In a refreshing break for business in the Bay State, two recent appellate court decisions have confirmed that legitimate independent contractor relationships are alive and well in Massachusetts. Those decisions are Patel, et...more
Plaintiff, a white man, was a strong performer in his role before he was fired and replaced by three women, two of whom were racial minorities, amid a Diversity and Inclusion initiative that included a call to restructure the...more
3/21/2024
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Business Strategies ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Punitive Damages ,
Race Discrimination ,
Reverse Discrimination ,
Sex Discrimination
Seyfarth Synopsis: While the potential impact on private companies’ employee-focused DEI efforts has received much attention in the wake of the recent Supreme Court higher education affirmative action cases, another strategic...more
8/22/2023
/ Affirmative Action ,
Civil Rights Act ,
College Admissions ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Race Discrimination ,
Reverse Discrimination ,
SCOTUS ,
Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College ,
Students for Fair Admissions v University of North Carolina ,
Suppliers ,
Supply Contracts ,
Title VII
Massachusetts Attorney General investigates 70 employers (both large and small – across all industries), citing 21 of them for violating the state’s “ban the box” law, which prohibits most businesses from asking about job...more
6/18/2018
/ Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Regulatory Violations ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Seyfarth Synopsis: Effective October 13, 2018, Massachusetts employers will no longer be permitted to inquire about certain misdemeanor convictions and sealed or expunged records for employment purposes. ...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Massachusetts Attorney General’s office (“AGO”) issued Guidance on March 1 about the changes to the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act (“MEPA”) that will take effect July 1. Employers preparing to comply with...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services recently amended the provisions of the Commonwealth’s CORI regulations that govern how employers conduct criminal history checks. ...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On August 1, 2016, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill that will amend the Commonwealth’s pay equity law effective in 2018. The changes will make the law one of the most stringent in the...more
8/2/2016
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Transparency ,
Wage and Hour