Chicago Bus Driver’s Obesity Claim Under ADA Can Proceed

A driver alleging he was fired because officials at the Chicago Transit Authority thought he was “too obese to work as a bus operator” got a step closer to trial under a federal judge’s ruling Oct. 17 (Richardson v. Chi. Transit Auth., 2016 BL 345501, N.D. Ill., No. 16-cv-3027, 10/17/16).

The decision shows the continuing split among federal courts on the issue of whether obesity should be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Mark Richardson said the agency gave him a different safety assessment than normal when he tried to return to work in 2010 ...