Texas Top Court To Hear Obese Doctor’s Wrongful Termination Suit

The Texas Supreme Court agreed on Friday to review a discrimination suit stemming from a first-year resident who alleges she was fired because of her obesity.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center contended it didn’t dismiss physician Lindsey Niehay because of her weight and challenged whether her condition is considered a disability under the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act.

Niehay was a resident in the university’s Department of Emergency Medicine. While on the program, questions arose about her ability to perform physically challenging procedures after an incident in which she was sweating profusely and had to take breaks while ...