City can require employees to provide medical information to direct supervisor after missing 3 work days
The City of Columbus, Ohio, instituted a policy under which any employee who missed three consecutive work days was required to provide a physician's report to the employee's direct supervisor. The employees argued that providing the required medical information to the supervisor, rather than to the personnel office, constituted an unwarranted invasion of privacy and a violation of federal law. The trial court agreed, and granted an injunction limiting the information the employees were required to provide to the direct supervisor. On appeal, the judges of the Sixth Circuit--all Republican appointees (Suhrheinrich, McKeague and Griffin)-- overturned the lower court's decision. They held that it was not an invasion of privacy or a violation of federal law to require the disclosures ordered by the City.