Lane v. Pena

DREDF and co-counsel Employment Law Center filed an amicus brief on behalf of national disability groups and other civil rights organizations in Lane. The case was brought by a student discharged from the federally operated U.S. Merchant Marine Academy because of his diabetes, and presented the question of whether suit will lie against the federal government for monetary damages under Section 504. The Lane Court ruled that Congress had not waived federal sovereign immunity to suit for monetary damages under Section 504. As a consequence of this decision, the federal government is not liable for damages under Section 504, although damages for violations of Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act (protecting federal employees) are still available.