On April 29, 2025, in Fisher v. City of Lansing, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan ruled that the City of Lansing did not fail to accommodate an employee’s request to bring an emotional support dog to work. The court found that the proposed accommodation failed to address a key obstacle that prevented the employee from performing an essential job function.
This decision has broad implications for employers facing an increase in accommodation requests related to mental health conditions and the presence of service or emotional support animals in the workplace.
Quick Hits
- Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an employee must propose a reasonable and necessary accommodation that addresses a key obstacle that prevents the employee from performing a necessary function of the position.
- The ADA does not include emotional support animals in its definition of “service animals.”
- Where an employee admits he or she can perform the essential job functions without the requested accommodation, even if not optimally, it weakens any claim that the accommodation is necessary.
Background…