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Discrimination / Harassment

No special protection for morning sickness

10/01/2000
After 20 unexcused absences in a year, Jennifer Dormeyer was fired from her job as a bank teller. She claimed nine of the absences were because of morning sickness and sued …

Extra damages can be awarded to cover tax consequences

10/01/2000
A jury awarded Richard O’Neill $519,000 in his age discrimination lawsuit against Sears. But O’Neill asked the judge to award extra damages to cover …

Be consistent: Don’t slap harasser on wrist, then fire victim

09/01/2000
Michelle Johnson complained that her boss, a police chief, exposed himself, touched her inappropriately and verbally abused her. The employer launched an investigation. Johnson saw the chief as he was …

Company’s ‘head in the sand’ response racks up punitive damages

09/01/2000
Faced with a bad situation, Wax Works record stores managed to make it even worse, and paid a big price. One of Wax Works’ store managers, Kerry Ogden, had compiled …

Beware greater use of job-discrimination ‘testers.’

09/01/2000
A federal appeals court says that people who pose as job applicants solely to find out if a company discriminates in hiring can still sue the employer under Title VII. These …

Don’t trip over wiretap laws

09/01/2000
An African-American worker claimed he “accidentally” turned on a tape recorder in his duffel bag that just happened to catch two co-workers making racial …

Employers usually win when ADA claims go to trial

09/01/2000
Employers last year prevailed in a whopping 96 percent of federal lawsuits filed under the employment section of the Americans with Disabilities Act, according …

Don’t rely on written policy to prevent harassment

09/01/2000

Q. Our company is considering anti-harassment training for all employees. Some individuals are concerned that it will stir up lawsuits. Do you recommend such training? —J.R., Maine

You can be liable for worker’s online slur

08/01/2000
After Tammy Blakey sued Continental Airlines for sexual harassment, her co-workers used an online bulletin board to post derogatory gender-based messages …

Advocating for minorities can be grounds for bias claim

08/01/2000
John B. Johnson doesn’t say he was discriminated against because he is an African-American but because he advocated for minorities in his role …