TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jul 28, 2021

The Brentwood office of Georgia-based law firm Moore Ingram Johnson & Steele is being accused of wrongfully terminating one of its legal assistants with a COVID-related disability, the Nashville Post reports. Julia Russo, who worked at the firm from 2018 to 2020, is suing under the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Russo took a prolonged leave of absence during the pandemic due to her alleged susceptibility to the Guillain-Barre syndrome, making her more likely to die if she contracted the coronavirus. Her doctor substantiated the claim and qualified the condition as a disability. When Russo requested to work remotely, the firm said that arrangement would be an undue hardship on other workers and terminated her employment. Russo is seeking to prove she was fired because of her disability.