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The Employer Handbook BlogFederal Judge Halts EEOC’s Attempt to Mandate Gender Identity Protections
A Texas federal court has weighed in on how far the EEOC can go when interpreting Title VII.
Spoiler alert: it didn’t go well for the EEOC. Continue reading
Two employees. One marriage. Half the leave? A new bill would change that.
If two employees are married and work for the same company, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) lets their employer cap their combined leave at 12 weeks. A new bill in Congress proposes to eliminate that restriction. Continue reading
A federal judge just remanded a wage-and-hour case, and used two Simpsons references to do it. That’s enough to embiggen my blogging motivation.
This isn’t just a cromulent decision—it’s a reminder that attorneys’ fees can’t be used to shoehorn a small state wage claim into federal court. Continue reading
Fired Over $15. Or Was It the HR Complaints?
Fired Over $15. Or Was It the HR Complaints?
A laundromat worker reimbursed herself $15 from the register for a taxi fare—something she claimed was standard practice with a receipt. Three days later, she was fired. But because she had just complained about racial harassment, disability discrimination, and unpaid wages, the timing raised red flags.
The Second Circuit said a jury should decide whether she was fired for taking the $15—or for speaking up. Continue reading
Equal Pay, FLSA, and a $3.27M Verdict: Jury Sides with Fired Chief People Officer in Her Retaliation Case Against A Law Firm
You’d expect a company to listen when its Chief People Officer—especially one with nearly three decades of labor and employment law experience—raises concerns about compliance. Instead, this employer—a law firm—reassigned her shortly thereafter and fired her within the week of returning from bereavement leave. A jury just awarded her $3.27 million for retaliation.
Can a Judge Make Lawyers Attend “Religious Liberty Training”? This Court Said Nope.
A recent Fifth Circuit decision offers a pointed reminder to employers, litigators, and trial courts alike: enforcement authority has limits—even after a verdict. At the center of the controversy? A court-ordered “religious liberty training” imposed on a corporate defendant’s attorneys by a judge dissatisfied with how the company communicated a jury’s verdict. Here’s how that unfolded—and why the appellate court stepped in.
Continue reading
🎤 “Star Treatment, Solid Contracts” – Happening Today at Noon!
Whether you’re drafting agreements for a C-suite hire, a high-profile consultant, or a VIP client, there are legal landmines everywhere—from misclassification to IP disputes. Today, we’re tackling them all.
TL;DR: Join me and attorney Merlyne Jean-Louis for a free Zoom session at 12 PM ET today—Friday, May 9, 2025—as we break down the legal and strategic considerations that go into working with VIPs, whether they’re public figures, top executives, or behind-the-scenes power players.
🔗 Register here
Trump’s EEOC nomination could break the deadlock—and reshape enforcement
After months of legal gridlock, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is about to get its quorum back—and a Republican majority with it. Continue reading
When an ex sets an employee on fire at work, is the employer liable for not stopping it?
The facts of this case are gut-wrenching. A former employee bypasses security, sneaks into a workplace, and brutally attacks his ex—an employee sitting at her desk. The injuries were horrific. The question for the court wasn’t whether this was awful (it was), but whether the employer could be held liable under negligence law for failing to prevent it.
The answer? No. Here’s why. Continue reading
Hostile Work Environment Claims Don’t Need to Be Personal to Be Actionable
A Black lecturer in his 70s says a fellow professor in his department regularly made racially charged remarks—not necessarily directed at him, but about Black colleagues more broadly. A federal judge says that could be enough to support a hostile work environment claim under Title VII. Continue reading