Southeast ADA Center
2017
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This case concerns the concept of “essential functions” under ADA Title I. Essential functions are the tasks considered to be most important to the job. In order to sue under the ADA, an employee must be able to perform all of these functions, with or without reasonable accommodations. In this case, the court used the employer’s job description to determine what the functions were.
Another element of the case was retaliation. Retaliation occurs when a person is fired for exercising their rights. In this case, the plaintiff was fired shortly after requesting an accommodation for her disability. Requesting an accommodation is a right under the ADA. However, the court did not find the firing to be related to the request. They also held that a plaintiff who cannot perform the essential functions of the job cannot succeed on a retaliation claim.
https://adasoutheast.org/court-descisions/bagwell-v-morgan-county-commission
Keywords: ADA Title I, Americans with Disabilities Act, accommodations, employment, essential functions, reasonable accommodations, retaliation