DRUG-TESTING LITIGATION - TRENDS AND OUTCOMES

This article chronicles the trend in private sector drug testing litig ation from 1984 to 1994, details the legal theories that employees hav e used to challenge employer drug testing policies, and reports the su ccess of these challenges. A search of the Westlaw data base uncovered 140 private sector drug testing cases disposed by the federal and sta te courts over this period. An analysis of these cases indicates that drug testing litigation accelerated rapidly in the late 1980s and then plateaued in the 1990s, that grounds for lawsuits are numerous, and t hat the percentage of cases won by employees is currently as high as i t has ever been. Accordingly, in recognition of the nature and scope o f the risk involved in employee drug screening, the prudent human reso urce manager should continue to exercise caution in drug testing polic y design, implementation, and administration.