SCOTUS Ruling Curtailing Bias Remedies Goes Beyond Health Care

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Thursday that federal anti-bias laws don’t allow plaintiffs to recover damages for emotional distress struck a blow to private enforcement of those laws by leaving litigants with no effective remedy, attorneys who practice in the area say.

And the decision isn’t just about people with disabilities, Mary Crossley, who teaches health law policy at the University of Pittsburgh Law School in Pittsburgh, told Bloomberg Law.

Because the case involves “spending clause legislation,” a similar analysis would apply to other federal anti-bias laws passed by Congress with the understanding that the federal funding is in ...