Powers Farley provides personal, responsive, and high-quality legal services to clients in Idaho and the Pacific Northwest.

August 2019 – Part 2

On Behalf of | Aug 31, 2019 | Firm News |

Portia Rauer successfully defended a large Idaho company in federal district court by obtaining summary judgment in a wrongful employment termination claim. The plaintiff made two claims: (1) the Idaho company violated the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) by firing her because she had arthritis, and (2) the Idaho company violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) by firing her because of her age. The company filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that each claim should be dismissed because the plaintiff failed to show she was diagnosed with arthritis as required by the ADA, because she did not perform her job satisfactorily as required by the ADEA, and because the Idaho company had a legitimate basis for termination. The court agreed and dismissed the case against the Idaho company, finding the plaintiff’s arthritis was self-diagnosed and thus, could not serve as the basis for an ADA claim, and further finding the plaintiff failed to adequately prove the elements of her age discrimination claim.