Our Connecticut Supreme Court recently ruled that the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act (CEFPA) protects individuals who are regarded by their employers as having a physical disability. In the case of Desrosiers v. Diageo North America, the court concluded that Section 46a-60(a)(1) of the CFEPA protects individuals who are regarded as physically disabled from employment discrimination. This means that an employer cannot terminate, demote, fail to hire, or fail to promote because it perceives the individual to be disabled. The court's ruling is an important one as it expands protection to those employees who while do not have an actual disability are nevertheless regarded as disabled and as a result are fired and/or denied employment opportunities.
