⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The Seventh Circuit hears an employment-discrimination appeal by Dr. Olachi Mezu-Ndubuisi. She was a University of Wisconsin physician who also treated newborns at Meriter Hospital. Her clinical work was restricted after medical leave and patient-safety reviews, with further assessments required before a return. She says those conditions were discriminatory and retaliatory, not justified by patient safety. She first sued in California, where the case was dismissed because that court lacked authority over the Wisconsin defendants. She filed again in Wisconsin twelve days later. The Wisconsin judge rejected her Title Seven and Americans with Disabilities Act claims as late. A right-to-sue notice from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission permits a court lawsuit, ordinarily within ninety days of receipt. Equitable tolling can suspend the deadline when someone diligently pursuing a claim makes a good-faith filing error or faces an extraordinary obstacle. The questions are when that clock started and whether that exception applies. Bruce Fein represents her and will argue that missing notices and the earlier California filing justify letting the case proceed.

Olachi Mezu-Ndubuisi v. Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, et al. (No. 25-3143) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, argued September 22, 2026.