Opinion ID: 770536
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether Hoskins is Otherwise Qualified for the Position of Deputy One

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24 Hoskins contends that physical restraint of inmates is not an essential function of the deputy one position. If physical restraint of inmates is not an essential job function, then Hoskins meets the definition of a qualified individual with a disability because the parties agree that she is fully able to perform all functions of the deputy one position save this one. Because Hoskins challenged this job criterion as unessential, the district court properly placed the burden on the defendants to demonstrate that this criterion is in fact a fundamental job duty. 25 The term essential functions means the fundamental job duties of the employment position the individual with a disability holds or desires, but it does not include only marginal functions. 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(n)(1). In determining whether a particular function is essential, the regulations instruct courts to consider the following list of factors, which is illustrative rather than exhaustive: 26
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33 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(n)(3). The inquiry into whether a function is essential is highly fact specific. See Brickers v. Cleveland Bd. of Educ., 145 F.3d 846, 849 (6th Cir. 1998); Hall v. United States Postal Serv., 857 F.2d 1073, 1079 (6th Cir. 1988) (Such a determination should be based upon more than statements in a job description and should reflect the actual functioning and circumstances of the particular enterprise involved.). 34 In support of their position that physically restraining inmates is a fundamental duty of a deputy one, the defendants submitted a written job description as well as the testimony of Major Quisenberry. The general summary of the job of deputy one reads, in pertinent part, as follows: 35 Under general supervision and as a Deputy Sheriff appointed by the Oakland County Sheriff, performs duties within the corrections or on occasion road patrol areas. As a Deputy I in the corrections area, performs routine security and custody activities. Assists in maintaining and enforcing procedures and regulations to ensure security is maintained at the jail and satellite facilities. Distributes meals, bedding and supplies to inmates. Screens visitors, issues passes and ensures visitation regulations are maintained. Transports inmates to authorized facilities, ensuring that security procedures are followed. Physically restrains individuals as necessary. May, at times, perform certain Deputy II functions in limited instances. 36 J.A. at 140. The written description lists, as among the typical duties for a deputy one within the corrections area: driving the transportation vehicle and supervising the conduct of inmates during transportation to authorized facilities; supervising inmates being held at the courthouse and awaiting court appearances; guarding inmates during courtroom appearances to ensure that security is maintained; supervising the activities of inmates assigned toall jail facilities; searching inmates; and ensuring that security is maintained at jail facilities. J.A. at 140-41. The defendants also presented the testimony of Major Quisenberry, the Chief of Staff at OCSD, who stated that he believed physical restraint of inmates to be a fundamental part of the job of deputy one. Major Quisenberry explained: 37 The deputy one is the deputy that's the entry level position, and it's the one person who has the closest individual contact with prisoners or inmates in the Oakland County Jail. They're the first line-of-defense, I suppose, with the prisoner, whether it be from the time they get up in the morning with their feedings until they go to bed at night. It's generally the deputy ones who have the day-to-day contact with prisoners. And the opportunity and at times the necessity that they have to have physical contact with those inmates I think falls within this physically restrain individuals as necessary line that we're referring to. 38 J.A. at 139. 39 In response to this showing, Hoskins first points out that deputy ones rarely, if ever, are required physically to restrain inmates, thus suggesting that the function is not essential. Hoskins presented testimony regarding her own work experience; although she acknowledged that her job involved the potential for physical confrontation with inmates on a daily basis, Hoskins testified that in her entire career as a deputy one she had only one physical altercation with an inmate. Hoskins also pointed to Major Quisenberry's testimony that most of the time verbal orders to prisoners will suffice to maintain security, so that physical confrontation is rare. Second, Hoskins argues that the fact that no physical testing is required for the position of deputy one indicates that physical restraint of inmates is unessential. 40 We conclude that the evidence presented by Hoskins is not sufficient to create a material issue of fact on this issue. The summary judgment evidence taken as a whole reveals that the deputy one position exists to supervise inmates and to maintain security. Although a deputy one may be required physically to restrain inmates only infrequently, the potential for physical confrontation with inmates exists on a daily basis, and the consequence of failing to require a deputy to perform this function when the occasion arises could be a serious threat to security. See 29 C.F.R. pt. 1630, App. § 1630.2(n) (The consequences of failing to require the employee to perform the function may be another indicator of whether a particular function is essential. For example, although a firefighter may not regularly have to carry an unconscious adult out of a burning building, the consequence of failing to require the firefighter to be able to perform this function would be serious.); Brickers, 145 F.3d at 849-50 (Although, as Brickers has argued, it may be true that a[] [bus] attendant [on special education buses transporting handicapped students] seldom, if ever, must perform any lifting, the ability to lift would be crucial in an emergency situation . . . .). 