The Chartwell Chronicles: Employment Law
Managing the Size and Structure of Your Post-Pandemic Workforce
#WorkforceWednesday: OSHA ETS on Hold, Retaliation Claims Increase, "Vaccination Ambassadors" - Employment Law This Week®
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
Last week’s decision by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Morgan v. Allison Crane & Rigging LLC, stands as a reminder to employers to exercise caution in how they navigate accommodating employees with temporary medical...more
Maryland Health Care Provider Terminated Employee with Vision Impairments for Requesting Reasonable Accommodation on First Day of Work - BALTIMORE – All Day Medical Care Clinic, LLC, which operates five medical clinics in...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a summary judgment award on an employee’s failure-to-accommodate claim. The Court’s decision focused on the employer’s improperly narrow delineation of the...more
The Americans with Disabilities Act does not require employers to ignore or excuse serious violations of their rules of conduct. For example, an employee who brings a weapon to work in violation of the employer’s policy...more
In April 2022, a Kentucky jury awarded $450,000 to a fired employee who claimed that an unwanted office birthday party triggered panic attacks. The employee refused to attend the party on his behalf and was later terminated....more
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas recently denied an employer’s motion for summary judgment when its alleged shifting reasons for terminating the plaintiff’s employment contract raised genuine issues...more
Yes, an employer can implement a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, subject to some conditions and exceptions. A mandatory vaccine policy must be job-related, consistent with business necessity or justified by a direct...more
Many employees are concerned about returning to work due to COVID-19. Employers need to be prepared for their employee’s requests. They will want to treat their employees fairly and also minimize their liability. There are...more
On June 1, 2020, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals entered an unpublished, per curiam decision affirming the grant of summary judgment in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville division...more
On March 31, 2020, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court’s dismissal of discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination claims filed by an ex-accountant of a local board of health. In Petti v....more
On February 24, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina issued an opinion in Brown v. Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. regarding disability discrimination, reasonable accommodations, and...more
Employee With Disabilities Denied a Reasonable Accommodation and Discharged After Seeking Two Days of Unpaid Leave, Federal Agency Charges - ATLANTA - American Woodmark Corporation, a wood cabinetry manufacturer, will pay...more
Athletic Apparel Manufacturer Fired Temporary Employee Because of Her Disabilities, Federal Agency Charges - BYHALIA, Miss. - ASICS America Corporation (ASICS), a manufacturer of athletic footwear and accessories,...more
Home Décor Business Fired Warehouse Employee for Taking Unpaid Leave It Forced Her to Use, Federal Agency Charges - LOUIS - Black Forest Décor, LLC violated federal law when it forced a worker with a disability at its...more
Hospital Supervisors Refused Accommodation for Deaf Employee, Federal Agency Charges - SANTA FE, N.M. - Christus Health, doing business as Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, N.M., violated federal...more
Software Company Fired Employee for Perceived Disability, Federal Agency Charged - RALEIGH, N.C. - SoftPro, LLC, a Delaware software company headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., will pay $80,000 and provide other relief to...more
On April 1, 2019, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois denied summary judgment in an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) case, determining that occasionally excusing employees from...more
Employee With Asperger's Syndrome Denied a Reasonable Accommodation and Fired While on Medical Leave, Federal Agency Charged - ATLANTA - Masterbuilt Manufacturing, LLC, a for-profit manufacturer of cooking products, will...more
It’s hard to believe another year is coming to a close, but here we are. As part of my personal year-end celebration, I have prepared an informal ranking of the top mistakes I’ve tried to help clients avoid, correct, or...more
Under the Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), employers are required to provide 12 weeks of unpaid leave to employees with certain family or medical issues. These issues include attending to serious health conditions that make...more
Here’s a puzzle for you. How would you handle it? Mary Beth is a nurse for a local hospital and has been diagnosed with cancer and asthma. 1. She is certified for FMLA leave for her cancer and asthma; 2. She incurs...more
Employee Fired for Posting About Discrimination on Glassdoor.com, Federal Agency Charges - SAN FRANCISCO - Educational technology company IXL Learning Inc. violated federal law when it retaliated against an employee for...more
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals has affirmed a decision holding that a call center employee with bipolar disorder proved that he was discharged “because of” his disability by establishing he was discharged for misconduct—i.e.,...more
On March 10, 2017, the Tenth Circuit in Henson v. AmeriGas Propane, Inc., no.: 16-7057, declined to revive a discrimination and wrongful discharge lawsuit in finding that the lower court was correct in its holding that that...more