Winning a retaliation lawsuit against an employer isn’t easy. The plaintiff-employee must prove three elements: she engaged in a protected activity; the defendant-employer took an employment action adverse to the plaintiff; and there was a causal connection between the protected activity and the adverse employment action. A journalist at a…
Articles Posted in Discrimination and Unlawful Harassment
If you’re new to HR, check out this new EEOC pregnancy and pregnancy-related disability discrimination resource
Credit: Office of Commissioner Andrea R. Lucas Late last week, as I enjoyed the FisherBroyles partner retreat (responsibly-ish) in Nashville, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released a new resource on pregnancy discrimination. Spoiler alert: The Dallas Cowboys won’t make the playoffs this season resource doesn’t contain any game-changing new…
The customer isn’t always right — especially when they are OUTRIGHT RACIST!!!
Jerk employees are responsible for creating most of the hostile work environment claims I get hired to defend. But companies must act quickly to prevent workplace discrimination, regardless of the source. A new lawsuit that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission just filed serves as a good reminder for employers.…
If hiring managers say they are looking for “new blood,” are they guilty of age discrimination?
An HR employee claimed that her age motivated her employer’s decision not to select her for a Human Resources Talent Consultant (HRTC) position after the company restructured the HR Department. Why? Because decision-makers allegedly said on a conference call that they were looking for “fresh new blood” to fill the…
Warning: This post will be like nerd porn for statutory construction geeks. The rest of you may glaze over.
I read a recent Sixth Circuit decision. A physician group fired the plaintiff, a nurse, months after she suffered an accident. The group’s subsequent bankruptcy impeded the plaintiff’s efforts to hold it liable for employment discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Did that stop her from…
Crikey! Can an employee bring an emotional support alligator to work? 🐊
The local and national news outlets were buzzing yesterday about a family toting around a five-foot reptile in Philadelphia’s Love Park last week. Meet Wally, the Emotional Support Alligator. Imagine encountering this beast on your afternoon stroll out with the family. This report from the Philly Voice included reactions from some…
This may become the biggest employment law decision of 2023
Image Credit: Photofunia.com After a ten-day vacation trip with my family (IYKYK) onboard the S.S. Blog Cruiser Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas, I’m back to the reality of practicing employment law and blogging about it. Today, let’s play some tunes as we gaze into the crystal ball and predict…
The first federal appellate court has recognized gender dysphoria as an ADA disability
A transgender woman with gender dysphoria spent six months incarcerated in an adult detention center. Prison deputies initially assigned her to women’s housing. But, after they learned that she was transgender, they quickly moved her to men’s housing. It was a nightmare. In men’s housing, the transgender woman (who I’ll…
How long do your employees have to sue you for discrimination?
Perhaps you’ve gotten here because you’ve Googled ‘How long do I have to sue my employer for discrimination?” Either way, let’s discuss. I read this federal court decision last night, the inspiration for this post. It’s an action for age discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and…
In 2015, she sued for LGBT discrimination. One landmark SCOTUS decision later, she still lost.
The former part-time Director of Operations for a college hockey team was sure that her employer fired her because she was gay. Consider the following: During the 2014-15 season, the women’s hockey team had five staff and coaches, all of whom were gay women. The part-time Director of Operations (also…