Coleman v. Court of Appeals of Maryland, No. 10-1016; U.S. Supreme Court; opinion by Kennedy, J.; concurrences by Thomas and Scalia, JJ.; dissent by Ginsburg, J.; decided March 20, 2012. On certiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) entitles an employee to take up to 12 workweeks of unpaid leave per year for (A) the care of a newborn son or daughter; (B) the adoption or foster-care placement of a child; (C) the care of a spouse, son, daughter or parent with a serious medical condition; and (D) the employee’s own serious health condition when the condition interferes with the employee’s ability to perform at work. See 29 U.S.C. § 2612(a)(1). The FMLA also creates a private right of action for equitable relief and damages “against any employer (including a public agency) in any Federal or State court.” See § 2617(a)(2). For present purposes, subparagraphs (A), (B) and (C) are referred to as the family-care provisions, and subparagraph (D) as the self-care provision.
