Kimberly Ballard v. Ameren Illinois Company: Date Argued: February 17th, 2026; Docket Number: 25-1562

Case Summary:Gemini saidIn the case of Kimberly Ballard v. Ameren Illinois Company (Docket No. 25-1562), argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on February 17, 2026, the relevant facts are as follows:The plaintiff, Kimberly Ballard, was hired by Ameren Illinois in August 2013 to serve as an energy efficiency advisor.In February 2015, while attending a work-related conference, the plaintiff suffered a fall that resulted in a serious wrist injury requiring multiple surgeries.The plaintiff alleges that following her injury, she was subjected to ongoing disability discrimination and harassment by management, which persisted despite her internal reports of the conduct.The dispute culminated in the plaintiff’s termination from Ameren on February 26, 2018, an action she contends was retaliatory for her complaints regarding her treatment and disability status.Following her discharge, the plaintiff submitted a Complainant Information Sheet (CIS) to the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) in August 2018, requesting an investigation and a cross-filing of her claims with the EEOC.A critical factual and procedural issue in the litigation is whether the filing of this information sheet constituted a formal "charge" of discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).In January 2025, the district court dismissed the complaint with prejudice, ruling that the plaintiff had failed to timely exhaust her administrative remedies because her formal EEOC charge was filed more than 300 days after her termination.The current appeal, docketed as 25-1562, challenges the trial court's reliance on Seventh Circuit precedent (Carlson v. Christian Bros. Servs.) to determine that the initial information sheet did not satisfy the filing requirements.During the oral arguments on February 17, 2026, the Seventh Circuit panel examined whether the plaintiff’s intent to initiate an investigation through the IDHR information sheet was sufficient to toll the statute of limitations for her federal claims.