Tentative ruling issued by Judge René Auguste Chouteau on Jan. 31, 2018 in Sonoma County, CA - Case no: xxxxx063

Motion for summary judgment is denied, and alternative motion for summary adjudication is denied as to all but the sixth cause of action.
Defendant’s unopposed request for judicial notice of jury instructions is granted.
In this employment case, Plaintiff alleges she injured her back in a car accident. Plaintiff was employed as a manager at Defendant restaurant. Defendant granted her unpaid leave from work for three months, after which her doctor issued return to work letters identifying work restrictions. Defendant determined it could not reasonably accommodate Plaintiff’s work restrictions beyond the unpaid leave it had already provided and Plaintiff was discharged.
Plaintiff alleges the following causes of action: (1) disability discrimination; (2) failure to investigate and prevent discrimination; (3) failure to engage in the interactive process; (4) failure to accommodate; (5) wrongful termination in violation of public policy; and (6) defamation.
Defendant….....