A job applicant told a polygraph examiner that she consumed ayahuasca as part of her religion. An agency adjudicator labeled it “recent illegal drug use,” and the tentative job offer disappeared.
An arbitration agreement usually decides where an employment dispute will be heard. In this case, evidence uncovered during arbitration opened the door to court instead.
A supervisor approved the employee’s hairstyle at her interview, then sent her home for wearing it on day one. A federal appeals court says the case over what happened next isn’t finished, for either side.
Menopause is about to get its own line in the U.S. Code, if two House members get their way. Water bottles, bathroom breaks, and sit-or-stand accommodations would become presumptively reasonable under a brand-new federal standard.
In January, then-Governor Phil Murphy signed a law creating a reinstatement right that never existed before. For employers of any size. It takes effect July 17, and even employers confident they’ve got employee-leave compliance handled could be blindsided.
An employer investigated a racial harassment complaint, offered a transfer, and watched the harassment continue. A federal appeals court just sent the hostile work environment claims to a jury.
Here’s a scenario HR nightmares are made of: an employee allegedly invents a sexual harassment accusation to eliminate a rival for a coveted position. The rival gets fired. The employer gets sued for defamation.
Firing a medical marijuana user after a positive drug test may seem straightforward — until a federal court explains why it isn’t.
A federal appeals court ruled in 2024 that New Jersey job applicants had no legal recourse when employers rejected them over a positive recreational cannabis test. The New Jersey Appellate Division just disagreed.
A warehouse worker started her job seven months pregnant. Thirteen weeks after delivering, she was fired. One sentence from the HR rep is why this case is going to trial.
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