Summers v. Altarum Institute Corp.

DISCLAIMER: Our firm's past results do not predict or guarantee future success. Each case is unique. Read more

In Brief

The Fourth Circuit, the highest court to decide the issue, held that sufficiently severe temporary disabilities may constitute a disability under the ADAAA.

Summary of Filed Complaint

TELG client Carl Summers alleged that Altarum discharged him because of his disability in violation of the ADA and failed to accommodate his disability.

What Happened in Court

The Fourth Circuit held that Plaintiff Carl Summers’s serious temporary disabilities – two badly injured legs, both requiring surgery, with a recovery period of at least seven months – “falls comfortably” within the ADAAA’s definition of a disability. This case is significant because it applied the issue of severe but temporary disabilities to the ADAAA, which was passed to restore the intent and protects of the ADA and overturned Supreme Court decisions that had improperly narrowed the ADA.

Attorneys In This Case

David L. Scher
David L. Scher

R. Scott Oswald
R. Scott Oswald