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Discrimination / Harassment

No joking matter: Stuffed monkey costs official his $88,000 job

02/01/2007

Poor taste can be expensive. That’s what a Fort Pierce deputy building official learned after losing his $88,000 job over a two-inch stuffed monkey that he presented at a retiring director’s going-away party …

Printed policies don’t suffice; be vigilant about harassment

02/01/2007

If your business operates in far-flung parts of the country, make sure everyone’s on the same page in following your anti-discrimination policies …

‘He said, she said’: Train staff in conflict resolution

02/01/2007

What’s a manager to do when faced with conflicting accounts of an argument between employees? An important part of that answer is to resolve it quickly, before the dispute spreads like a cancer through your organization …

Victoria’s Secret lawsuit serves as warning about pregnancy bias

02/01/2007

The manager of a Tampa Victoria’s Secret store recently filed a complaint alleging that the store fired her because she was pregnant. The woman alleges that management told her the pregnancy “was going to be a problem” …

Miami DEA officer wins bias suit, claims transfer was retaliation

02/01/2007

A former Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) administrator recently won a four-year battle over alleged racial discrimination and retaliation charges against the agency and U.S. Justice Department. He won $85,000 in damages, plus legal fees …

Good news: Liberal definition of retaliation applies only in certain retaliation cases

02/01/2007

In a landmark ruling last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court made it easier for employees to sue their employers for retaliation. But employers in Georgia and others in the 11th Circuit can breathe a sigh of relief when it comes to this ruling …

Quick fix to discriminatory act may help thwart your legal liability

02/01/2007

If your organization realizes that it made a mistake in failing to hire a member of a protected class (female, minority, disabled, etc.), it’s best to fix the problem as soon as possible and make a job offer. Chances are that will end your liability …

Coke’s diversity reforms: Judge rules it’s the real thing

02/01/2007

Coca-Cola has received the court’s blessing for its diversity efforts in the wake of a landmark 1999 discrimination lawsuit that cost the company $192.5 million …

Savannah police chief sued; ‘paramour favoritism’ at issue

02/01/2007

In a deposition recently released to the public, Savannah Chief of Police Michael Berkow admitted having an affair with a subordinate during his tenure as Deputy Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) …

Noble intentions, ignoble methods in DeKalb County

02/01/2007

DeKalb County faces a discrimination lawsuit by employees who allege that the county’s parks management, attempting to create a ”darker administration” to better reflect county demographics, discriminated against white employees …