In May 2012, plaintiff Patricia Harrison, 59, a kindergarten teacher, attempted to return to work at St. Bede the Venerable School, a private school in La Cañada Flintridge. Harrison previously started a leave of absence to undergo back surgery prior to the start of the 2011/2012 academic school year. After being on medical leave for nearly one year, Harrison attempted to return to her position for the 2012/2013 school year, but she was told by the school that her contract would not be renewed. Harrison sued St. Bede the Venerable School and the school’s operator, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles. Harrison claimed that she was told that her contract would not be renewed due to her physical limitations. Thus, she alleged that the defendants’ actions constituted disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, and retaliation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Defense counsel contended that Harrison’s doctors had not cleared her to return to work, with or without restrictions. Thus, counsel argued that Harrison posed a danger to herself and the young children with whose care she would have been entrusted., Harrison started teaching at St. Bede the Venerable School in 1991, but her contract was not renewed for the 2012/2013 school year. Thus, she sought recovery of past and future lost wages, and recovery of damages for her past and future pain and suffering.