On November 7, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit held that a former freight handler for FedEx can move forward with his interference claim under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), partially reversing a ruling from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama in James v. FedEx Freight, Inc.
Plaintiff James was a full-time freight handler for FedEx from 2017 to 2020. FedEx policy required freight handlers to work overtime if there were still trailers that needed to be unloaded at the end of a shift. When James’s wife became pregnant, he informed his managers, but no one told him about his rights under the FMLA. On at least two occasions, James left at the end of his shift without working the required overtime to care for his wife. After his wife gave birth, James applied for FMLA leave and was granted it, but he was terminated later that month for job abandonment due to failure to work overtime. James filed a lawsuit against FedEx alleging FMLA interference and retaliation.
The District Court granted summary judgment to FedEx finding that their actions did not amount to interference because they did not prevent the worker from caring for his wife or taking her to appointments before the birth or taking leave after the birth. James argued that he did not suffer prejudice from the missed appointments, but from being fired as a direct result of leaving after completing his shift to care for his wife. On appeal, the 11th Circuit affirmed the District Court’s rulings as to the retaliation claim, stating that James failed to establish a causal connection between his termination and seeking of FMLA rights, and that he cannot show that his wife’s pregnancy was a determining factor in FedEx’s decision to terminate his employment.
However, with regard to the interference claim, the 11th Circuit reasoned that had FedEx properly informed James of his rights under the FMLA, he could have used his FMLA leave to get home to his wife rather than working overtime, and would not have been fired for failing to work overtime. The FMLA entitles expecting parents to leave “if needed to care for a pregnant spouse who is incapacitated or if needed to care for her during her prenatal care.” When an employer knows that an employee’s leave may qualify for FMLA, the employer is obligated to evaluate whether the requested absence does qualify and must provide notice to the employee of their eligibility for and rights under the FMLA.
The 11th Circuit concluded that, even on FedEx’s statement of facts, “a reasonable jury could find that FedEx failed to notify James of his FMLA rights and that interference prejudiced James.” Employers should keep themselves apprised of employee’s rights under the FMLA and train their managing employees to recognize absences as potential FMLA absences.