Sedlacek v. Hillis

The respondent, Diane Sedlacek, a nondisabled person, claims that she was wrongfully discharged from her position as a member of a husband-wife *382apartment management team because of her association with her disabled husband. The federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101-12213 (1994), prohibits employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating against able-bodied persons who are associated with or related to disabled persons. Washington law does not. We are asked to decide whether federal law provides a clear mandate of public policy on which a nondisabled…