Arconic In-House Lawyer Who Got Covid Can Pursue Job Bias Suit

Arconic Corp. and Howmet Aerospace Inc. must face a former assistant general counsel’s claims that he was made to work while on leave for Covid-19, denied a disability-based accommodation, and then unlawfully fired, the Western District of Pennsylvania ruled.

The court rejected the contention that Covid-19 isn’t a covered ADA “disability” because it’s temporary and non-chronic.

It’s “reasonable to infer that Plaintiff’s impairment in treating and recovering” could have lasted six months or longer, it said.

Daniel J. Burbach Jr. contracted the virus during the early days of the pandemic, while his former employer Arconic Inc. was getting ready to ...