Ella Williams began working at Toyota’s automobile manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, in August 2010. She was placed on an engine fabrication assembly line, where her duties included work...

Ella Williams began working at Toyota’s automobile manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, in August 2010. She was placed on an engine fabrication assembly line, where her duties included work with pneumatic tools. Use of these tools eventually caused pain in her hands, wrists, and arms. She sought treatment at Toyota’s in-house medical service, where she was diagnosed with bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and bilateral tendinitis. Williams consulted a personal physician who placed her on permanent work restrictions that precluded her from lifting more than 20 pounds or from “frequently lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 10 pounds,” engaging in “constant repetitive … flexion or extension of [her] wrists or elbows,” performing “overhead work,” or using “vibratory or pneumatic tools.” In light of these restrictions, for the next two years, Toyota assigned Williams to various modified duty jobs. Nonetheless, Williams missed some work for medical leave and eventually filed a claim under the Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Act. The parties settled this claim, and Williams returned to work.