Trucking Watches ADA Cases

June 1, 1999 10:33 AM, EDT

Oral arguments were heard before the U.S. Supreme Court April 27 and 28 in three cases that could change the way the Americans with Disabilities Act is enforced.

Two of the three cases involved trucking industry employees.

Truck driver Hallie Kirkingburg, who is nearly blind in one eye, sued Albertson's Inc., a grocery store chain that fired him because he did not meet the Department of Transportation's vision requirements, even though DOT granted him a vision waiver.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Kirkingburg's favor, and Albertson's appealed to the highest court.

A second case involves Vaughn Murphy, a former United Parcel Service mechanic and driver who suffers from high blood pressure. After UPS fired him, claiming his ailment made him unfit to drive, Murphy filed an ADA lawsuit.

For the full story, see the May 31 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.