41 Hoskins next cites Hamlin v. Charter Township of Flint, 165 F.3d 426 (6th Cir. 1999), for the proposition that the mere potential that a deputy would have to restrain an inmate is insufficient to render that job function essential. In Hamlin, the plaintiff, who was an assistant fire chief, suffered a heart attack and was authorized to return to work on condition that he not engage in strenuous physical activities such as front-line firefighting. After being fired because of his inability to engage in front-line firefighting, the plaintiff brought suit and challenged this particular requirement as unessential. The plaintiff presented proof that the key functions of his job [as assistant fire chief] were supervisory and administrative in nature, as distinguished from those of a firefighter, which include 24-hour shifts, being the primary responder to emergencies, and engaging in strenuous front-line fire suppression, search, and rescue. Id. at429. If the assistant fire chief were ever needed at the scene of an emergency, the plaintiff testified that his role would be supervisory rather than active engagement in firefighting. We affirmed a jury verdict in favor of the plaintiff, reasoning that the issue of whether front-line firefighting was an essential function was properly submitted to the jury. The situation in Hamlin is entirely different than the situation in the instant case, for the plaintiff in Hamlin produced overwhelming evidence that firefighting was not an essential function of his supervisory position. The quote on which Hoskins relies, which indicates that an employer may not deny an employment opportunity to a disabled individual based on a slightly increased risk, is taken from the portion of the opinion dealing with the defendant's claim that the plaintiff was not qualified because he posed a direct threat to the safety of himself and others, an entirely different inquiry than the one before us today. See id. at 432. 42
43 Assuming that restraining inmates is an essential function of the deputy one position, Hoskins next proposes several accommodations that she contends would permit her to perform the essential functions. Reasonable accommodation may include job restructuring, part-time or modified work schedules, reassignment to a vacant position, acquisition or modification of equipment or devices, appropriate adjustment or modifications of examinations, training materials or policies, the provision of qualified readers or interpreters, and other similar accommodations for individuals with disabilities. 42 U.S.C. § 12111(9)(B). 3 We have explained: When the employee seeks a reasonable accommodation, she must establish that a 'reasonable' accommodation is possible, and bears a traditional burden of proof that she is qualified for the position with such reasonable accommodation. If the plaintiff establishes that a reasonable accommodation is possible, the employer bears the burden of proving that such reasonable accommodation would impose an undue hardship. Monette, 90 F.3d at 1186 n.12. 44 Hoskins first contends that she can perform the function of restraining inmateswith the assistance of others. She explains that it is OCSD's policy that deputies call for assistance when attempting to restrain an inmate, and she reasons that [i]f it is department policy that multiple deputies are to be used when attempting to physically restrain an inmate, then it is not unreasonable for Defendants to provide this same accommodation to Plaintiff on a more permanent basis. Appellant's Br. at 29. However, the ADA does not require employers to accommodate individuals by shifting an essential job function onto others. See, e.g., Bratten v. SSI Servs., Inc., 185 F.3d 625, 632 (6th Cir. 1999) (The only possible accommodation [the plaintiff] identifies is allowing co-workers to perform as much as 20% of the essential automotive mechanic duties for Bratten when he needs such assistance. . . . Continuing the practice of 'assisting' Bratten in tasks on an ad hoc basis may be sound labor relations policy for defendants, as we can imagine that such circumstances could promote employee loyalty and teamwork. However, employers are not required to do so under the ADA.); see also 29 C.F.R. pt. 1630, App. § 1630(o) (An employer or other covered entity is not required to reallocate essential functions.). 45 Hoskins next argues that the defendants failed to accommodate her by reassigning her to a different position. Hoskins identifies several positions that are equivalent to her old position, but that do not require the restraint of inmates. The first position identified by Hoskins is the intake position at the new commerce substation, which requires answering phones and taking walk-in reports from the general public. It is well established, however, that an employer is not obligated to create a position not then in existence. See, e.g., Cassidy v. Detroit Edison Co., 138 F.3d 629, 634 (6th Cir. 1998). The commerce substation position did not exist during the time in which the defendants attempted to find a suitable assignment for Hoskins (fall of 1997), or at the time she was fired on November 7, 1997. Indeed, Hoskins was deposed on December 11, 1998, and at that time she stated that the commerce substation position had just been created and was to start on January 1, 1999. Although an employer may be required to reassign an individual to a position that is currently unavailable but that will become vacant within a reasonable amount of time, in the instant case the new position was created well over a year after OCSD became