JOB-SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS ARE NOT ALWAYS “MAJOR LIFE ACTIVITIES,” ESPECIALLY WHEN YOUR JOB REQUIRES CHARGING INTO A BURNING BUILDING

City of Houston v. Proler
Texas Supreme Court, No. 12-1006 (June 6, 2014)
Justice Willett (opinion)

Kyle Perkins

In a case arising before enactment of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (“ADAAA”), the Texas Supreme Court held that a firefighter who refused to fight fires was not regarded as disabled, because firefighting is not a major life activity and fear of entering a burning building is not a mental impairment.