By Lawrence Hurley
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to hear a case that would determine whether UPS Inc treated a pregnant employee unfairly by denying her request for temporary restrictions on her work duties.
Peggy Young, a part-time delivery truck driver, had acted on a midwife’s advice that she not be required to lift parcels weighing more than 20 pounds (9 kg) while she was pregnant.
UPS denied the request, saying such restrictions were not required under either the Pregnancy Discrimination Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act. Both a federal district court judge and an appeals court ruled in favor of UPS.
The incident took place in 2006. Due to a 2008 amendment to the Americans with Disabilities Act, which now means temporary impairments are covered, a woman in Young’s situation would be granted the treatment she sought.
Oral arguments and a ruling are expected in the court’s new term, which starts in October and ends in June 2015.
The case is Young v. UPS, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-1226.