• FREE RESOURCES
  • PREMIUM CONTENT
        • SEE MORE
          PREMIUM RESOURCES
  • HR DEEP DIVES
        • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for HR Professionals
          Employment Law
          Labor Law Posting Requirements: Everything You Need to Know
          Recruiting
          businesswoman selecting future employees on digital interfaces
          Recruiting Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
          Performance Management
          vector image of young female making star rating
          Performance Review Resources
          Employment Law
          Understanding Equal Employment Opportunity and the EEOC
          Recruiting
          Onboarding Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
  • CORONAVIRUS & HR

  • LOGIN
  • SIGN UP FREE

HR Morning

  • FREE RESOURCES
  • PREMIUM CONTENT
        • SEE MORE
          PREMIUM RESOURCES
  • HR DEEP DIVES
        • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for HR Professionals
          Employment Law
          Labor Law Posting Requirements: Everything You Need to Know
          Recruiting
          businesswoman selecting future employees on digital interfaces
          Recruiting Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
          Performance Management
          vector image of young female making star rating
          Performance Review Resources
          Employment Law
          Understanding Equal Employment Opportunity and the EEOC
          Recruiting
          Onboarding Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
  • CORONAVIRUS & HR
  • Employment Law
  • Benefits
  • Recruiting
  • Talent Management
  • Performance Management
  • HR Technology
  • More
    • Leadership & Strategy
    • Compensation
    • Staff Administration
    • Policy & Procedures
    • Wellness
    • Staff Departure
    • Employee Services
    • Work Location
    • HR Career & Self-Care
    • Health Care
    • Retirement Plans

Employment law roundup: 3 cases where firms lost big this week

Dan Wisniewski
by Dan Wisniewski
February 7, 2014
2 minute read
  • SHARE ON

Employers get sued, settle cases and lose lawsuits everyday. Here’s a round-up of the latest unfortunate, dumb and bizarre lawsuits resolved or settled recently. 

Fired for sharing porn – but they won in court

Four employees who were fired for sharing pornography over company email have been awarded nearly $1 million in an age bias ruling.
Dennis Janes and three veteran workers admitted to emailing “explicit and hardcore” pornographic videos and photos to each other. Janes said it was “all guy humor,” but the company didn’t agree — and fired the four workers.
Then they sued for age bias — and won.
How? The men’s lawyer claimed that dozens of employees were emailing porn to each other, but Janes and his three older colleagues were the only ones fired for it.
The lawyer also questioned the company’s progressive discipline policy, saying it hadn’t been applied equally, and pointed to Janes’ 11 knee operations and two knee replacements that may have contributed to the company wanting to cut ties with the 37-year veteran.

$400,000 to man fired for being gay

A medical assistant from Long Beach, CA, was recently awarded $400,000 after a jury found that his company discriminated against him for being gay.
Edward Martinez claimed he was regularly called gay slurs and was made fun of in front of customers for his sexual orientation.
Martinez complained a number of times about the behavior. In response, the Spring Family Medical Group fired him.

Domino’s franchisee out $1.3 million in FLSA suit

A Domino’s franchisee agreed to pay 61 delivery employees $1.28 million to settle a wage-and-hour lawsuit.
Non-exempt workers for a Domino’s franchisee DPNY, Inc., claimed the company:

  • failed to pay minimum wage
  • didn’t give staffers a lunch break
  • refused to pay for work uniforms, and
  • failed to pay overtime.

Employees relayed stories of working 65 hours, but only being paid for 45, or working 12 hours one day, but receiving a pay stub showing only five hours worked.
Employees involved in the suit will receive anywhere from $400 to $61,300, depending on their length of employment.

Get the latest from HRMorning in your inbox PLUS immediately access 10 FREE HR guides.

I WANT MY FREE GUIDES

Keep Up To Date with the Latest HR News

With HRMorning arriving in your inbox, you will never miss critical stories on labor laws, benefits, retention and onboarding strategies.

Sign up for a free HRMorning membership and get our newsletter!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
HR Morning Logo
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linked In
  • ABOUT HRMORNING
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • WRITE FOR US
  • CONTACT
  • Employment Law
  • Benefits
  • Recruiting
  • Talent Management
  • HR Technology
  • Performance Management
  • Leadership & Strategy
  • Compensation & Payroll
  • Policy & Culture
  • Staff Administration
  • Wellness & Safety
  • Staff Departure
  • Employee Services
  • Work Location
  • HR Career & Self-Care

HRMorning, part of the SuccessFuel Network, provides the latest HR and employment law news for HR professionals in the trenches of small-to-medium-sized businesses. Rather than simply regurgitating the day’s headlines, HRMorning delivers actionable insights, helping HR execs understand what HR trends mean to their business.

Privacy Policy Terms of Service
Copyright © 2021 SuccessFuel

WELCOME BACK!

Enter your username and password below to log in

Forget Your Username or Password?

Reset Password

Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

Log In

During your free trial, you can cancel at any time with a single click on your “Account” page.  It’s that easy.

Why do we need your credit card for a free trial?

We ask for your credit card to allow your subscription to continue should you decide to keep your membership beyond the free trial period.  This prevents any interruption of content access.

Your card will not be charged at any point during your 21 day free trial
and you may cancel at any time during your free trial.

preloader