Bragdon v. Abbott

  • Bragdon v. Abbott

    DREDF filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Senators Harkin, Jeffords and Kennedy, and Representatives Hoyer, Owens and Waxman in Abbott v. Bragdon. The central issue in this case was whether people who have HIV but appear asymptomatic are considered disabled and therefore protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

    In its first case addressing HIV/AIDS discrimination, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected dentist Randon Bragdon’s arguments defending his 1994 refusal to fill a cavity for patient Sidney Abbott solely because she is HIV-positive. (June 1998)

    Read the brief (PDF).

    Read the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision.