CACI No. VF-2510. Disability Discrimination - Reasonable Accommodation - Affirmative Defense - Undue Hardship (Gov. Code, § 12940(m))
Judicial Council of California Civil Jury Instructions (2023 edition)
Download PDF
VF-2510.Disability Discrimination - Reasonable
Accommodation - Affirmative Defense - Undue Hardship (Gov.
Code, § 12940(m))
We answer the questions submitted to us as follows:
1. Was [name of defendant] [an employer/[other covered entity]]?
1. Yes No
1. If your answer to question 1 is yes, then answer question 2. If you
answered no, stop here, answer no further questions, and have
the presiding juror sign and date this form.
2. Was [name of plaintiff] [an employee of [name of defendant]/an
applicant to [name of defendant] for a job/[other covered
relationship to defendant]]?
2. Yes No
2. If your answer to question 2 is yes, then answer question 3. If you
answered no, stop here, answer no further questions, and have
the presiding juror sign and date this form.
3. Did [name of plaintiff] have [a] [select term to describe basis of
limitations, e.g., physical condition] [that limited [insert major life
activity]]?
3. Yes No
3. If your answer to question 3 is yes, then answer question 4. If you
answered no, stop here, answer no further questions, and have
the presiding juror sign and date this form.
4. Did [name of defendant] know of [name of plaintiff]’s [e.g., physical
condition] [that limited [insert major life activity]]?
4. Yes No
4. If your answer to question 4 is yes, then answer question 5. If you
answered no, stop here, answer no further questions, and have
the presiding juror sign and date this form.
5. Was [name of plaintiff] able to perform the essential job duties
with reasonable accommodation for [his/her/nonbinary pronoun]
[e.g., physical condition]?
5. Yes No
5. If your answer to question 5 is yes, then answer question 6. If you
answered no, stop here, answer no further questions, and have
the presiding juror sign and date this form.
1707
6. Did [name of defendant] fail to provide reasonable accommodation
for [name of plaintiff]’s [e.g., physical condition]?
6. Yes No
6. If your answer to question 6 is yes, then answer question 7. If you
answered no, stop here, answer no further questions, and have
the presiding juror sign and date this form.
7. Would [name of plaintiff]’s proposed accommodations have
created an undue hardship to the operation of [name of
defendant]’s business?
7. Yes No
7. If your answer to question 7 is no, then answer question 8. If you
answered yes, stop here, answer no further questions, and have
the presiding juror sign and date this form.
8. Was [name of defendant]’s failure to provide a reasonable
accommodation a substantial factor in causing harm to [name of
plaintiff]?
8. Yes No
8. If your answer to question 8 is yes, then answer question 9. If you
answered no, stop here, answer no further questions, and have
the presiding juror sign and date this form.
9. What are [name of plaintiff]’s damages?
[a. Past economic loss
[lost earnings $ ]
[lost profits $ ]
[medical expenses $ ]
[other past economic loss $ ]
[a. Total Past Economic Damages: $ ]
[b. Future economic loss
[lost earnings $ ]
[lost profits $ ]
[medical expenses $ ]
[other future economic loss $ ]
[b. Total Future Economic Damages: $ ]
[c. Past noneconomic loss, including [physical
VF-2510 FAIR EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING ACT
1708
pain/mental suffering:] $ ]
[d. Future noneconomic loss, including [physical
pain/mental suffering:] $ ]
[d. TOTAL $
Signed: Presiding Juror
Dated:
After [this verdict form has/all verdict forms have] been signed, notify
the [clerk/bailiff/court attendant] that you are ready to present your
verdict in the courtroom.
New September 2003; Revised April 2007, April 2009, December 2009, December
2010, December 2016
Directions for Use
This verdict form is based on CACI No. 2541, Disability
Discrimination - Reasonable Accommodation - Essential Factual Elements, and
CACI No. 2545, Disability Discrimination - Affırmative Defense - Undue Hardship.
If a different affirmative defense is at issue, this form should be tailored accordingly.
The special verdict forms in this section are intended only as models. They may
need to be modified depending on the facts of the case.
Select a term to use throughout to describe the source of the plaintiff’s limitations. It
may be a statutory term such as “physical disability,” “mental disability,” or
“medical condition.” (See Gov. Code, § 12940(a).) Or it may be a general term such
as “condition,” “disease,” or “disorder.” Or it may be a specific health condition
such as “diabetes.”
Relationships other than employer/employee can be substituted in question 1, as in
element 1 of CACI No. 2541.
If medical-condition discrimination as defined by statute (see Gov. Code, § 12926(i))
is alleged, omit “that limited [insert major life activity]” in questions 3 and 4.
(Compare Gov. Code, § 12926(i) with Gov. Code, § 12926(j), (l) [no requirement
that medical condition limit major life activity].)
If specificity is not required, users do not have to itemize all the damages listed in
question 9 and do not have to categorize “economic” and “noneconomic” damages,
especially if it is not a Proposition 51 case. The breakdown of damages is optional
depending on the circumstances.
If there are multiple causes of action, users may wish to combine the individual
forms into one form. If different damages are recoverable on different causes of
action, replace the damages tables in all of the verdict forms with CACI No. VF-
FAIR EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING ACT VF-2510
1709
3920, Damages on Multiple Legal Theories.
If the jury is being given the discretion under Civil Code section 3288 to award
prejudgment interest (see Bullis v. Security Pac. Nat’l Bank (1978) 21 Cal.3d 801,
814 [148 Cal.Rptr. 22, 582 P.2d 109]), give CACI No. 3935, Prejudgment Interest.
This verdict form may need to be augmented for the jury to make any factual
findings that are required in order to calculate the amount of prejudgment interest.
VF-2510 FAIR EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING ACT
1710
© Judicial Council of California.
