News & Analysis as of

Termination Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Employer Liability Issues

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

Don’t let a bad employee’s protected activity lead you into the twilight zone.

You are about to enter another dimension. A journey into the world of discrimination and retaliation. Consider, if you will, the case of an employee who suspects that he or she is about to be fired or demoted for misconduct...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Eighth Circuit Chips Away at ‘Honest Belief’ Defense and Creates ‘Intertwinement Test’ for Disability Discrimination Cases

On July 1, 2024, in Huber v. Westar Foods, Inc., in a 2–1 decision, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals departed from the “honest belief” defense recognized by the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Seventh Circuits (and U.S....more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

FMLA Requires Employers to Adjust Work Expectations

When we talk with employers about employees taking Family and Medical Leave Act leave, we sometimes get questions about the impact of the employee’s absence on the business. We in turn explain that the FMLA is an entitlement,...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

Want to fire your employee for FMLA fraud?

Don't shoot from the hip. Let's say you have an employee who is in Week Six of "employee's own serious health condition" leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Her co-worker comes to you and tells you that the...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Eleventh Circuit Holds FMLA Retaliation Requires “But-for” Showing

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Seyfarth Synopsis: The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court’s decision that “but-for” is the proper causation standard for FMLA retaliation claims addressed within the...more

Tucker Arensberg, P.C.

Terminating Poor Performers During or After FMLA or ADA Leave: Key Considerations

Tucker Arensberg, P.C. on

Performance management is one of the most important–and difficult–issues that employers face in supervising their workforce. Dealing with performance problems becomes even harder when an underperforming employee requests or...more

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Second Circuit Affirms Dismissal Based on Separation Agreement

The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently weighed in on release provisions in separation agreements in the context of a head injury....more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

Fit for duty? Be careful what you ask for.

At one time or another, one of your employees may have had a serious health condition resulting in multiple absences, followed by a release to return to work with restrictions that you believed prevented the employee from...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Fourth Circuit Reinstates Employee’s Claim That Social Media App Messages Provided Sufficient Notice of a Medical Absence

On August 15, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held in Roberts v. Gestamp West Virginia, LLC, that an employer’s “usual and customary” notice procedures relating to absences extended beyond the company’s...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

ABCs of Employment Law: Employment at will

So misunderstood! NOTE FROM ROBIN: Earlier this year, I began a series of very basic explanations of the federal laws that govern the workplace. The first installment covered discrimination in general, and the second...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

How A Facebook Messenger Chat Can Become a “Usual and Customary” FMLA Notice Procedure For a Company

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Seyfarth Synopsis: In a recent ruling, Roberts v. Gestamp (Decided August 15, 2022), the Fourth Circuit reversed, in part, the lower court’s decision to grant the Company’s motion for summary judgment on the grounds that the...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Above-Average Performance Reviews Counter Employer's Grounds for Termination

​​​​​​​“Grade inflation” is a well-known phenomenon in the academic sphere, where grade-point averages creep up over time despite the lack of performance-based reasons for the increase. Grade inflation can also be an issue...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

Employers Must Tread Carefully In FMLA Request Discussions To Avoid FMLA Interference Claims

Amundsen Davis LLC on

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides employees essentially two paths to bring lawsuits for alleged FMLA violations: retaliation claims and interference claims....more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

FMLA "interference" doesn't require denial of leave

The court is right, I think. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued an opinion on Wednesday that provides helpful clarification for employers and their leave administrators. ...more

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Seventh Circuit Signs Off on Termination After FMLA Leave

An employer with documented evidence of performance issues before an employee took leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) did not run afoul of the statute when it terminated the employee upon her return, the...more

Rivkin Radler LLP

The Employment Law Reporter - January 2022

Rivkin Radler LLP on

Here is what we cover in this issue of The Employment Law Reporter: •The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has affirmed a district court’s decision dismissing employment discrimination claims brought by a...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Happy Thanksgiving and the Many Things for Which We Are Thankful – 2021 Edition

Many of us are understandably anxious to put another tumultuous year of the pandemic behind us. But before we sit down at the table to fill our plates and bellies to overflowing to celebrate the holiday, we can all find some...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Consistently Inconsistent: An Example of Shifting Reasons for Employment Termination Precluding Summary Judgment

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

McAfee & Taft

FMLA does not prohibit termination for failure to comply with call-in requirements

McAfee & Taft on

Employees can be held accountable for not complying with an employer’s call-in notice requirement, even when the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) may apply. In Koch v. Thames Healthcare Group, LLC, the employer had an...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Texas Supreme Court Rules Request for Disability Accommodation Does Not Support Retaliation Claim Under State Law

Texas courts generally look to federal courts’ interpretation of federal anti-discrimination laws to assist in interpreting the anti-discrimination provisions of the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (TCHRA). However, the...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

The Insidious Deception That Is "Employment At Will"

Employers, don't get played. "This is an employment-at-will state, and I can fire you for a good reason, a bad reason, or no reason at all." Oh, yeah?... ...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

Employer Gets Whacked On Workers' Comp, FMLA Overlap

Bless this employer's heart. Ten years ago or so, every employment lawyer and his sister was calling the interaction between workers' compensation, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

Employee "Refuses To Sign." Now what?

Should the employer force the issue? You Human Resources professionals are familiar with this scenario. You are present while a supervisor is disciplining an employee. The supervisor has a write-up, pre-approved by you, and...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

No Magic Words Needed In Employee Requests For Leave That Might Be Protected By FMLA

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

A terminated employee may proceed with his Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) retaliation claim even though he never specifically requested leave under that statute, a Maine federal court has ruled. Waterman v. Paul G. White...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Regular, On-Site Attendance Is Essential Function Of Auditor Job, Sixth Circuit Rules

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

The Sixth Circuit previously explained in Hostettler v. College of Wooster, 895 F.3d 844 (6th Cir. 2018) that regular, in-person attendance is not a per se essential function of every job. Rather, employers must tie...more

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