It’s a rare day in Texas where a single-plaintiff employment case results in a seven or eight figure jury verdict. However, as the Austin Business Journal recently reported,Microsoft was hit with an $11.6M jury verdict in a defamation case filed by a former employee falsely accused of sexually harassing a Microsoft contractor.
Defamation cases
As every national news program has announced, the Ebola virus has been diagnosed in a North Texas patient. This is the first diagnosed case of Ebola in the United States. According to reports, the Liberian national traveled from Liberia through Brussels, Washington D.C., to Dallas, Texas where he was eventually diagnosed with the virus. Given that
The Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act greatly expanded the definition of what constitutes a disability. Consequently, it increased the number of employees who qualify for the protections of the Act (or as I often lament, we’re all disabled). A positive consequence of this broad definition of disability for defendant-employers is the increased likelihood that in any disability discrimination case
Our family has a fantasy football league and my 13 year old son Benjamin drafted Adrian Peterson in the pre-season draft. Earlier this week when the Minnesota Vikings activated Peterson to play this weekend, Benjamin was faced with a decision many employers have to make; whether to allow an employee who has been charged, but not
Yesterday TMZ released shocking video of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice knocking his then-fiancée out in a casino elevator. Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner had, following the league’s investigation, given Rice a two-game suspension for the incident of domestic violence. Following the release of the in-elevator footage, Goodell suspended Rice indefinitely from the league. You
According to a recent article by DLA Piper, more employees are requesting to be paid in Bitcoin. Bitcoin is a virtual or digital currency usually used for online payments. Although Bitcoin has only been around for five or six years and I doubt it will ever be used for the widespread payment of wages
Several weeks ago, I wrote that the Supreme Court’s decision to grant certiorari in Young v. UPS (the case about an employer’s reasonable accommodation obligation to pregnant employees under the PDA) might end up signaling the end of light duty policies that limited light duty availability to employees with worker’s compensation injuries or illnesses. (post here).
Today, the EEOC issued
According to Law360, Home Depot has been sued in a Georgia federal court in a putative class action alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) for improperly using consumer reports and background checks. Law360 reports (subscription required) that the suit alleges that the retailer uses consumer reporting information to make employment decisions on applicants and
The U.S. Supreme Court just concluded its 2013-14 term and is already creating a buzz over the cases it will hear when it convenes again this October. Today, the Court agreed to hear a case involving whether and to what extent pregnant employees are entitled to reasonable accommodations for conditions related to their pregnancy. The case
Employers conduct variety of background checks on employees and applicants depending on the level of hire and the duties performed. Of the background checks that employers conduct, which category of employees should receive the most rigorous background checks –the CEO, Comptroller, Treasurer? All worthy choices.
As the Edward Snowden NSA leak teaches, those who have broad access