Murray et al. v. UHS of Fairmount, Inc.

Nancy Murray (plaintiff) worked as a staff nurse for UHS of Fairmount, Inc. (defendant) for nearly two years before she was fired for her failure to report two narcotics-related mistakes she made the previous day. One incident occurred when a patient refused her medication, but Murray failed to secure a signature of a witness to its proper disposal. The second incident occurred when medication was delivered to Murray’s floor, and she acknowledged receipt of more doses than were accounted for. Murray had only been back to work about two weeks before she was fired following a week-long leave of absence. The leave was Murray’s second after she had taken off the last week of 2008 and the first week of 2009. Murray had a history of depression and had taken leave due to a recent onset. Murray told a charge nurse about her depression in confidence; however, the charge nurse did not tell anyone. Murray suspected that the chief nursing officer knew because he inquired about Murray’s mental health when she returned from leave. The chief nursing officer was the one who discovered Murray’s mistakes and made the decision, along with the human-resources director, to fire Murray. Murray sued UHS, alleging that her termination violated the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA). UHS moved for summary judgment.