3rd Circ. Backs Denial of University Secretary’s Remote Work Accommodation Request

Short summary

The Third Circuit Court upheld a university's denial of a secretary's request to work remotely as a disability accommodation, finding her role had essential in-person duties. The court rejected the argument that reassigning tasks to other staff constituted a reasonable accommodation. The ruling signals employers with return-to-office policies will likely prevail in defending against remote-work ADA claims if job descriptions clearly document in-person responsibilities.

• •Third Circuit ruled that remote work denial was not discriminatory when job has essential in-person duties
• •Court rejected reallocation of tasks to other staff as a reasonable accommodation under ADA
• •Employers should document in-person job responsibilities in job descriptions to defend against accommodation claims

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