Opinion ID: 698342
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Dr. Roth's Discrimination Claim

Text: 26 We are of the opinion that the district court did not abuse its discretion in finding that Dr. Roth has failed to establish some likelihood of success on the merits. To succeed on his claims under the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA, Roth must meet the threshold burden of establishing that he is disabled within the meaning of the statutes. Hamm v. Runyon, 51 F.3d 721, 724 (7th Cir.1995); Jasany v. United States Postal Service, 755 F.2d 1244, 1248 (6th Cir.1985). As the district court properly observed, the inquiry is an individualized one, and must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Byrne v. Board of Education, 979 F.2d 560, 564 (7th Cir.1992); Forrisi v. Bowen, 794 F.2d 931, 933 (4th Cir.1986). 27 An individual is disabled if he has (1) a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of the major life activities; (2) a record of such an impairment; or (3) if he is regarded as having such an impairment. 29 U.S.C. Sec. 706(8)(B); 29 C.F.R. Sec. 1613.702(a); 42 U.S.C. Sec. 12102(2); 29 C.F.R. Sec. 1630.2(g); Hamm, 51 F.3d at 724. Major life activities are defined as functions, such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working. 29 C.F.R. Secs. 1613.702(c), 1630.2(i); Hamm, 51 F.3d at 724. The determination of whether a condition constitutes an impairment, or the extent to which the impairment limits the individual's major life activities must be made without regard to the availability of mitigating measures such as medicines, or assistive or prosthetic devices. See 29 C.F.R. pt. 1630 App. Sec. 1630.2(h), (j). However, the mere use of a mitigating measure does not automatically prove the presence of a disability; some individuals may use medication, prosthetic devices, or auxiliary aids to alleviate impairments that are not substantially limiting. See EEOC Compliance Manual Sec. 902.5 (March 1995). Moreover, not every impairment that affected an individual's major life activities is a substantially limiting impairment. 12 Hamm, 51 F.3d at 726 (Many impairments do not impact an individual's life to the degree that they constitute disabling impairments.) (quoting 29 C.F.R. Sec. 1630.2(j)(1)(ii)). The key is the extent to which the impairment restricts a major life activity; the impairment must be a significant one. Forrisi, 794 F.2d at 934; EEOC Compliance Manual Sec. 902.4. 28 While Dr. Roth's impairment may have affected his major life activities, he has failed to establish that the impairment rises to the level of a disability. The gist of Dr. Roth's allegations are as follows: he is prevented from pursuing his chosen profession as a medical specialty doctor because in order for him to be certified as a specialist in a particular field of medicine, he must successfully complete a post-graduate residency program. He further alleges that because all residency programs require long shifts (such as the 36 hour calls at LGH) and his visual condition prevents him from working for more than eight to ten hours straight, he is substantially limited in performing the major life activities of seeing and learning. As an initial matter, it is not established in this record that each and every pediatric residency program requires 36 hour calls or long shifts. Indeed, the entities responsible for regulating pediatric residency programs, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American Board of Pediatrics, do not prohibit part-time residency programs, nor do they require a stipulated number of daily or weekly hours, so long as the part-time resident receives a total of 33 months of training with graduated responsibility. Drawing an analogy to employment cases where the inability to perform either a particular job for a particular employer or a narrow range of jobs is held not to be a disability, 13 we cannot say that an inability to fulfill long shifts or 36 hour call duties (as may be the requirement at LGH) necessarily proves that Dr. Roth is disabled within the meaning of the Acts. Cf. Byrne, 979 F.2d at 564 (stating that the definition of major life activity cannot be interpreted to mean working at the specific job of one's choice.). 29 More importantly, no objective medical findings directly support Dr. Roth's assertion that he is so significantly restricted by his visual impairment such that he is incapable of performing night calls. Roth's treating physician, Dr. Parmet, did determine that Dr. Roth's ability to do laboratory work may be limited because of Roth's lack of stereopsis, or limited ability to see objects in three dimensions. Dr. Parmet, however, stated that the condition will not affect Dr. Roth adversely in the practice of medicine if he can avoid tasks such as the use of a binocular microscope requiring the fine perception of depth and other procedures that require good stereopsis. Dr. Parmet further noted that while Roth's condition is not completely correctable through the use of glasses or other means, Roth has adapted well to daily activities and he should have the visual capacity to function well in most medical specialties. As to Dr. Roth's visual endurance, Dr. Parmet testified at the hearing that Roth had complained of occasional double vision, eye strain, fatigue, difficulty focusing and headaches, all of which symptoms are consistent with Roth's visual condition. Dr. Parmet stated, however, that Roth's condition, which was congenital, has remained stable at least in the five years he had consulted with him professionally. 