Opinion ID: 4287065
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Discrimination Under the Rehabilitation Act

Text: Mitchell brought his claims against USPS pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act. The Rehabilitation Act “constitutes the exclusive remedy for a federal employee alleging disabilitybased discrimination.” Jones v. Potter, 488 F.3d 397, 403 (6th Cir. 2007) (citation omitted). “[E]mployment discrimination complaints under the Rehabilitation Act are governed by the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) . . . .” Spence v. Donahoe, 515 F. App’x 561, 568 (6th Cir. 2013) (citing Lee v. City of Columbus, 636 F.3d 245, 250 (6th Cir. 2011); 6 No. 17-2349, Mitchell v. USPS 29 U.S.C. § 794(d)). Accordingly, “cases construing one statute are instructive in construing the other.” Andrews v. Ohio, 104 F.3d 803, 807 (6th Cir. 1997). The Rehabilitation Act provides that “[n]o otherwise qualified individual with a disability . . . shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance . . . .” 29 U.S.C. § 794(a). To prevail on a claim for discrimination under the Rehabilitation Act, a plaintiff must show that he: (1) is disabled, (2) is otherwise qualified to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, and (3) suffered an adverse employment action solely because of his disability. Jones, 488 F.3d at 403. A claimant may establish a violation of the Rehabilitation Act “by introducing direct evidence of discrimination, including evidence that the employer relied upon the plaintiff’s disability in making its employment decision . . . .” Roetter v. Michigan Dept. of Corrs., 456 F. App’x 566, 569 (6th Cir. 2012) (citing Monette v. Elec. Data Sys. Corp., 90 F.3d 1173, 1178 (6th Cir. 1996) abrogated in part by Lewis v. Humboldt Acquisition Corp., 681 F.3d 312 (6th Cir. 2012)).4 Alternatively, a plaintiff who is unable to put forth direct evidence of discrimination may establish a Rehabilitation Act claim indirectly, by utilizing the burden-shifting framework of McDonnell Douglas. See Jones, 488 F.3d at 403-04. In both the indirect and direct methods, to prevail on a claim of discrimination pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act, Mitchell must demonstrate that he was fired “solely by reason of . . . his disability.” Jones, 488 F.3d at 409 (quoting 29 U.S.C. 4 In Lewis, we abrogated Monette in part by concluding that a plaintiff seeking relief under the ADA must show that he suffered an adverse employment action “because of,” rather than “solely by reason of” a disability. Lewis, 681 F.3d at 317, 321 (emphasis added). “The sole-cause standard . . . is a creature of the Rehabilitation Act . . . .” Id. at 317. To the extent Monette prescribes direct and indirect tests for demonstrating discrimination under the ADA – and consequently, the Rehabilitation Act – those tests are still good law in this circuit. See Ferrari v. Ford Motor Co., 826 F.3d 885, 891-892 (6th Cir. 2016) (applying the direct and indirect tests for establishing discrimination under the ADA as delineated in Monette, even after Monette was abrogated in part by Lewis). 7 No. 17-2349, Mitchell v. USPS § 794(a)). This occurs when “the employer has no reason left to rely on to justify its decision other than the employee’s disability[.]” Monette, 90 F.3d at 1183 n.9 (emphasis in original). “Distinguishing between cases that involve direct evidence of discrimination and those in which the plaintiff is not able to introduce direct evidence is vital because the framework for analyzing the two kinds of cases differs.” Ferrari v. Ford Motor Co., 826 F.3d 885, 892 (6th Cir. 2016) (citation omitted). “When an ‘employer acknowledges that it relied upon the plaintiff’s handicap in making its employment decision . . . [t]he McDonnell Douglas burden shifting approach is unnecessary because the issue of the employer’s intent, the issue for which McDonnell Douglas was designed, has been admitted by the defendant . . . and the plaintiff has direct evidence of discrimination on the basis of his or her disability.” Id. (quoting Monette, 90 F.3d at 1182).