Ver la versión en español aquí Why is the Tom Brady saga referred to as “Deflategate”? As many know, the penchant for adding the suffix “gate” to any scandal stems from the infamous 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters at the Watergate office complex and the Nixon Administration’s efforts to cover up its … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Stress. Anxiety. Paranoia. Anger. Fear. Depression. Angst. These are the types of words you would expect to hear from a plaintiff seeking compensatory damages (damages for alleged pain and suffering) in a discrimination or harassment case. How does a plaintiff prove the existence of pain and suffering? Often times, … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Why would an employer force its employees to tell each other “I love you” or require employees to “thank God for their employment”? According to a lawsuit filed by the EEOC in New York federal court, the owners of United Health Programs of America and Cost Containment Group subscribe … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Employers rely on background screening as part of the hiring process. Recently, numerous large, well-known employers have been accused of failing to comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”). Why is this happening? The issue is the legality of the forms these employers may be using to obtain applicants’ authorizations to collect background … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Yesterday, employers gained an important victory in the ongoing wave of litigation over what time is or is not considered compensable work time under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that employers are not required to pay employees for the time spent waiting to clear … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí “Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it’s so hard.” -David McCullough Hickory Foods, Inc. out of Jacksonville, Florida provided a departing employee, Jonathan Thomas, with a written severance package. The company wanted to pay Thomas an additional eight weeks of his annual salary as severance. … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Title VII does not protect against sexual orientation discrimination (though many state and local laws do). The battle to amend this most prominent of employment laws to protect sexual orientation has been waged for years, unsuccessfully. Yet, seemingly overnight, issues of gender identity or transgender discrimination have leapfrogged to … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí What do forgetfulness, menstrual cramps and temper tantrums have in common? They are all symptoms of new mental health disorders recognized in the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a handbook widely used by health care professionals to assess and diagnose mental disorders. … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Mandatory arbitration agreements can reduce litigation. However, for at least one large employer, the arbitration agreement itself has created litigation. Last week, the EEOC sued restaurant franchise operator, Doherty Enterprises, Inc. claiming that the company’s practice of requiring employees to sign a mandatory arbitration agreement violates Title VII. Doherty … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Shawna Palmer was going to squeeze her toes into those Jimmy Choos, Manolo Blahniks – fill in the name of any other high end shoe brand – no matter what! After all, there was a beauty pageant title on the line – Miss Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix in … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Employers who agree not to poach each other’s workers may face substantial monetary exposure. This was the lesson learned the hard way by tech powerhouses Adobe, Apple, Google and Intel in a recent California antitrust class action suit. The Silicon Valley giants and other defendants were sued in a … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí You be the judge . . . An Activity Aide at a nursing home transferred a resident back to the resident’s room. A non-supervisory Nursing Assistant then told the Activity Aide that the resident wanted the Rosary read to her. The Activity Aide refused and explained to the Nursing … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí We imagine that among those former employees who sue their employers, there are many who dream of hearing the words “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury . . .“ wishing for a pot of gold to follow. Obviously, the thought of hearing those words in a courtroom may make … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Much publicized court cases in the last several weeks make us wonder whether the federal Health Care Reform law will survive. We leave the answer to that question to the U.S. Supreme Court. For now, employers should adopt the “business as usual” approach and continue to prepare for implementation … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Benjamin Moore & Co. is an American paint company. A former Benjamin Moore Manager, Clinton Tucker, alleges that the Company is marketing paints with racially insensitive names – his two names as a matter of fact. Tucker claims that Benjamin Moore’s Clinton Brown and Tucker Chocolate paint colors refer to … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí A bank teller in Kentucky recently sued her employer claiming that she was fired from her job for telling every customer she met to “have a blessed day.” She was just being polite, right? Well, the bank alleges that several customers were offended by the teller’s comment. The teller also … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Let’s do a little role-playing. You’re the HR Director and Jane is an employee at your company: Jane: I’ve been feeling anxious and depressed since my return to work from medical leave. HR Director: I’m sorry to hear that, Jane. I hope you feel better soon. Is there anything I … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí “Comprenden sus empleados las políticas de empleo?” If you did not understand that, take notice of a recent decision by a federal court judge. In the case, an employee sued his former employer for alleged unpaid wages. When the employee began his employment, he signed an agreement stating he … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Those of you who attended our annual labor & employment seminar on May 1 or read our blog with any regularity or just pay attention to developments in employment law, know that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and its administrative law judges have been finding employers guilty of … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí The City of Hot Springs, Arkansas, found itself in hot water after not rehiring employee Wayne Jackson following his leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Jackson had surgery and went on leave in January 2010. After using his 9 weeks of sick leave, he took 12 … Continue Reading
“Think before you speak.” That’s a lesson we all learn at some point between childhood and early adolescence, right? Often, it’s a lesson instilled in us by our parents, and at times, we learn the lesson only after an embarrassing “foot in mouth” experience. Apparently, there is at least one full-grown adult out there who … Continue Reading
Florida’s Supreme Court and the federal appeals court covering Florida recently issued opinions regarding the enforceability of arbitration agreements. The federal court opinion said that an arbitration agreement waiving an employee’s ability to bring a collection action under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) is enforceable. The state court opinion said that an arbitration provision … Continue Reading
Last week, an administrative law judge for the National Labor Relations Board, ruled that a technical college ran afoul of the National Labor Relations Act for instituting a policy prohibiting employees from gossiping and for then firing an employee who violated the policy. Click here for a copy of the case. Laurus Technical College in Atlanta … Continue Reading
An Ohio Federal District Court recently ruled that Verizon Wireless could be sued for reading a former employee’s personal emails on a company-issued device. During her employment, Verizon issued Sandi Lazetle a Blackberry which she used for company email. According to Sandi, she was told that she also could use the Blackberry for personal email, … Continue Reading