14 Although Dr. Parmet opined that Dr. Roth becomes visually fatigued faster than an individual not suffering from strabismus, Parmet testified that it is not possible to objectively measure the extent of a patient's eye fatigue, or to quantify the rate at which one develops eye strain. Thus, Dr. Parmet stated that he was not in a position to determine whether or not Dr. Roth was physically able to perform satisfactorily a 36 hour shift while suffering from strabismus. As to whether Roth could function successfully in any residency program without accommodation, Dr. Parmet testified that he would not be able to render an opinion without relying primarily on Dr. Roth's own statements as to what he can or cannot do and what his limitations are. The question, then, becomes one of Dr. Roth's credibility. 30 The district court could determine that Dr. Roth was not credible (with regard to his alleged inability to work for more than eight to ten hours a day) based on Roth's past work and professional history. 15 Dr. Roth was able to successfully complete both his pharmacy and law degrees without any accommodation. Although it may be true, as Dr. Roth argues, that medical study is more demanding than law school or pharmacy school, his schedule appears to have been quite vigorous while attending law school. He attended law school full-time while also being employed as a pharmacist on weekends and evenings for approximately 15 to 35 hours a week. Additionally, while he was employed as a prosecutor/medical attorney for the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation, Dr. Roth was also a faculty lecturer at UIC. In spite of his eye problems, he continued to serve as a faculty lecturer and defense attorney/consultant while he attended medical school. In addition, his resume indicated that he was responsible for eight publications between 1989 and 1991. 31 The district court's determination that Dr. Roth was not a credible witness and was substantially impeached during the hearing is well-supported in this record. Roth claimed in an affidavit submitted to the district court that he was the only graduate in his class not to have been matched with a residency program, when in truth and in fact thirteen of his classmates also failed to match. Similarly, Dr. Roth stated in the affidavit that he was required to apply through the NRMP in order to obtain a residency position, when in fact, upon his request for accommodation, NRMP allowed him to reach an agreement with a residency program outside of the Match. Additionally, Roth's resume submitted as part of his application to LGH and other residency programs indicated that he had worked as a pharmacist and published various articles while in medical school. However, upon cross-examination at the preliminary injunction hearing, Roth stated that his representation that he had worked as a pharmacist during medical school was untrue. He also testified that he did not author one of the articles listed under the health professional publications section of his resume but was merely a participant in a roundtable discussion, which was taped. Although Roth alleged in one of his prior state discrimination complaints against his medical school that he was not admitted to an honor society despite meeting the objective criteria for admission (such as being in the top ten percent of the class), he admitted at the preliminary injunction hearing before the district court that he did not know whether his sworn statement of meeting the objective criteria for admission was true. In fact, Roth's sworn statement was false; an associate dean of Roth's medical school testified that Roth was not in the top ten percent of his class and that his objective academic performance did not exceed that of those students admitted to the honor society. 32 Significantly, Dr. Roth repeatedly represented in his medical school and residency program applications that his visual condition was a former problem which had been corrected and no longer confront[ed] him. 16 Yet, as the district court found, when it was beneficial and opportune to disclose his alleged disability, Roth would do so and advise that the failure to accommodate him would violate the disability laws. For instance, Dr. Roth waited until less than one month before the ranking list was due to inform the NRMP of his alleged disability and demand an extension and the right to reach an agreement with a residency program prior to the Match. He reminded the NRMP that the failure to accommodate him would not conform with the disability laws and would cause him irreparable damage. Similarly, although his application to LGH affirmatively represented that his visual condition no longer confronted him, he informed Dr. Kraut at the interview that he would not be able to work for more than eight to ten hours. In referring to the disability laws during the interview, Roth also suggested to Dr. Kraut that if he did not match with a residency program he would pursue legal action. Thus, in light of Dr. Roth's past history and the substantial impeachment of Roth, the district court could very easily conclude that Roth's testimony as to what he can or cannot do lacks credence. 