Danielle Cesarano, a former associate of the Washington, D.C. law firm Reed Smith, had filed suit against the firm in 2003, claiming the it had failed to make allowances for a disability she received after burning and injuring her dominant hand in an accident during the firm's 2001 trial training program.  The suit contended that the firm did not accommodate her condition and retaliated against her for complaining.  In the original suit in 2007, Judge Michael Rankin sided with the firm and granted summary judgment and dismissed the suit citing the statute of limitations.

The D.C. Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal of the suit and remanded the case for trial in Superior Court.  Appeals Judges Inez Smith Reid, John Fisher and Senior Judge Warren King heard oral arguments in February 2009. It was the Appeals Court opinion that the dismissal be reversed, but it claimed no position on the merits of Cesarano’s case.

Cesarano, who is seeking back pay and compensatory and punitive damages, alleged that it was difficult for her to get assignments and meet expectations for billable hours. She was told to bill 200 hours a month by her supervisor, partner Richard Sullivan, if she wanted to stay at the firm. In an affidavit, the managing partner of the firm, Douglas Spaulding, stated that Cesarano’s annual chargeable hours were very low and that she had received mixed performance reviews. Cesarano received notice in October 2002 that she would be fired in the next month. 

According to Cesarano who now works at the State Department, Reed Smith refused to provide reasonable accommodations for her physiological condition (including computer software) that she requested and, refused to accommodate her medically documented need for a reduced work schedule.

After the Appeals Court reversal, Cesarano's attorney said he was "delighted" with the court's ruling and looking forward to trial in Superior Court.