Bloomberg Law
March 25, 2020, 4:18 PM

Train Conductor Gets Trial Over Suicide-Related Unfit Finding

Kathleen Dailey
Kathleen Dailey
Legal Reporter

Union Pacific Railroad Co. must face trial on claims brought by a former train conductor who says the railroad discriminated against him by deeming him a direct threat and barring him from returning to work following a suicide attempt, a Texas federal court ruled.

Damian West’s history of severe depression and a suicide attempt doesn’t inherently make him a direct threat to himself or others, and sufficient evidence exists for a jury to find that Union Pacific’s determination wasn’t objectively reasonable, Judge George C. Hanks Jr. said Tuesday.

West was hospitalized for three days after his suicide attempt in December ...