Commute Accommodations for Disabilities Spur Federal Court Rift

A federal appeals court divide over whether employers must accommodate workers who have trouble commuting because of a disability has the potential to resolve without US Supreme Court intervention.

The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently joined the Second and Third circuits in holding that the Americans with Disabilities Act can—under the right circumstances—require an employer to accommodate a disabled worker in getting to and from work. The Chicago-based appeals court revived a lawsuit the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission brought on behalf of a Charter Communications LLC employee who has problems driving at night.

But the Seventh ...