A learning disabled school grounds and utility worker who was terminated following a vehicle accident can proceed on his allegation that the school employer had harassed him, denied him reasonable accommodations, and ultimately discharged him because of his purported disability, a federal court in Texas rules.

“[T]he Court will consider [the school district] employees’ references to [the worker] as ‘Forrest Gump’ to be due to Gump’s ‘naïve and slow-witted’ nature (the Plaintiff’s characterization), rather than to Gump’s haircut (the Defendant’s interpretation), All-American athletic career for the University of Alabama, ping-pong prowess, Congressional Medal of Honor, shrimping business, or cross-country running abilities,” the court says, forwarding the suit to a jury trial. Horne v. Dickinson Independent School District