A Texas jury has delivered one of the largest verdicts in American history in a negligent hiring case, ordering cable operator Charter Communications to pay more than $7 billion for the murder of an elderly woman who was killed by one of its service technicians in her home. The suit alleged that the company, which […]
New York just took a huge step in protecting people in its state from sexual harassment. This new law may set a precedent and is something other states may want to pay attention to. Here’s why. All employers in New York state regardless of the number of employees are now required to provide information on […]
A recent EEOC settlement demonstrates the GINA/COVID tightrope employers must walk when it comes to complying with the requirements of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and doing all it can to keep COVID-19 out of the workplace. Earlier this month, the agency entered into a conciliation agreement with a Florida medical practice that collected […]
Another lawsuit involving Black Lives Matter (BLM) face masks has reached a federal appeals court. This time, the Third Circuit sided with employees – and blocked the enforcement of a policy that prohibited employees from wearing face masks that feature BLM and other “political or social-protest messages.” As you may recall, last month the First […]
Employees might have health conditions that meet the definition of “disability” under federal law – but that doesn’t mean a court’s going to buy it if they say “the disability made me do it” when they break the rules. And if they were fired for misconduct, courts tend to reject “the disability made me do […]
Hobby Lobby is in hot water! The world’s largest privately owned arts-and-crafts retailer is being sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A cashier at Hobby Lobby’s Olathe, KS, store has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. When she started working part-time at Hobby Lobby […]
The First Circuit affirmed a ruling that dismissed Title VII discrimination claims brought by employees who were disciplined for wearing face masks featuring the Black Lives Matter (BLM) slogan at work. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Whole Foods employees began wearing face masks, including some that featured images of cartoon characters, vegetables […]
A professor who was not reappointed after he raised concerns relating to labor practices proved his whistleblower claim and is entitled to more than $735,000 in damages, a state court in Connecticut has ruled. After earning his Ph.D in marketing and management from the University of Connecticut School of Business in 2008, Luke Weinstein accepted […]
Who was involved: The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and three HR professionals who are hearing impaired. What happened: The HR professionals are members of SHRM. They alleged the organization violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires businesses to ensure that individuals with disabilities can access goods and services. […]
West Virginia’s highest court remanded age and sex discrimination claims filed by an employee who lost her job. Diane Judy started working as a commercial driver’s license (CDL) instructor for a college in 2018. That December, she expressed concerns about the lack of restroom facilities at the off-campus training site. She asked her employer to […]
In an important new ruling, a federal appeals court ruled that Title VII’s anti-retaliation provision applies to an HR manager’s claim that her employer fired her because she provided testimony against a prior employer in a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit. Broadly interpreting the provision, the court rejected the employer’s argument that the provision does not apply […]
A federal magistrate judge recommended denying a Colorado university’s motion to dismiss a Title VII reverse discrimination claim filed by a male applicant. In 2018, Christian Sparks applied for a position as a Civil Rights Investigator with the Office of Equity at the University of Colorado. Sparks had nearly 20 years investigative experience, including in […]
A doctor who lost his job after he refused to comply with his employer’s vaccine mandate was unable to persuade a federal appeals court to order his reinstatement. Dr. Paul Halczenko worked at St. Vincent Hospital, which adopted a COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the summer of 2021. Halczenko treated very sick children in a pediatric […]
The world is becoming increasingly more flexible about where employees work. And during the Great Resignation, this is a boon for employers because they can hire the best talent regardless of where they’re located in the U.S. But while this is a great recruitment and retention tool, it’s also a bit of a nightmare for […]
A veteran employee filed Title VII race and pay discrimination claims after he noticed a newer colleague quickly climbing the ranks and earning substantial raises. In 2010, Paul Palmer Jr. II, who is Black, was hired as a lecturer in an Illinois university’s Business Marketing Department. Alongside his role as lecturer, Palmer served as a […]
In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a huge case about union dues with its ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, 138 S.Ct. 2448 (U.S. 2018). The high court held there that unions cannot mandate deductions from the paychecks of non-consenting, non-union employees. Here, a former employee tried to shoehorn the import of that […]
