On June 7, 2017, the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced that it is withdrawing the prior Administration’s guidance on joint employment and independent contractors. The Obama Administration had issued...more
On August 1, 2016, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed the Pay Equity Act (the “Act”) into law. The Act, which goes into effect on January 1, 2018, is designed to close the wage gap between men and women. Although...more
On May 16, 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued two final rules describing how employer wellness programs must comply with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title II of the...more
On February 29, 2016, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”), in Bulwer v. Mount Auburn Hospital, articulated the type of evidence required for a plaintiff to survive summary judgment and have his claims heard by a...more
3/2/2016
/ Burden of Proof ,
Evidence ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hospitals ,
Jury Trial ,
National Origin Discrimination ,
Performance Reviews ,
Physicians ,
Pretext ,
Race Discrimination ,
Summary Judgment
Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit reversed summary judgment to the employer, an operator of Dunkin’ Donuts stores, on claims by two former managers that they were improperly denied overtime under the...more
The Massachusetts Wage Act automatically entitles an employee who proves an unlawful failure to pay wages to treble damages. On June 18, 2015, however, a Massachusetts Superior Court judge ruled in Littlefield v. Adcole...more
On April 21, 2015, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) held in Sebago, et al. v. Boston Cab Dispatch, Inc., et al., that taxicab companies may classify taxicab drivers as independent contractors. The plaintiffs in...more
On March 9, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held in Perez v. Mortgage Bankers Association, that the Department of Labor (DOL) may issue its interpretations of wage and hour regulations without seeking input from the...more
On December 9, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held in Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc. v. Busk, that Amazon warehouse employees were not entitled to pay for the time spent waiting to go through security checks at...more
On April 18, 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit held in Newman v. Advanced Technology Innovation Corp., that a per diem payment that is based on the number of hours worked by an employee must be considered...more
When it passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”), Congress established protections against retaliation for “employees” who report fraud at public companies. Since then, however, courts and commentators have disagreed...more
On January 23, 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (based in Virginia) held in Summers v. Altarum Inst., Corp. that a temporary injury, if sufficiently severe, may qualify as a “disability” under the...more