A New Mexico federal judge refused to block a vaccine mandate for certain workers from going into effect. The court said data show the vaccines are safe and effective. It also said the vaccines provide immunity that “is significantly more…
Employment Law
A court refused to dismiss an equal protection claim filed by a gay firefighter who says he was subjected to discriminatory treatment in the workplace.Sex-based trash-talk and pranks are still the norm in some police and fire departments. But if…
A Mississippi staffing agency will pay $40,000 and take other steps to resolve a federal government lawsuit that alleged pregnancy bias. The suit accused the employer of illegally discriminating against a job applicant based on her pregnancy. The Equal Employment…
A judge said the “alleged spread of a contagious disease” among jail staff and inmates is a matter of public concern. So the judge has refused to dismiss a fired corrections employee’s First Amendment claim. The employee had issues with…
Does it violate the ADA if an employer denies an employee’s request to bring a support animal to the office? A recent court case addressed that very question. Anxiety attacks Nicholas Conlan worked as a marketer for Costco in Montana.…
Under California law, employers must immediately pay discharged employees all the wages they have earned. Employees who quit without providing prior notice must be paid all wages earned within 72 hours. If at least 72 hours of notice is provided,…
A new lawsuit accuses a Cedar City, Utah, car dealership of violating Title VII by engaging in religious discrimination. The suit says the dealership denied a Muslim employee religious accommodations. It also says the dealership fired the employee because he…
Be careful how you respond if an employee flunks a drug test. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) just resolved a lawsuit it filed against an employer. It had accused the employer of responding to an employee's two positive drug…
A fact issue existed as to whether an employee accepted an agreement to have any employment-related dispute resolved via arbitration. Therefore, a lower court wrongfully compelled arbitration of his race and age discrimination claims. That's what a new ruling from…
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…
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…
