Opinion ID: 786178
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Failure to Promote to DSM II

Text: 22 Finally, Williams argues that Donnelley discriminated against her by denying her a promotion to the DSM II position. This claim also fails because Williams has not established that she was qualified and available for this position. 23 Although Williams does not dispute that she never applied for the DSM II position, we have held that if an employee expresses to the employer an interest in promotion to a particular class of positions, that general expression of interest may satisfy the requirement that the employee apply for the position. See Mauro v. S. New England Telecomms., Inc., 208 F.3d 384, 387 (2d Cir.2000) (finding application requirement satisfied by employee's general expression of interest in a class of positions where employee was unaware of specific available positions because the employer never posted them). Here, Williams' multiple requests for promotions and transfers clearly indicated her desire to be transferred to an available position in the Las Vegas office. Williams also alleges that Donnelley did not advertise the DSM II position, as was customary in the company. Donnelley has proffered no evidence contradicting this allegation. 2 Accordingly, we find that a formal application would have been futile, and that Williams' general expression of interest in a position in Donnelley's Las Vegas office satisfies the application requirement. 24 Although Donnelley does not challenge Williams' contention that she possessed the necessary skills and experience for the DSM II position, it argues that she was nonetheless unqualified for the position because she was on indefinite disability leave at the time the position became vacant, and thus was not available to assume the DSM II. 25 We need not address the question of whether any disability absence from the workplace automatically disqualifies an employee from consideration for an available position; instead, we confine our discussion to the facts of the instant case. In addition to possessing the skills and experience necessary for a position, an applicant must be available to assume an open position by the date an employer designates as necessary. Where, as here, the applicant has taken an indefinite leave of absence, and has given no indication of when she will return to the workplace, she need not be considered available to fill a position for which there is an immediate need, and will be deemed unqualified. Because she was unavailable to assume the vacant DSM II position within any specified time, Williams failed to establish a prima facie case of discrimination for this failure to promote claim.