Monday, August 25, 2014

Sixth Circuit Affirms $173K Jury Verdict in FMLA Interference Case Where Employee Never Returned Medical Certification Because Employer Failed to Provide Unequivocal Written Notice About Consequences

In a case where a plaintiff-employee had become so emotionally distraught that she refused to tell her employer about her medical/mental problems, to return her FMLA medical certification or to provide updated medical notes from her doctor, she prevailed pro se in a FMLA interference action after her employer terminated her for violating its attendance policy by not reporting off or showing up to work for two consecutive days after the two week period mentioned in her physician’s note.  Wallace v. FedEx Corp., No. 11-5500 (6th Cir. 8-22-14).  The primary rule from the Sixth Circuit’s case last Friday is that an employer cannot require an employee to provide a medical certification form from her physician unless the employer explains in writing to the employee the consequences for failing to return the completed form.   In this case, the twenty year plaintiff-employee had well documented attendance counseling and generally attributed it to non-medical issues because she was embarrassed.   Exacerbated, the employer provided several FMLA forms to the employee and directed her verbally to return the forms within 15 days.  She had also received a disciplinary notice suggesting that she take medical leave until she could comply with the attendance policy, but not mentioning any medical certification requirement.   She had provided the employer with verbal notice of her need for medical leave and a note from her physician which indicated that she needed to be off work for two weeks before being reassessed.  The Court found this note could reasonably be interpreted to support the plaintiff’s need for additional medical leave following the two week period and the employer interfered with her FMLA leave by terminating her a few days after the two-week period expired.   The jury awarded her $173,000 in compensatory damages (i.e., lost wages) and the Sixth Circuit reversed the magistrate judge’s ruling reducing that amount.

According to the Court’s opinion, the employee’s health had deteriorated, but she transferred to a new department with a strict attendance requirement.  When she was coached about her attendance, she apologized for “slacking.”  Her medical condition caused significant weight loss, stomach problems and interfered with her sleep.  When her physician discontinued a narcotic drug, she experienced severe withdrawal symptoms.  Sometimes, she just sat in the employer’s parking lot and cried instead of going into work and other times she reported to her desk and cried.  She told her supervisor on Monday, August 6, 2007 that she was having personal problems because of her “past/baggage/history,” but wasn’t comfortable going into detail.  He encouraged her to be open and offered to find someone with whom she was comfortable speaking.  She then called off work for the rest of week, which made her supervisor suspicious that she knew in advance that she would be sick for the rest of the week.  He directed her to meet with him promptly when she reported to work the following week. 
She was 90 minutes late to work the following Monday.  After she was then 30 minutes late the following Tuesday, the supervisor refused to accept her apology or explanation.  Instead, he gave her a written verbal warning about her repeated poor attendance.  A meeting was held with HR the next day (Wednesday) and the employee attributed her problems to getting her child off to school.  However, she also mentioned that she was having trouble with adjustments in her medication.  She was given the options of coming to work on time, taking medical leave or going through the disciplinary process.  She then met with her doctor who was concerned with her condition and gave her a medical statement covering the prior week’s absence and indicating that she needed to be off work for two more weeks before being reassessed.  She returned to her supervisor, who arranged a meeting with inhouse legal counsel.  He gave her blank FMLA forms and she was verbally directed to return them within 15 days.   The forms stated in part:
that “Family Medical Leave is not automatic” and that “[q]ualification under FMLA will be determined upon timely receipt of the medical certification form (within 15 calendar days) if requested,”   . . . (emphasis added).  In addition, the form stated that “[w]hether your absence is FMLA will be determined upon timely receipt of the medical certification.”  . . . However, the forms were left unmarked. Moreover, the memorandum that [the supervisor] gave [the plaintiff] on August 15 to sign stated: “consider taking a period of time for medical leave until such time as [you] feel[] capable of adhering to the attendance policy and completing [your] work tasks . . .There is no mention of the need for medical certification or the consequences of failing to produce it.

