Putting Employees on Involuntary Leave: When Employers Can Do So Under the FMLA

Attorneys from Miller & Martin's Labor and Employment Department recently represented the successful party in an appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Willis v. Coca-Cola Enters. Inc., No. 05-30047, 2006 WL 827359 (5th Cir. Mar. 31, 2006). The case involved novel issues in the Court's interpretation of certain aspects of the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"). The Court's decision appears to be beneficial for employers whose employees may need to take some medical leave but do not necessarily qualify for protection under the FMLA or do not otherwise provide the employer with sufficient notification that their condition might constitute a qualifying condition under the FMLA.