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SHRM Faces Trial Over Fiona Torres’s Service-Dog Accommodation Request

Fiona Torres alleges SHRM withdrew a job offer after she requested to bring her diabetes-alert service dog to work. SHRM disputes the claim; a federal jury trial began October 6, 2026.

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A federal jury trial began October 6, 2026, in Alexandria, Virginia, over Fiona Torres’s allegation that the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) withdrew a job offer after she asked to bring her diabetes-alert service dog to work. SHRM disputes her account and says it considered alternatives. The available reporting confirms the trial began, but does not establish a verdict or other outcome.

What the SHRM lawsuit is about

Torres’s case concerns a job offer and a requested workplace accommodation. According to the case summary, SHRM offered her a Senior Specialist position in its Product Management Department in Alexandria on June 3, 2024. Her complaint says she asked to bring her trained service dog, which alerts her to dangerous blood-glucose changes associated with Type 1 diabetes, and alleges that SHRM denied the request and rescinded the offer on July 15, 2024. Those claims are allegations, not findings by a court.

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Torres sued SHRM in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on December 16, 2025. The case, Torres v. Society for Human Resource Management, No. 1:25-cv-02360, asserts claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Virginia Human Rights Act (VHRA), including disability discrimination and failure to accommodate. HR Dive reported that a federal judge had declined twice to dismiss the discrimination claim before trial.

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What each side says about the accommodation

Torres’s account

Torres’s complaint says the dog helps detect dangerous glucose changes. HR Dive reported that the complaint described about ten blackouts a year before she acquired the dog and one incident in the eight years afterward. That is an allegation in the complaint, not an independently verified medical statistic or a court finding.

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Business Insider, in a report republished by AOL, quoted Torres speaking through her attorney in an email: “I was ready and able to work.”

SHRM’s response

In a September 28, 2026 statement, SHRM said it did not reject Torres outright, but sought to understand her needs and asked her to consult her physician about possible alternatives. SHRM described its approach as “a genuine good-faith attempt to find a mutually agreeable solution through an interactive process — and indeed an acceptance of her disability.”

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SHRM has also argued that the ADA does not guarantee a candidate or employee their preferred accommodation. That is SHRM’s position in this dispute, not a ruling by the court. HR Dive’s account of SHRM’s summary-judgment argument says the organization contended that Torres rejected alternatives it proposed and had not provided documentation connecting her disability to the role’s essential functions.

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Reporting on SHRM’s court response lists the alternatives the organization says it offered: a continuous glucose monitoring system and insulin pump, breaks to check blood sugar, and permission to consume food or drink at or near her workstation. These are disputed litigation positions, not established findings.

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  • Warning: This product has been registered and registered with USPTO & US Copyright Registration (OAS) and issued a certificate. Plagiarism, re-engraving, and legal risks will face it !
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What the jury trial may need to resolve

The parties’ accounts leave factual disputes about the accommodation process and the job’s requirements. The case materials summarized in the available reporting do not resolve whether the proposed alternatives would have addressed Torres’s needs, what information the parties exchanged, or whether the requested accommodation would have allowed her to perform the position’s essential functions. Those questions should not be treated as decided simply because the case reached trial.

SHRM lawsuit timeline

  • June 3, 2024: SHRM offered Torres the Senior Specialist position, according to the case summary.
  • July 15, 2024: Torres’s complaint says SHRM rescinded the offer after her accommodation request.
  • September 19, 2025: The case summary says Torres received a notice of right to sue from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
  • December 16, 2025: Torres filed suit in the Eastern District of Virginia.
  • September 28, 2026: SHRM published its statement about the litigation.
  • October 6, 2026: A four-day jury trial began in Alexandria, according to HR Dive. The available reporting does not establish the trial’s outcome.
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A separate SHRM discrimination case

SHRM’s trial over Torres’s disability-accommodation allegations is separate from a race discrimination and retaliation case brought by another former employee. Business Insider, republished by AOL, reported that SHRM received an $11.5 million jury verdict in that separate case in 2025 and was appealing. The verdict belongs to that other case; it does not establish facts or predict the result in Torres’s lawsuit.

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