A Connecticut federal court has ordered three bakeries to pay nearly $1 million in back wages and damages to 74 employees to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The suit was prompted by an investigation by the…
Employment Law
Three newly filed lawsuits highlight the critical importance to HR pros of understanding how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to applicants and employees with mental disabilities. In a span of just five days, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,…
Does the name Amy Cooper ring a bell? You may remember her better as the “Central Park Karen” who was fired after she called the police because a Black man asked her to obey park rules and keep her dog…
Did you know that retaliation claims can challenge a broader range of employer conduct than claims of discrimination? A new ruling from a federal appeals court demonstrates the point. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Alaska, Arizona, California,…
An important new decision from a federal appeals court says a former employee can proceed with claims against her old employer based on a data breach – even though the breach did not lead to identity theft or fraud against…
A new ruling from a federal appeals court provides important insight for employers and HR pros on how to successfully defend employee claims of bias or retaliation. And while the case involves a state-specific law called the Washington Law Against…
Conflicting federal, state and local laws on marijuana use raise tough questions for HR professionals. For example, should you require employees to submit to a drug test? And if so, when it is OK to fire someone who fails? How…
A newly filed lawsuit says CVS Health violated Virginia law when it dismissed a nurse practitioner who declined to prescribe or administer abortion-inducing drugs because of her religious beliefs. The suit says CVS accommodated the nurse practitioner’s religious beliefs for…
It’s been a long and winding road for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) since the law was passed in 1990. From the start, the statute’s text was filled with malleable terms and sometimes equivocal language that was in dire…
This employer-friendly ruling highlights just how much freedom companies have to set job requirements – and choose the best candidates for the position. In this case, a Black applicant accused a university of not hiring him due to racial bias.…
A new disability bias suit accuses the Salvation Army of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by terminating a cashier on the basis of his disability. Like a legion of cases before it, the suit says the events triggering the…
A federal appeals court upheld a jury’s decision to award more than $5 million to a former IBM worker who said he was discharged for opposing what he believed was unlawful race bias. The case was filed under Washington state…
The tight labor market is pushing some employers to hire outside the U.S., while other global companies have been doing it for years! However, if you’re hiring globally, here’s one factor you must realize immediately: One size does not fit…
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reluctantly affirmed a lower court’s decision to reject sex bias claims filed by female detention officers who – unlike their male counterparts -- were not allowed full…
A federal appeals court has upheld a decision to reject disability bias claims filed by a sleepwalking worker who mistakenly climbed into a co-worker’s hotel room bed during an out-of-town trip. Jennifer Harkey began working for NextGen Healthcare in 2008…
The Eleventh Circuit upheld a $300,000 award for a fired employee after a jury determined her termination amounted to disability discrimination in violation of the ADA. Due to injuries sustained in a car accident, Ashley Merard had a tracheostomy tube…
