Latest Publications

Share:

Fourth Circuit Rejects Employee's Claim That CBD Use Caused Positive Drug Test

We previously reported a growing number of questions from employers involving employees who have tested positive for marijuana and who claimed the positive test resulted from their use of legal CBD products. Last week, the...more

Third Circuit Says Temporary Impairment Qualifies as ADA Disability

Last month, we reported on a decision from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals (which includes Tennessee) concluding that an employee’s asthma did not constitute a protected disability under the Americans with Disabilities...more

Eleventh Circuit Continues Trend in Finding Teachers Must Be Able to Work in Person

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw a number of federal court decisions involving disability discrimination claims from teachers who requested full-time remote work as an accommodation for compromised immune systems or other...more

Employers Struggle With Election Politics Spillover Into Workplace

With the election quickly approaching, we are already receiving questions from employers involving concerns over arguments and disruptions in the workplace resulting from political disagreements. We hoped that the contentious...more

How Employers Should Navigate an Environment After FTC Noncompete Rule Was Struck Down

The Federal Trade Commission recently posted a notice on its website acknowledging that the federal court injunction issued in Texas will prevent implementation for now of its final regulations restricting use of...more

OSHA Issues Proposed Heat Injury and Illness Rule

On August 30, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued its long-anticipated proposed regulation requiring affected employers to plan for and address heat exposure risks in the workplace. The proposed...more

Split Sixth Circuit Panel Says Asthma Not a Protected ADA Disability

In 2008, Congress amended the Americans with Disabilities Act to expand the definition of medical conditions that qualify for protections under that statute. The amendments resulted from a number of federal court decisions...more

OSHA Cites Convenience Store Following Robbery and Shooting

The vast majority of citations issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration involve accidents or negligent behavior that result in injury or illness resulting from inanimate objects, hazardous materials, or...more

Fifth Circuit Blocks Labor Department Tip Rule Citing Absence of Chevron Deference

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of its Chevron deference precedent, federal courts have begun to grapple with administrative agencies’ discretion to issue regulations implementing less than precise...more

Fourth Circuit Finds Internal Complaint About Care Recommendations Supports Wrongful Discharge Claim

North Carolina is an at-will employment state, but recognizes a limited exception from that rule for terminations that violate the state’s public policy. Courts have wrestled for years over the meaning of public policy and...more

Fourth Circuit Nixes Arbitration Agreement at Bottom of Online Application Form

A significant number of employers are opting to elect mandatory arbitration of potential disputes with employees as an alternative to state or federal courts. In some circumstances, arbitration can be quicker than litigation,...more

Fifth Circuit Considers Whether Labor Department Has Authority to Require Minimum Salary for Exemptions

The Department of Labor’s decision to significantly increase the minimum salary required to claim the so-called white-collar exemptions from federal overtime requirements has prompted legal challenges from employers. ...more

Interview Exchange Leads to Unfair Labor Practice Claims

This week, Elon Musk interviewed former President Trump on his social media platform X. During the interview, the two participants discussed their response to a hypothetical strike at Musk’s Tesla production facility. Trump...more

Failure to Provide Employee With Private Office May Have Violated ADA Accommodation Requirements

Last week, we reported a federal appellate decision finding that an employee who insisted on working remotely failed to demonstrate a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act because he would not consider alternative...more

First Circuit Reminds Employers That Inside Sales Positions Are Non-Exempt

We frequently encounter situations where employers classify their salesforce that primarily sells through telephone and internet means as salaried exempt employees, primarily for purposes of overtime and minimum wage payment...more

Employee's Failure to Engage on Accommodation Alternatives Dooms ADA Claims

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations to disabled workers, but not necessarily the accommodation favored by the employee. ...more

National Labor Relations Board Reverses 2020 Union Election Results

Many federal agencies appear caught in a tennis match whereby interpretations of their statutory authority depend on the party in power at any given time. This has resulted in a number of situations where federal regulations...more

Federal Courts Reaching Consensus on Religious Exemptions From Vaccine Mandates

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, employers attempting to enforce safety policies faced resistance from employees opposed to vaccination mandates. In many cases, employees claimed that taking the vaccine violated...more

Thorough Response to OSHA Complaint Letter Can Avoid Later Inspection

Employers may dread a knock on the door from an Occupational Safety and Health investigator, but in many circumstances, the first contact with OSHA is through a letter rather than an in-person inspection. ...more

NLRB Waves White Flag on Expansion of Joint Employer Definition

Last week, the National Labor Relations Board withdrew its appeal of a federal court decision that blocked its 2023 rule that significantly expanded the definition of joint employment under federal labor law....more

Federal Court Declines to Expand Injunction Against FTC Noncompete Rules

Earlier this month, we reported on a preliminary injunction granted to the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed in federal district court in Texas, seeking to block the Federal Trade Commission’s regulations voiding most employment...more

Lawful Products Statutes Complicate Employers' Response to Employees' Claims of CBD Use

Over the past year, we have encountered a growing number of claims raised by applicants and employees who allege that positive drug test results for marijuana were actually the result of their use of legal hemp products...more

Mandatory Unconscious Bias Training Did Not Violate Title VII

Employers are facing an increasing number of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charges and lawsuits from white employees who claim that exposure to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training at work...more

Third Circuit Sets Test for Wage Payment to College Athletes

In its Alston decision in 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court ended the legal assumption that NCAA athletes were pure amateurs, exempt from a range of legal protections extended to workers. Since that decision, courts have faced a...more

Time Management Policies Can Mitigate New Overtime Obligations

The first round of increases to minimum salaries required to claim the Fair Labor Standards Act’s white-collar overtime exemptions took effect July 1. Unless blocked by federal courts, the second, larger increase in the...more

1,250 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 50

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide