Employees Regarded As An Untreated Alcoholic May State A Disability Claim

Makinen v. City of New York, ____F.3d____(2d Cir. May 23, 2017), is an important case to be aware of. Technically, the decision certifies the question to the NY Court of Appeals whether an employee regarded as being an untreated alcoholic can state a claim for discrimination under the NYC Human Rights Law. However, in doing so, the court summarizes the law and states that such an individual can bring a claim under federal and NYS law. The court also reviews the relevant statutes and explains that the NYC Human Rights law is often more liberally interpreted than its federal and state counter-parts.