The Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act (CFEPA) prohibits discrimination based on an employee’s physical disability, and provides a broad definition as to what constitutes a physical disability. While the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) explicitly forbids discrimination against employees who are actually impaired, and against employees who are “regarded as” or perceived as disabled,1 there has been disagreement between the federal and state courts in Connecticut as to whether “perceived as” disability claims are valid under the CFEPA.2 In Desrosiers v. Diageo North America, Inc.,3 a Connecticut appellate court recently resolved this disagreement, finding that the CFEPA does not authorize claims of discrimination based on a perceived, but not actual, physical disability.
Home > State Law Articles > Connecticut > General (CT) > Appellate Court Finds Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act Does Not Prohibit Employers from Discriminating Against Employees Perceived as Physically Disabled, if They Are Not Disabled