The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit rejected hostile work environment and retaliation claims. A transgender city worker filed the claims. The appeals court affirmed a lower court’s decision that the employer’s response to harassment against her was…
Employment Law
A Florida federal court tossed disability discrimination claims a former employee filed. Bungornluck Rodda has asthma. She worked at the University of Miami as an administrative assistant beginning in July 2007. She was let go in November 2017. The university…
Let’s get right to the heart of these two new employer-friendly federal appeals court rulings on the important subject of reasonable accommodation under the ADA. First, an accommodation request that conflicts with a federal safety regulation need not be provided.…
A new lawsuit says an employer illegally discriminated against an employee based on his religion when it refused to accommodate his request not to be fingerprinted. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed the suit on behalf of an employee…
When employers need to make that call to their insurers to defend a claim against them, they have to hope that some sort of policy exclusion does not act as a bar to coverage for the claim raised. Unfortunately for…
South Dakota's highest court issued a ruling in favor of a worker who sought to recover workers' compensation benefits. A construction worker had a history of back injury dating back to 2010. He said the injury resolved after two back…
A school district did not violate the law when it chose not to renew the employment contract of an art teacher with major depressive disorder, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled. An art teacher had major…
Under the National Labor Relations Act, employers cannot interfere with or restrain employees in the exercise of their rights under the statute. At the same time, the law does not prevent employers from expressing opinions, so long as there is…
Did you know that employers can be held liable if a customer harasses an employee? A personal care services provider will pay $250,000 to end a suit. The suit accused it of allowing caregivers to be harassed. It also said…
A former employee in New York failed to state a cause of action under Title VII, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA). He claimed harassment and discrimination based on his wife's pregnancy. A federal district court in New…
A discharged employee waited a week for his last check. He said the late last check violated state law. Was he right? (more…)
A California-based ice cream company will pay $200,000 and take other steps to settle a lawsuit that accused it of engaging in national origin discrimination by illegally favoring Hispanic job applicants over others. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a…
The case presents a classic question: How far must employers go to provide religious accommodations for applicants and employees? Score one for employers on this one. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit decided that Walmart did not…
The U.S. Department of Labor has sued a hotel operator in Texas. The suit says a worker was fired for reporting a safety issue and seeking medical attention. According to the Department of Labor, in January 2019 an employee at…
A medical practice and the physician who ran it have been hit with a $375,000 judgment in a federal lawsuit that accused the defendants of subjecting employees to a religiously hostile work environment. The suit also said the defendants retaliated…
California’s highest court has ruled that employers in that state cannot engage in the practice of rounding time punches when it comes to meal periods. The court also ruled that time records showing noncompliant meal periods raise a rebuttable presumption…
