Yarlen Henry v. City of Detroit, Mich.

Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit·Decided August 3, 2026·No. 25-1860·Published

Opinion

RECOMMENDED FOR PUBLICATION Pursuant to Sixth Circuit I.O.P. 32.1(b)

File Name: 26a0213p.06

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT

YARLEN HENRY, et al., │

Plaintiffs, │

DAWN WORTHAM, > No. 25-1860 │

Plaintiff-Appellant, │ │

v. │ │ │

CITY OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, │ Defendant-Appellee. │ ┘

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan at Detroit.

No. 2:21-cv-12794—Jonathan J.C. Grey, District Judge.

Decided and Filed: August 3, 2026

Before: GILMAN, GRIFFIN, and READLER, Circuit Judges.

COUNSEL

ON BRIEF: William M. Haggerty, Detroit, Michigan, for Appellant. Jason McFarlane, CITY OF DETROIT, Detroit, Michigan, for Appellee.

OPINION

READLER, Circuit Judge. When Dawn Wortham lost her job with the Detroit Police Department, she sued the City of Detroit, alleging that the City discriminated against her in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The district court dismissed one of her claims at summary judgment, and a jury rebuffed the remainder at trial. Seeing no error in either resolution, we affirm.

No. 25-1860 Henry, et al. v. City of Detroit, Mich. Page 2

I.

While employed as a patrol officer with the Detroit Police Department, Wortham sustained injuries to her back and legs in an off-duty car accident. To facilitate Wortham’s recovery, the Department’s medical section changed Wortham’s employment status from “full duty” to “restricted duty.” In her “restricted” status, Wortham took on clerical roles subject to various limitations—no guns, no patrolling, no heavy lifting, and the like.

Over the course of several years, the medical section learned that Wortham’s restrictions were likely permanent. Department policy required that the City retire an officer with permanent restrictions that prevent her from performing the essential duties of a patrol officer. In line with that policy, Wortham’s superiors recommended her retirement. The City’s pension board, however, decided not to enforce the policy against Wortham.

Wortham’s years on restricted duty eventually came to an end. In 2018, an independent medical exam cleared Wortham to return to full duty with modest restrictions. But in the course of returning to her former employment status, Wortham began complaining of psychological distress brought on by the prospect of having to work a full-duty position in her physical condition. A City psychiatrist initially deemed Wortham fit for full duty. But as Wortham’s protests increased, the psychiatrist recommended that she take sick leave, which she did.

Eventually, Wortham returned to work again in a restricted-duty job. Yet challenges remained. Over time, Wortham raised a series of grievances regarding overtime hours, the medical section’s handling of her case, and her working conditions. Making matters worse, Wortham sustained injuries to her back in yet another motor vehicle accident in early 2021, causing the City to place her on an extended sick leave. In late 2021, Wortham (along with a group of retired City officers) filed suit against the City under the Americans with Disabilities Act, alleging that the City discriminated against them by engaging in intentional discrimination and by failing to accommodate their disabilities. See 42 U.S.C. § 12112(a), (b)(5)(A).

In early 2022, the medical section received word that an independent medical examiner cleared Wortham to return to work. Upon learning of Wortham’s change of status, her commander ordered Wortham to report to work or, alternatively, provide updated documentation

No. 25-1860 Henry, et al. v. City of Detroit, Mich. Page 3

to support a disability claim. When Wortham did not respond, officers visited Wortham with a warning that if she did not follow orders, she would be fired. Wortham eventually reported to the medical section. But when she did, she failed to bring in current medical forms. The only forms on file at the time referred to prior injuries for which Wortham had just been cleared. By mid-May, Wortham, who was repeatedly calling in sick to avoid returning to work, still had not provided the requested medical documentation. Nor had she reported for duty. Deciding enough was enough, the City opted to terminate Wortham’s employment on grounds of failure to report for duty. Days after receiving her termination letter, Wortham’s doctor faxed forms to the medical section indicating that Wortham was incapable of performing most functions of a police officer.

These developments prompted Wortham to file a second ADA lawsuit in federal court.

This time, Wortham accused the City of terminating her employment in retaliation for her having complained to the City over its handling of her accommodation requests. The district court consolidated that case with her initial lawsuit, and Wortham rolled her claims into one amended complaint. Following discovery, the district court granted the City summary judgment on Wortham’s retaliation claim, leaving for trial Wortham’s remaining ADA claims for intentional discrimination and failure to accommodate. For both claims, Wortham framed her case around the City’s alleged wrongdoing stemming from the City ordering her back to work in 2022 and her ensuing termination. At the trial’s close, the jury found for the City on those claims. Dissatisfied with that result, Wortham retained additional counsel, at which point she moved for judgment in her favor as a matter of law or for a new trial. The district court denied Wortham’s post-trial motions, leading to this appeal.

II.

Wortham presents four arguments for our consideration. First, that the district court erroneously awarded the City summary judgment on her retaliation claim. Second, that no reasonable jury could have sided with the City on Wortham’s failure to accommodate and intentional discrimination claims. Third, that the district court misstated the law when instructing the jury. And fourth, that the City engaged in fraudulent conduct at trial.

No. 25-1860 Henry, et al. v. City of Detroit, Mich. Page 4

A. Start with Wortham’s retaliation claim, which failed at the summary judgment stage.

Summary judgment is appropriate if the City shows “that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact” and that it “is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). We apply de novo review to the district court’s decision, viewing the facts and all reasonable inferences therefrom in Wortham’s favor. Bowles v. SSRG II, LLC, 162 F.4th 716, 719 (6th Cir. 2025). As to the scope of the facts that we may consider, we limit our review to the evidence before the district court “at the time of its ruling” and do not consider evidence later adduced at trial. Meridian Leasing, Inc. v. Assoc. Aviation Underwriters, Inc., 409 F.3d 342, 346 (6th Cir. 2005).

In the employment setting, the ADA makes it unlawful for an employer to “discriminate against a qualified individual on the basis of disability.” 42 U.S.C. § 12112(a). That liability extends to employers who retaliate against anyone who “has opposed” an ADA violation. Id. § 12203(a). Wortham’s retaliation claim rests on that latter prohibition.

Because Wortham has no direct evidence of retaliation, we apply the familiar McDonnell Douglas framework to measure her claim. A.C. ex rel. J.C. v. Shelby Cnty. Bd. of Educ., 711 F.3d 687, 697 (6th Cir. 2013). Under that rubric, Wortham has the initial burden to establish four things. One, that she engaged in ADA-protected activity. Two, that the City knew about that activity. Three, that the City took adverse action against her. And four, that the adverse action had a causal connection to the protected activity. See id. If Wortham makes that prima facie showing, the burden shifts to the City to articulate a “legitimate, non-discriminatory basis” for the adverse action. Id. If it does, the burden shifts back to Wortham to prove that the City’s proffered reason was mere “pretext.” Id.

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