Supreme Court Rejects ‘Emotional Harm’ Complaint in Discrimination Suit
The Supreme Court has ruled that victims of discrimination, which is forbidden by four federal statutes, may not sue if the only harm was emotional distress.
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The Supreme Court has ruled that victims of discrimination, which is forbidden by four federal statutes, may not sue if the only harm was emotional distress, reports the New York Times. The case involved Jane Cummings, a deaf Texas woman who sued a federally funded rehab facility after they rejected her request for a sign language interpreter. She claimed to have suffered “humiliation, frustration and emotional distress” as a result.
The Supreme Court ruled against Cummings saying that the federal anti-discrimination laws she invoked did not allow suits for such emotional harm. The justices divided 6-3 along ideological lines, with Justice Stephen G. Breyer arguing in dissent that some sorts of contracts can give rise to suits for emotional harm.
