Opinion ID: 6984727
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Did Fox violate the Washington Statute?

Text: RCW 49.60.180 says that “[i]t is an unfair practice for any employer: ... [t]o discriminate against any person in compensation or in other terms or conditions of employment because of ... mental ... disability.” No Washington court has specifically addressed this issue, so Washington would look to federal discrimination law as an aid in interpreting RCW 49.60. 82 We take it, then, that Washington would construe their state statute as have seven circuits and the Supreme Court. We accordingly hold that RCW 49.60.180 does not prohibit an employer from offering disability insurance policies as an employment benefit that differentiate between mental and physical disabilities. The district court properly granted summary judgment for Fox on Weyer’s claim.