aware of Hoskins's disability. See 29 C.F.R. pt. 1630, App. § 1630.2(o) (As an example, suppose there is no vacant position available at the time that an individual with a disability requests reassignment as a reasonable accommodation. The employer, however, knows that an equivalent position for which the individual is qualified, will become vacant next week. Under these circumstances, the employer should reassign the individual to the position when it becomes available.); Monette, 90 F.3d at 1187 (If, perhaps, an employer knows that a position for which the disabled applicant is qualified will become vacant in a short period of time, the employer may be required to offer the position to the employee.). Because the commerce substation position was not available when OCSD learned of Hoskins's disabling injury nor was its availability anticipated in the near future, we conclude that assignment to that position was not a reasonable accommodation. 46 Hoskins's strongest argument is that the defendants should have reassigned her permanently to a position in one of the control booths within the jail facility. The control booth operators, who sit in a locked booth, are primarily responsible for operating the control panel so as to permit officers to enter and leave cell blocks. Major Quisenberry explained that the control booth positions are assigned on a rotating basis to the deputies. He stated: The normal assignment is to allow [deputies] to work the [cell] blocks and then after a day of a block or a particular[ly]hard block, that you give a deputy a chance to have a break somewhat. The booth is considered probably an easier job in the main jail. So in fairness to everybody, it has traditionally been that that [sic] booth job would be rotated around so that everybody had a chance to have their break. J.A. at 134 (Quisenberry Dep.). The defendants do not dispute that the control booth position involves no inmate contact and that Hoskins would therefore be qualified for it; instead, they argue that assigning Hoskins to this temporary position on a permanent basis is not a reasonable accommodation. We have not before had occasion to address the issue of whether a reasonable accommodation would include turning a rotating or relief position into a permanent position. On the facts of this case, we conclude that such an accommodation is not a reasonable one. 47 In support of their position that the ADA imposes no duty on an employer to convert a temporary relief position into a new full-time position, the defendants cite the Seventh Circuit case of Hendricks-Robinson v. Excel Corp., 154 F.3d 685 (7th Cir. 1998). In Hendricks-Robinson, former employees of an Excel meatpacking plant brought a class action alleging that Excel's medical layoff policy violated the ADA because it failed to provide reasonable accommodation to its permanently disabled employees. Excel set aside a number of the least physically demanding jobs for employees who were temporarily restricted from performing their usual positions. However, once an injured employee's restrictions became permanent, the employee could not remain in the interim light-duty job but was required either to transfer to another position where he could perform the required duties or to go on medical layoff. Id. at 689. The plaintiffs challenged this policy, arguing that Excel should not remove the permanently restricted employees from the light-duty jobs that were designated by Excel as temporary rehabilitation-period jobs. The Seventh Circuit first noted that it had approved of an employer's offer of light-duty assignments as a reasonable accommodation for injured workers. See id. at 696. However, relying on its prior decision in Dalton v. Subaru-Isuzu Automotive, Inc., 141 F.3d 667 (7th Cir. 1998), the court held that the ADA does not compel an employer to convert temporary positions it has set aside into permanent positions for its disabled employees. As the Dalton court had explained, [t]o hold otherwise would be to require [the employer] to create new full-time positions to accommodate its disabled employees, a course of action not required under the ADA. Id. at 680. 48 Although these Seventh Circuit cases are not directly on point, as they involved temporary light-duty positions for recuperating employees rather than a relief position, 4 we nevertheless find them instructive. Like the plaintiffs in Hendricks-Robinson and Dalton, Hoskins suggests that she be assigned to a rotating-type job on a permanent basis. We agree that Hoskins's request would essentially require the creation of a new position rather than reassignment to an otherwise existing vacant one. As we have made clear, an employer's duty to reassign an otherwise qualified disabled employee does not require that the employer create a new job in order to do so. See Cassidy, 138 F.3d at 634. We therefore conclude that Hoskins has not met her burden of showing that her proposed accommodation is a reasonable one. Cf. Hill v. Harper, 6 F. Supp. 2d 540, 544 (E.D. Va. 1998) (holding that former deputy sheriff's proposed accommodation that he be placed in the control room on a permanent basis was unreasonable, because this accommodation effectively eliminated the 'essential function'of being able to rotate through the various duty posts); McDonald v. Kansas Dep't of Corrections, 880 F. Supp. 1416, 1422-23 (D. Kan. 1995) (finding that a state prison was not obligated to allow an obese correctional officer with a heart condition to work at only certain of the posts within the prison, as such a requested accommodation was unreasonable). 49 Therefore, because Hoskins has failed to create a genuine issue of material fact as to whether restraining inmates is an essential function or as to whether she could perform the essential functions of the deputy one position with reasonable accommodation, we affirm the district court's grant of summary judgment to the defendants.