Huber v. Westar Foods, Inc., No. 23-1087 (8th Cir. 2024)
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In December 2019, Tonya Huber, a store manager for Westar Foods, Inc., missed work due to a diabetic episode. Shortly after, Westar fired her. Huber sued Westar, alleging disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Nebraska Fair Employment Practices Act (NFEPA), and interference with and retaliation for exercising her rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Westar filed a motion for summary judgment, which the district court granted. Huber appealed.
The district court granted Westar's motion for summary judgment, concluding that Huber failed to present direct evidence of disability discrimination and that she did not meet her burden under the McDonnell Douglas burden-shifting framework to show that Westar's reason for firing her was pretextual. The court also found that Huber failed to show that Westar interfered with her FMLA rights or retaliated against her for exercising those rights.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed and remanded the case for further proceedings. The court found that genuine issues of fact existed regarding whether Westar's reason for firing Huber was pretextual and whether Westar interfered with or retaliated against Huber for exercising her FMLA rights. The court concluded that a reasonable jury could find that Westar's termination decision was motivated by discriminatory animus and that Westar interfered with Huber's FMLA rights. The court also found that genuine issues of fact existed regarding whether Huber provided Westar with notice of her need for FMLA leave as soon as practicable and whether there was a causal connection between her FMLA rights and Westar's termination decision.
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