Zoltek Defeats Worker Bid to Revive Disability, Sex Bias Claims

Zoltek Corp. complied with federal bias law when it fired a worker who could no longer meet her job’s physical requirements even with an accommodation, an appeals court said Monday.

Standing was an essential function of the production operator job, so the ex-employee’s need to sit down meant she wasn’t qualified for the role anymore, dooming her Americans with Disabilities Act accommodation claim, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit said. That lack of qualification makes summary judgment appropriate on her sex bias claim as well, the opinion said, affirming Zoltek’s district court victory.

There’s “some tension” ...