Goodman v. City of Fairbanks

Gerald Goodman sued his former employer in mid-February,
1998 for allegedly discriminating against him by failing to
accommodate his physical disability. Was his complaint timely? Because we hold that there are genuine fact disputes about whetherGoodman knew or should have known before late in February 1996, when his application for disability retirement was accepted, that his employer was refusing to accommodate his disability, we reverse
the employer's summary judgment and remand for further proceedings.

II. Facts and Proceedings

Gerald Goodman worked as a teacher for the Fairbanks
North Star Borough School District from 1989 through March 1, 1996. Fn. 1] During the 1989-90 school year, Goodman began to experience symptoms of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a progressive degeneration of the insulating sheaths covering the nerve fibers of his lower extremities. The disease caused pain in Goodman's feet
when he stood or walked for any length of time. Goodman retrained with the State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and taught drafting for a year at the Hutchison Career Center.

The classroom design at Hutchison was less aggravating to
Goodman's symptoms. Lockers between each of the drafting desks provided Goodman with a place to sit while assisting students, the bathroom and office were closer to his classroom, and the students' drafting desks were lower, alleviating the need to stand while watching students draft. Goodman was involuntarily transferred from Hutchison to Lathrop High School in June 1991.

Goodman's main classroom at Lathrop aggravated his
symptoms -- the floor was concrete and the drafting desks were high. The hard surface made it painful for Goodman to stand and the high desks forced him to spend more time standing. Goodman's condition deteriorated, forcing him to have surgery on his feet in August 1995. Goodman contacted the school district's Employment and Education Opportunity Coordinator, Elizabeth Schaffhauser, on September 1, 1995. He informed her of his condition and sought ccommodations. Goodman returned to school in mid-September, using
a wheelchair and teaching on a part-time basis. Goodman resumed full time teaching and stopped using the wheelchair in early October.

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Click the case caption above for the full text of the Court's opinion.

Given these genuine, material fact disputes about the
accrual of his cause of action, it was error to grant summary judgment against Goodman. We Reverse and Remand for further proceedings.

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