Jill Traxler v. Multnomah County

BACKGROUND

Jill Traxler began working in the Multnomah County Sher- iff’s Office (“the County”) in 1987 and was promoted to the Human Resources unit in 1988. By 1998 she had become the 1 Front pay is “money awarded for lost compensation during the period between judgment and reinstatement or in lieu of reinstatement.” Pollard v. E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., 532 U.S. 843, 846 (2001). “In cases in which reinstatement is not viable because of continuing hostility between the plaintiff and the employer or its workers . . . courts have ordered front pay as a substitute for reinstatement.” Id. TRAXLER v. MULTNOMAH COUNTY 3157 interim Personnel Unit Manager and later was promoted to Human Resources Manager I.

The FMLA entitles certain employees to “12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period” if the employee has a seri- ous health condition, gives birth or adopts a son or daughter, or needs to care for a “spouse, or a son, daughter, or parent [who] has a serious health condition.” 29 U.S.C. § 2612(a)(1). Beginning in 2002, Traxler took medical leave under the FMLA, and again in 2005, she took leave due to a serious physical health condition. During her employment,…