News Notes: Worker With Disabled Child Protected By The ADA, Court Rules

An employee who claimed she was fired because her newborn daughter had a disability has been given the green light to sue her employer under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Karen Abdel-Khalek, who worked for Tenenbaum and Associates, Inc., gave birth to a baby with serious health problem. Several months later, while Abdel-Khalek was on leave, her job was eliminated and she was not rehired by Ernst & Young, which had taken over Tenenbaum. Abdel-Khalek argued that she was not rehired because the company believed she would be preoccupied with her daughter’s condition, but Ernst & Young claimed that it was not aware of her baby’s problems. In ruling that Abdel-Khalek could proceed with her case, the court pointed out that the ADA protects not only disabled employees, but also those who have an association with someone who is disabled.