( February 23, 2024, 2:39 PM EST) -- PORTLAND, Ore. — In a lawsuit by a former medical clinic patient against the clinic and some of its staff members alleging that their denial of treatment for his refusing to wear a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic was in violation of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the defendants on Feb. 22 submitted a brief as requested by an Oregon federal judge on whether it is appropriate to consider — on the defendants’ motion to dismiss — their defense that the accommodation sought by the patient presented a direct threat to clinic occupants and was not required to be provided....