The plaintiff returned to her physician and he promptly completed the FMLA forms.  He also provided her a note that she should remain off work for an additional three weeks.  She never returned the FMLA forms or the updated doctor’s note to her employer.  She later explained that she was experiencing extreme disappointment and was not herself.  She was later diagnosed with depression and ADHD.   When she did not return the FMLA forms or return to work on August 30, her supervisor tried for two days to reach her by telephone and email.  Her line was always busy and she did not respond to the emails warning her of the consequences of not keeping him updated about her medical progress.  The following Tuesday, the plaintiff left a voice mail for HR that she was on her way to the hospital for ear surgery, but her employment was terminated later that day despite that information.  When she received the termination notice, she telephoned the company’s General Counsel that she had the completed medical certification form, but was told it no longer mattered.  At trial, the plaintiff testified that she would have turned in the medical certification form if she had realized the consequences of failing to do so.

On appeal, the Sixth Circuit found that plaintiff need only provide notice of her need for FMLA leave.  She is not required to mention or refer to the FMLA and she is not required to mention the possible duration of the medical leave.  The plaintiff mentioned the problems with the adjustment in her medication and provided her employer with a note from her physician about her need to be off work for two weeks before being reassessed, so she provided sufficient notice of her need for FMLA leave.   The Court rejected the employer’s reliance on the two-week period in the physician’s note:
By focusing on whether [the plaintiff] provided enough documentation for continued leave, [the employer] misses the point of this notice element. The relevant question is whether [the plaintiff] provided [the employer] notice that she needed FMLA leave, not whether she provided notice that she needed a certain amount of FMLA leave.
Granted, “in an ideal world,” the plaintiff would have provided her employer with the updated physician’s note indicating a need for an additional three weeks of medical leave.  However, since his prior note referred to a “reassessment” the jury could reasonably conclude that the two weeks were merely an estimate and that the plaintiff could not return to work before being cleared by her physician.

Being on notice of her need for FMLA leave, it was up to the employer to take action to obtain any necessary information it required about the duration of her leave and any medical certification.  The Court found that the FMLA forms which the employer provided to the plaintiff on August 15 were not clear about there being any consequences if she did not timely complete and return the forms.  There was no unequivocal statement that her FMLA leave could be denied or delayed if she failed to return the forms.  It was irrelevant that she had been verbally instructed to return the forms within 15 days because the FMLA regulations require the warning to be in writing.  Without such written notice to the employee about the consequences of failing to timely return the medical certification, the employer cannot deny or delay FMLA leave based on a failure to provide medical certification.  Accordingly, the plaintiff could not be fired not returning the medical certification.  In other words, she had begun her FMLA leave on August 16 and the employer terminated her during the FMLA leave because it could not object to the lack of information.

[Her] failure to report for work—and her subsequent termination—is a direct result of failing to perfect her FMLA leave, which is a consequence of [the employer] failing to meet its responsibilities under § 825.305. . . .
 . . .
[The employer] claims that it terminated [the plaintiff’s] employment because she was absent—without a valid excuse—for two consecutive days, but the reason her absences were unexcused was because [she] failed to perfect her FMLA leave. The reason she failed to perfect her leave was because she failed to return the medical-certification form, and the reason she failed to return the form, according to the jury, was because [the employer] failed to inform her of the consequences of failing to do so as required by 29 C.F.R. § 825.305. Thus, [the employer’s] failure to provide notice was the proximate cause of her termination, meaning that its failure to comply with the regulations prejudiced [her].

The Court rejected the employer’s argument that it was the plaintiff’s mental illness – and not its failure to comply with the FMLA notice regulations – which caused the plaintiff to fail to return the medical certification forms. “In making this argument, [the employer] disregards § 825.305’s equitable-tolling provision, elevates its attendance policy over the protections of the FMLA, and oversimplifies mental illness. It is impossible to recreate how [she] balanced her exertions in August of 2007, and if she had known that returning the certification was necessary to keep her job, she may have rearranged her priorities in dealing with her mental illness to comply with [the employer’s] request.”

 The Court also rejected the employer’s attack on the legality of the FMLA regulations. Finally, there were a host of technical procedural issues dealing with remittitur (i.e., reduction in the plaintiff’s damages), and the timeliness of post-trial motions and notices of appeal.  In short, the Court ultimately affirmed the jury’s initial award of $173,000, chastised the plaintiff for failing to timely argue her right to front pay and liquidated damages and rejected the employer’s remaining arguments.
 
NOTICE: This summary is designed merely to inform and alert you of recent legal developments. It does not constitute legal advice and does not apply to any particular situation because different facts could lead to different results. Information here can change or be amended without notice. Readers should not act upon this information without legal advice. If you have any questions about anything you have read, you should consult with or retain an employment attorney.