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Discrimination / Harassment

Lawsuit alleges $5 million grope in NYC HR office

06/03/2011
A woman who used to work for New York City’s Human Resources Administration has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against a former supervisor she says drunkenly fondled her. The city agency and the union that represents agency employees are also named as defendants.

Keep all medical records confidential! Otherwise, normal lawsuit rules don’t apply

06/03/2011

Employers are used to breathing a sigh of relief when 300 days pass without learning that a former employee has filed a discrimination complaint with the EEOC or the New York State Division of Human Rights. They assume that missing the deadline means the employee won’t be able to sue. Not so fast!

Former Rochester schools chief, now in Chicago, under fire

06/03/2011
Educators in Rochester are suing Jean-Claude Brizard, who headed the city’s school system for three years before being tapped to run Chicago’s schools.

Reconsidering decision? Act fast to fix it

06/03/2011
Here’s a tip for employers that make snap decisions and then quickly reconsider: Don’t hesitate to fix the problem; that could convince a court to toss out a lawsuit.

10 steps to take when responding to an EEOC complaint

06/01/2011

The EEOC and state and local agencies have been filing more administrative charges in recent years and that trend is likely to continue. Because administrative charges can be precursors to discrimination lawsuits, it’s critical for you to handle them properly. These 10 tips will help you prepare to respond.

Can you sue for harassment if no one actually harasses you? 5th Circuit opens the door a crack

06/01/2011

Here’s a new worry for employers: More and more employees who aren’t being directly targeted for har­­­­­­­ass­­ment are suing anyway. They claim that the fact that others may be experiencing sexual, racial or other forms of harassment means that they, in ­effect, are also victims. Some of those claims actually succeed.

Good cause to act? Don’t wait to terminate

06/01/2011
Sometimes, it’s smart to pull the termination trigger sooner rather than later. Waiting just gives the employee a chance to dig in—and plan a lawsuit.

Tarheel Medical Transport faces PDA suit over forced leave

06/01/2011

The EEOC is suing Tarheel Medical Transport, alleging the Wilson County company forced pregnant employees to take leaves of absences until after their children were born. The lawsuit claims the policy violates the federal Pregnancy Dis­crimi­nation Act.

Dillard’s must take $50,000 from till to pay for age bias

06/01/2011
Managers at the Dillard’s department store in Cary have learned the hard way that forcing out older workers simply because of their age doesn’t pay.

In Randleman, gender and disability bias cost big bucks

06/01/2011
Ohio-based Timken Co. will pay $120,000 to settle a gender and disability complaint from a woman who worked at the company’s ball bearing plant in Randleman.