Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Twitter For Discrimination Against Disabled Employees

Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Alleging Twitter's Discrimination Against Disabled Employees
 
On Friday, a federal judge in California dismissed a lawsuit alleging that Twitter Inc. discriminated against employees with disabilities. The case claimed that Twitter's policies, including requiring employees to report to the office and work long hours at high intensity, unfairly affected disabled workers. However, U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam in Oakland ruled that the plaintiff, Dmitry Borodaenko, a former Twitter engineering manager, failed to demonstrate how CEO Elon Musk's policies, implemented during the company's mass layoffs, had a disproportionate impact on disabled workers.
 
Twitter's Policies Do Not Unfairly Affect Disabled Workers, Says U.S. District Judge
 

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Despite dismissing the case, Judge Gilliam granted Borodaenko, who resides in Scotts Valley, California, three weeks to revise and file an amended lawsuit providing additional details to support his claims. The case was proposed as a class action.
 
Dmitry Borodaenko, a cancer survivor, has alleged that Twitter terminated his employment in November for refusing to return to the office. This was in response to a memo from CEO Elon Musk, who acquired the company for $44 billion last year, stating that employees should be prepared to work long hours at high intensity or resign.
 
Dmitry Borodaenko To File Amended Lawsuit After Dismissal Of Twitter Discrimination Case
 

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Borodaenko's attorney, Shannon Liss-Riordan, has stated that she plans to file a new complaint with additional facts. Liss-Riordan noted that Musk's conduct and statements demonstrate a lack of consideration for disabled employees.
 
Twitter has yet to respond to requests for comments. However, the company has previously stated that its policies were not aimed at discriminating against employees with disabilities.
 
Abhijit Mehta's Claims Against Twitter To Be Heard In Private Arbitration
 
In a related ruling, U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam decided that the claims of Abhijit Mehta, a second plaintiff represented by Liss-Riordan, should be heard in private arbitration instead of in court. Mehta had signed an agreement to arbitrate employment-related legal disputes, but Borodaenko opted out of the contract.
 
Twitter faces multiple lawsuits related to CEO Elon Musk's decision to lay off approximately 50% of the company's workforce. The lawsuit discussed earlier is one such case. The social media giant has denied any wrongdoing in these cases, including allegations that female employees were singled out for layoffs and that the company failed to provide promised severance packages.
 
Shannon Liss-Riordan, the attorney representing Borodaenko and Mehta, also represents nearly 2,000 former Twitter employees who have filed legal claims against the company in arbitration.