Severe Obesity Alone Not Covered by Disability Law, 7th Cir Says

Severe obesity unaccompanied by an underlying physiological condition isn’t a disability protected by federal law, the Seventh Circuit said June 12.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit joined three other federal appeals courts that have reached the same conclusion: the Second, Sixth, and Eighth circuits.

Mark Richardson, a severely obese former bus driver with the Chicago Transit Authority, said his condition was protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act as either an actual impairment or as a perceived impairment.

But his arguments were inconsistent with the plain language of the statute, Judge Joel Flaum said for the ...