Obesity as a Disability

January 9, 2019 by mjpospis

Obesity-Related Hostile Work Environment Claim Survives Dismissal Under NYC Human Rights Law

In McElroy v. The Dept. of Educ. of the City of New York, No. 160689/2017, 2019 WL 132532 (Sup Ct, New York County Jan. 08, 2019), the court (inter alia) denied defendant’s motion to dismiss, as insufficiently alleged, plaintiff’s claim that she was subjected to a “hostile work environment” because of her alleged disability (here, obesity).…

Is Obesity a “Disability” Under the Anti-Discrimination Laws?

Federal, state, and local anti-discrimination laws prohibit discrimination based on, among other factors, “disability.” That term is, in turn, defined in the statutes themselves. For example, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C.A. § 12101 et seq., defines a “disability” as: “(A) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major…