33 Dr. Roth also argues that he is disabled because he has had a record of, or was regarded as having, a visual impairment. To combat the effects of erroneous but nevertheless prevalent perceptions about the handicapped, Congress broadly defined the term disability to preclude discrimination against  '[a] person who has a record of, or is regarded as having, an impairment [but who] may at present have no actual incapacity at all.'  School Board of Nassau County v. Arline, 480 U.S. 273, 279, 107 S.Ct. 1123, 1126, 94 L.Ed.2d 307 (1987) (quoting Southeastern Community College v. Davis, 442 U.S. 397, 405-06 n. 6, 99 S.Ct. 2361, 2366-67, 60 L.Ed.2d 980 (1979)). However, the record of impairment must still contain a history of, or a misclassification as having, a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. 29 C.F.R. Sec. 1630.2(k). Dr. Roth's medical record included mainly Dr. Parmet's diagnosis and Parmet's correspondence with other doctors which, as discussed before, does not suggest that Dr. Roth's impairment was significantly limiting. On the other hand, since 1990 Dr. Roth's medical school did classify him as being a visually impaired student who is covered by the Rehabilitation Act, and granted him accommodations. Additionally, in June 1991 the National Board of Medical Examiners treated Dr. Roth as a disabled student, and allowed him accommodations in connection with examinations in 1991. 17 Dr. Roth alleges that he submitted the record of his alleged disability to Dr. Kraut shortly after the residency program interview in 1993 and thus, that such record was contained in his application file for the selection committee's review. However, there is no evidence in this record that supports Dr. Roth's assertion that Dr. Kraut included the supplemental materials in Roth's application file. In fact, according to the testimony of Dr. Kraut and the other members of the resident selection committee which the district court found to be credible, only Dr. Kraut was aware of Roth's alleged disability when the first selection committee made the decision not to rank Roth. The district court did not consider whether Dr. Roth's record of having been classified as a disabled student is sufficient to fall within the statutory definition of disability given that only Dr. Kraut had seen the record. The district court also did not evaluate whether such a record, when coupled with Dr. Roth's own representation to Dr. Kraut that he is disabled, actually caused Dr. Kraut to regard him as having a substantially limiting impairment, thereby triggering the protection of the anti-discrimination laws. We similarly need not consider these issues because Dr. Roth has failed to establish that he was unfavorably ranked by the defendants solely because of his alleged disability. 18 See Byrne, 979 F.2d at 563; see also Pushkin v. Regents of University of Colorado, 658 F.2d 1372 (10th Cir.1981) (modifying the McDonnell Douglas burden-shifting analysis, which addresses employment discrimination claims under Title VII, for handicap discrimination claims). 34 Dr. Roth argues that because the selection committee merely rubber-stamped Dr. Kraut's ranking list, only Dr. Kraut's motive needs to be considered. See Courtney v. Biosound Inc., 42 F.3d 414, 419 (7th Cir.1994); Dey v. Colt Const. & Development Co., 28 F.3d 1446, 1459 (7th Cir.1994). Because Dr. Kraut admitted that he was concerned about being influenced by knowledge of Roth's disability and that wouldn't be fair to Dr. Roth, Roth's argument continues, the testimony provided direct evidence of discrimination. Dr. Roth's argument fails for several reasons. Although Dr. Kraut was the one who prepared the preliminary ranking list, Roth's statement that the selection committee simply rubber-stamped Dr. Kraut's ranking list is untrue. As Roth concedes, adjustments were made to the preliminary list, and in fact, Roth was excluded from the preliminary list by the first selection committee, which was consisted of approximately ten members. 