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Turner v. Association of American Medical Colleges (Cal. Ct. App. - Oct. 30, 2008)

By Shaun Martin

For anyone who wants to take the MCAT, this is an important case. It's also important, by analogy, to those of us in the legal field. Especially those of us in the academy. Since what's good for the MCAT is almost certainly good for the LSAT as well. And, potentially, for law school exams as well.

It's a disability accommodations case, and concerns whether California law (the Unruh Act) requires the MCAT to give test takers more time (or additional accommodations) beyond those required (if at all) by the ADA. Justice Needham says "No." And, in so holding, reverses not only the judgment of the trial court below, but also the attorney fee award of approximately $4 million.

For good or bad, there are a lot more testing accommodations nowadays -- in all fields -- than there were a decade ago, or a decade before that. And, almost assuredly, for anyone not involved in this area, a lot more than you think.

So it's an important case. Particularly for those of us in California. Read it at your leisure.

P.S. - And welcome to the California Appellate Report, Justice Needham. Your first mention in what will, with luck, be a long line of (at least mostly) positive and glowingly effusive praise.

Full post as published by California Appellate Report on October 30, 2008 (boomark / email).