Opinion ID: 203640
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Ability to Handle MM Accounts

Text: Liberty Mutual's second contention that assigning Tobin an MM account was not reasonable because his disability rendered him unable to manage those accounts  is more substantial. If a proposed accommodation would not be feasible for the employee, it would not assist him in performing his job duties. See Reed, 244 F.3d at 259 (holding that, in order to prove reasonable accommodation, a plaintiff must prove not only that the proposed accommodation is feasible for the employer under the circumstances but also that it would enable h[im] to perform the essential functions of h[is] job); id. (stating that proving an accommodation's effectiveness is part of the plaintiff's burden). Liberty Mutual elicited evidence that managing an MM account required good organizational skills and the ability to work quickly because sales representatives are sometimes bombarded with questions from potential or current clients during their on-site sessions with company employees. Leonard Shepard, the sales representative with the most MM accounts during Tobin's tenure, testified that his encounters with clients at one company, EMC, were hectic and occurred in a high pressure atmosphere  environments that were difficult for Tobin. Unquestionably, such evidence raises some doubt about Tobin's ability to handle MM accounts. However, Robin admitted at trial that, when asked during his deposition why he had not given Tobin an MM account, he had not expressed concern about Tobin's competence. Rather, his reasons focused on Tobin's longstanding under-performance. [20] At trial, Robin reiterated the low-performance concern, as well as a concern about Tobin's ability, and noted that Tobin did nothing to help himself get Mass Marketing accounts. Robin explained that he considered it unfair when other reps [were] out prospecting to get them on their own to just give one to [Tobin] when he was doing nothing to help himself. [21] This testimony, in light of Robin's earlier deposition statements, permitted the jury to infer that Tobin was denied MM accounts primarily because Robin considered him to be undeserving rather than unable to manage them. [22] Indeed, other evidence allowed the jury to find that Tobin could have competently handled an MM account and that Robin had admitted as much. Robin testified that it could be a reasonable assumption that Tobin would have been able to sell more policies if he had access to more people who wanted to buy insurance. At his deposition, Robin agreed that his reports on Tobin stated that he was good at closing sales, [23] and Robin also stated at that time that Tobin's sales results would have improved if he had been assigned MM accounts. [24] Edward Mace, another Liberty Mutual sales representative, testified that some MM accounts were relatively easy to handle because the company would pre-schedule appointments, and [y]ou could sit down and have your day planned ahead for you. Mace also reported that the individual interviews could be spaced farther apart, reducing the time pressure, and that there was a routine to the process  further evidence that handling MM accounts would be manageable despite Tobin's disability. Taken together, this evidence suggests that access to MM accounts might in fact have given Tobin the jump start he claimed to need to compensate for his disability, allowing him to focus on what he could do well  close sales  rather than on prospecting for new business. To be sure, the evidence of Tobin's ability to manage MM accounts was controverted. As we have described, however, the jury had before it sufficient evidence to conclude that assignment to an MM account would have enabled Tobin to achieve his sales quotas and thus to perform the essential functions of his job  making such an assignment a reasonable accommodation. [25]