Opinion ID: 794036
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Involuntary Leave

Text: 44 Sista argues that he was involuntarily placed on FMLA leave, in violation of his rights under that act. The District Court, citing a handful of unpublished decisions from various district courts, determined that involuntary leave is not actionable under the FMLA. 5 Sista asserts that, although an employer may be able to impose FMLA leave on an employee, it may only do so where the employee has a serious medical condition that would qualify the employee for such leave, citing to the same cases relied upon by the District Court. Sista claims that his suicide attempt was a direct result of his anguish over CDC's imposition of the FMLA suspension. Whether involuntary leave is actionable under the FMLA is an issue of first impression in this Court. 45 The FMLA says nothing about an employer's ability to force an employee to take such leave, and such forced leave, by itself, does not violate any right provided by the FMLA. Cf. 29 U.S.C. §§ 2611 et seq. (establishing certain rights, including, inter alia, to take leave, to restoration of position, and to maintain a civil action). The FMLA does not create a right to be free from suspension with or without pay, nor does the FMLA create a right against infliction of emotional distress, which is the crux of Sista's claim here. If Sista were able to demonstrate that such a forced leave interfered with, restrained, or denied the exercise or attempted exercise of a right provided under the FMLA, a cause of action might lie. 42 U.S.C. §§ 2615(a), 2617(a). Under the circumstances of this case, Sista has not demonstrated an impingement on any FMLA right and, therefore, has not stated a cause of action under the FMLA.