35 The district court could and did reasonably infer that Dr. Kraut's admitted concern about being fair and impartial only worked to ensure unbiased evaluation of Roth's application: Dr. Kraut told Roth not to discuss his disability with the other interviewers; he did not submit his own evaluation (which contained notations of Roth's alleged disability) to the selection committee; he placed Roth on the preliminary list so that the committee could consider whether and where to rank Roth; he refused to discuss Roth's alleged disability with the other committee members until such time as the committee had decided not to rank Roth. In fact, it was not until the committee made the decision not to rank Roth that Dr. Kraut informed the committee of Roth's alleged disability out of concern that the committee's decision not to rank Roth might prompt Roth to pursue legal action against LGH. 36 Based upon the record before us, it is quite clear that the district court could find that LGH was willing to accommodate Roth, given Dr. Kraut's credible testimony that he consulted with the administrator of LGH's residency program concerning accommodating Roth and was informed that accommodation could be arranged, in the same manner LGH had accommodated a deaf resident with a full-time interpreter. In fact, given Dr. Kraut's testimony that he was concerned about Dr. Roth being eliminated from the ranking list by the committee based on one bad interview and Dr. Roth's inclination to pursue legal action, the district court could reasonably infer that the selection committee was reconvened to include Roth on the list precisely because of LGH's desire to accommodate Roth as well as its interest in avoiding threatened lawsuits, which can hardly be considered a discriminatory act. 37 In any event, Dr. Roth has failed to rebut LGH's legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for its ranking decision. See Courtney, 42 F.3d at 420 (if employee cannot establish that a discriminatory reason more likely motivated the employer, she must offer evidence demonstrating that the employer's proffered non-discriminatory reasons are unworthy of credence); Oxman v. WLS-TV, 846 F.2d 448, 456 (7th Cir.1988). Even if we were to assume according to Roth's testimony that he had excellent academic credentials and favorable reviews by other LGH faculty members, Dr. Roth does not dispute that one of the interviewers, Dr. Hetland, strongly recommended against his admission to the program because of his apparent personality shortcomings. Dr. Hetland wrote in the evaluation that Roth was the most insolent and arrogant resident applicant that [he] had ever interviewed, and that he cannot imagine working with Mr. Roth in a supervisorial role. Dr. Hetland's evaluation was read to the selection committee. Additionally, another interviewer, Dr. Metrick, wrote in the evaluation that he was concerned as to how interested [Roth] would be in functioning as a resident. Given the committee members' negative evaluations of Roth as a result of their individual and respective interview sessions, the district court might very well have concluded that the committee's initial decision not to rank Roth was motivated by its concern about Roth's attitude, maturation, and questionable personality traits, rather than by any alleged prejudice on the part of Dr. Kraut. 19 Indeed, the committee's consideration of, and emphasis on, Roth's non-academic qualifications or lack thereof was certainly legitimate in the determination of Roth's fitness as a resident. Under the directive of the American Medical Association, residency programs should select from among eligible applicants on the basis of their preparedness and ability to benefit from the program by considering the applicant's aptitude, academic credentials, personal characteristics, and ability to communicate ... See Graduate Medical Education Directory 1993-1994, p. 15 (1993) (emphasis added). Moreover, the idea that a resident must have good interpersonal and communication skills so as to adequately meet patient needs is evident in the requirements for accreditation of residency programs as set forth by the American Medical Association. The Requirements for Accreditation heavily emphasize the importance of a resident's personal and professional development, including the development of professional attitudes consistent with being a physician. Id. at 9-15. For instance, the preface to Requirements for Accreditation states that the single most important responsibility of any residency program is to provide a program such that it facilitates the resident's professional and personal development while ensuring safe and appropriate care for patients. Id. at 9. The preface further instructs that a program must maintain a proper balance between patient care needs and educational objectives. Id. Additionally, a residency program director must regularly evaluate a resident's development of professional attitudes, and should advance the resident to a position of higher responsibility only on the basis of evidence of his or her satisfactory progressive scholarship and professional growth. Id. at 14. Dr. Roth has failed utterly to rebut LGH's valid, non-discriminatory reasons of his character flaws, and thus, he has failed to meet the threshold burden of demonstrating some likelihood of success on his discrimination claim. See Gateway Eastern Ry. Co. v. Terminal R.R. Ass'n, 35 F.3d 1134, 1137 (7th Cir.1994) (As a threshold matter, the moving party must establish that it has some likelihood of success on the merits.); Erickson, 13 F.3d at 1067; Abbott Lab., 971 F.2d at 11.