AI Generated Opinion Summaries

This summary was computer-generated without any editorial revision. It is not official, has not been checked for accuracy, and is NOT citable.

Facts

• The Plaintiff, the former director of nursing services at Paloma Blanca, an inpatient rehabilitation facility, was terminated from her position following a prolonged absence due to an acute episode of pancreatitis and subsequent hospitalizations and rehabilitation. The Plaintiff's employment was terminated at the end of May 2015, during her medical leave. Upon attempting to return to work, she was informed that her position had been terminated due to her current medical condition and her inability to perform her job duties, including the lapse of her nursing license during her hospitalization (paras 5-6).

Procedural History

• [Not applicable or not found]

Parties' Submissions

• Plaintiff: Argued that she was discriminated against by the Defendant in violation of the New Mexico Human Rights Act (NMHRA) due to her disability. She contended that there were material facts in dispute regarding her qualification for the position despite her disability, her request for accommodation, and the possibility of reasonable accommodation for her disability (para 1).
• Defendant: Contended that the Plaintiff was not "otherwise qualified" to perform her job duties due to her medical condition and the lapse of her nursing license. The Defendant also argued that the Plaintiff did not request an accommodation for her disability, and even if she had, no reasonable accommodation was possible given her medical condition (paras 8, 13-14).

Legal Issues

• Whether the Plaintiff was "otherwise qualified" to perform the essential functions of her position despite her disability.
• Whether the Plaintiff requested an accommodation for her disability.
• If the Plaintiff requested an accommodation, whether her disability could be reasonably accommodated.

Disposition

• The court affirmed the district court's decision granting summary judgment for the Defendant, dismissing the Plaintiff's claims (para 23).

Reasons

• The court found that the Defendant had made a prima facie case showing the Plaintiff was not "otherwise qualified" to perform her job due to her medical condition and the lapse of her nursing license. The Plaintiff failed to rebut this evidence, notably with her admission during a deposition that she had not been capable of performing her job duties since her initial hospitalization. Additionally, the court agreed with the district court that the Plaintiff had not raised a genuine issue for trial regarding her request for accommodation or the feasibility of such accommodation. The court also noted that indefinite leave is not considered a reasonable accommodation as a matter of law. The Plaintiff's argument regarding the Defendant's failure to initiate an interactive process for accommodation was not considered, as it was raised for the first time on appeal (paras 9-22).