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®
The Tennessee Supreme Court has recently held that there is no legal claim for wrongful discharge where an employer terminates an employee because the employee exercised a right set forth in the state Constitution. The...more
No Claim By Employee Who Was Friends With Alleged Harasser Atalla v. Rite Aid Corp., 2023 WL 2521909 (Cal. Ct. App. 2023) - Hanin Atalla and Erik Lund had a social relationship and became “close friends” before Atalla...more
Along with the increasing number of remote work arrangements available to employees in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has come an exponential rise in employers’ use of employee monitoring technology. Nearly 80% of major...more
Many employers purchase Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) to insure against loss as a result of employment claims. However, employers who do not carefully read their policies could be surprised by what is (or is...more
Welcome to the third edition of the Law @ Work Employer Newsletter. For those of you who read the Law @ Work blog, you know that the blog offers an in-depth analysis of important legal developments. This Newsletter fills in...more
Trial Court Erroneously Granted Bill Cosby's Anti-SLAPP Motion - Dickinson v. Cosby, 17 Cal. App. 5th 655 (2017) - After Janice Dickinson went public with her accusations of rape against Bill Cosby, Cosby's attorney...more
Every year our clients approach us seeking legal counsel and guidance on a wide range of employment-related issues. Some of these issues are unique to a particular industry; others are common to employers in general. As this...more
Can a plaintiff get emotional distress damages in a wage and hour claim? In December 2016, the Fifth Circuit issued an opinion of first impression where it found that a plaintiff filing a retaliation claim as part of an...more
When does a retaliation claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) arise? Put another way, does an employee actually have to go to the U.S. Department of Labor before an adverse employment action in order to have a...more
Employee Who Needed To Assist Disabled Son Could Proceed With "Associational Disability Discrimination" Claim - Castro-Ramirez v. Dependable Highway Express, Inc., 246 Cal. App. 4th 180 (2016) - Luis...more
A recent decision offers a not-so-friendly reminder to HR professionals and supervisory employees: you can be individually liable for FMLA violations if you review, approve, and correspond with employees regarding their FMLA...more
In Graziadio v. Culinary Institute of America, et al., 15-888-cv (2d. Cir. Mar. 17, 2016), the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the...more
Court Reverses $1 Million Discrimination Verdict Entered Against LA Fire Department - Jumaane v. City of Los Angeles, 241 Cal. App. 4th 1390 (2015) - Jabari Jumaane, an African-American firefighter with the Los...more
The so-called “manager rule” addresses a concern that employers may face a “litigation minefield” if a manager whose very job duties required them to report discrimination complaints could later sue for retaliation if they...more
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 not only prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, and national origin, but also prohibits retaliation against individuals who oppose unlawful discrimination or...more
“An apple a day keeps the doctor lawyer away.” Here are five easy and inexpensive things that employers can do to minimize their risk of being sued and maximize their chances of victory if they do get sued. None of these...more
Employee's Inability To Work For A Particular Supervisor Does Not Constitute A "Disability" - Higgins-Williams v. Sutter Med. Found., 237 Cal. App. 4th 78 (2015) - Michaelin Higgins-Williams worked as a clinical...more
On April 20, the Second Circuit filled a gap left open by the Supreme Court by extending the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) anti-retaliation provisions to oral complaints made to an employer (rather than just complaints...more
$300,000 In Punitive Damages Upheld In Sexual Harassment Case Despite Nominal Damages Award - State of Arizona v. ASARCO LLC, 2014 WL 6918577 (9th Cir. 2014) (en banc). Angela Aguilar who worked in a copper mine...more