Opinion ID: 151538
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Mitchell's Employment and Disability

Text: Since 1983, Mitchell has worked as a commercial real estate broker at CB Richard Ellis. In February 2001, Mitchell was first diagnosed with restless leg syndrome after he suffered symptoms of fatigue. Over time, Mitchell's condition grew more severe. In October 2003, he was diagnosed with major depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, restless leg syndrome, REM-related obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, and hemochromatosis. Although Mitchell continued to work full time hours, his physical condition deteriorated to the point where he could not effectively perform in his job by March 2004. Because Mitchell's disability reduced his capacity to produce sales, his compensation, based entirely on commissions and bonuses, decreased substantially over time as his disability grew more severe: he earned $179,678 in 2001 and $243,857 in 2002, but only $29,329 in 2003 and $12,585 in 2004.