● A new AAIM series · Open to everyone
Compliance Through Case Study
A two-part series taught entirely through real case law — facts, rulings, and exactly what to do differently in your own workplace. We're starting with Leave, Accommodation & Workers' Comp: six real FMLA cases, plus open attorney Q&A on ADA, PWFA, workers' comp, and whatever else is sitting on your desk.
What this is
You already know what FMLA, ADA, and PWFA require. The hard part is the moment an employee request lands on your desk and three laws apply at once. Compliance Through Case Study takes you inside real cases — taught by attorneys from Ogletree Deakins — so you walk out with answers you can use Monday.
What counts as legally sufficient FMLA notice — even when the employee never says "FMLA"
Documentation patterns drawn from cases the employer won — and lost
How leave designation and tracking go wrong — drawn from a case that reached the Supreme Court
What managers and HR can — and absolutely cannot — say to an employee on protected leave
The legal standard for termination during or after a protected leave
Direct access to Ogletree Deakins attorneys — bring your ADA, PWFA & workers' comp questions to live Q&A
Title doesn't matter much here — responsibility does. If a leave or accommodation request lands on your desk, this series was built for you.
HR pros at small-to-mid-sized employers · Compliance owners · Generalists wearing multiple hats · Anyone responsible for leave, accommodation, or workers' comp decisions
Two Sessions · Six Cases
Session 1 covers what happens when the request first lands. Session 2 picks up everything that comes after. Every case is named below — no mystery syllabus.
See the sessions ↓
Session 1
Thursday, June 25, 2026
1:30–3:30 PM CT · 2:30–4:30 PM ET
The first 72 hours of a leave request decide everything that follows — and most of the damage happens before anyone realizes a law is in play. Three real cases on the calls, emails, and eligibility math that make or break the intake.
The cases
Lichtenstein v. UPMC · Third Circuit, 2012
An early-morning call: "My mother just arrived at the ER by ambulance. I can't come in." She never says FMLA. Seven days later, she's fired. Whether that one phone call was legally sufficient notice should change how you train everyone who answers your attendance line.
Render v. FCA US · Sixth Circuit, 2022
He called in with a "flare-up" — the exact word in his approved FMLA paperwork. The company's own call-in instructions were so confusing that their HR rep couldn't explain them under oath. It cost them the case.
Erdman v. Nationwide · Third Circuit, 2009
She worked from home for years with her supervisor's blessing. When she requested FMLA leave, suddenly those hours didn't count toward eligibility — and she was fired before the leave ever started. The Third Circuit had thoughts on both moves.
What we'll get into
→ What counts as legally sufficient notice — even when the employee never says "FMLA"
→ Eligibility traps: remote hours, intermittent leave, and call-in procedures that confuse your own HR team
→ The early intake calls that most often lead to EEOC charges
→ Documentation patterns that hold up under agency scrutiny
→ Open attorney Q&A — bring your ADA, PWFA, and workers' comp intake questions
Session 2
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
1:30–3:30 PM CT · 2:30–4:30 PM ET
The trickier half of the lifecycle — what happens once the leave starts. Three real cases on what gets said mid-leave, what gets missed in the paperwork, and the terminations that end up in front of a judge.
The cases
Ziccarelli v. Dart · Seventh Circuit, 2022
"Don't take any more FMLA. If you do, you will be disciplined." One sentence from the leave manager — no leave denied, no discipline issued — and a 27-year employee's interference claim was headed for a jury. What your team says matters as much as what it does.
Donald v. Sybra · Sixth Circuit, 2012
Fired the day she returned from medical leave. The timing looked terrible — and the employer won anyway. The honest belief rule, the documentation that backed it up, and why this is the termination playbook worth knowing cold.
Ragsdale v. Wolverine · U.S. Supreme Court, 2002
The employer gave her 30 weeks of leave — more than double what the law required — and one designation misstep still dragged them to the Supreme Court. Being generous doesn't protect you. Tracking does.
What we'll get into
→ Leave designation and tracking — the mistakes that turn generosity into liability
→ What managers and HR can and can't say to an employee on active leave
→ When termination during or after a protected leave is legally defensible
→ Return-to-work documentation that protects against "regarded as" claims
→ Open attorney Q&A — bring your return-to-work, light duty, and workers' comp questions
Your Instructor
Burt is leading both sessions — all six cases, start to finish. If you've watched This Week at Work, you already know how he teaches: real rulings, plain English, and zero patience for legal fog.
Bring him your hardest leave question. That's what the Q&A is for.
In-Person
St. Louis Training Center
Limited Seating · Light Refreshments
Live Online
Zoom simulcast
Full Q&A · Join from Anywhere
Recordings
90-day access
For every registrant — in-person or online
Credits
SHRM & HRCI applied for
2.0 per session · 4.0 for the bundle
