The court cracked the door open - but only after the worker reshaped his case
A federal judge let Amtrak reopen discovery on an employee's new retaliation claims but refused a broader do-over in his disability bias case.
The ruling, issued July 29, 2026, by a federal court in Washington, DC, is procedural - not a finding on whether Amtrak did anything wrong. Still, it sends a clear signal about how far employers can reopen a case once a worker reshapes their claims late.
The dispute began in February 2022, when a former Amtrak employee sued the rail operator under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the federal law protecting workers with disabilities. He alleged discrimination, retaliation, and failure to accommodate. The case centered on how Amtrak handled his medical leave and surgery.
According to his filings, Amtrak told him in April 2021 it would fill his position if he could not return, later replaced him, and eventually designated him ineligible for rehire. He claims that rehire designation was retaliation for taking protected leave. Amtrak has not been found liable, and the underlying claims remain unproven.
After the court refused to throw out the case, the employee amended his complaint to broaden his retaliation theory, adding the ineligible-for-rehire allegation. Amtrak then asked to reopen fact-finding to explore the new material.
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