismissing GINA claim for failure to allege use or misuse of “genetic information” as defined by the statute); Smith v. Donahoe, 917 F. Supp. 2d 562, 571 (E.D. Va. 2013) (similar).