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Employment Law

Court, treading a fine line, finds bishop innocent of fraud

12/04/2008

It was a case about as welcome as the lawsuit against Santa Claus in “Miracle on 34th Street.” Judge Joseph Smyth of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, only reluctantly agreed to hear a lawsuit brought by a priest against the Episcopal Church bishop who defrocked him.

UPS driver sues over dreads

12/04/2008

Nieland Bynoe was hired as a driver for UPS Freight in 2007. He hadn’t even made it through orientation, however, before he was fired for refusing to shave his beard and cut off his dreadlocks … The EEOC has sued on his behalf.

CAIR reports increase in religious discrimination complaints

12/04/2008

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reports that bias complaints by Muslim workers increased by 18% in 2007, reaching a record 452 cases.

Prepare for change when ADA Amendments Act takes effect next month

12/04/2008

The ADA Amendments Act of 2008, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2009, is designed to restore protections for the broad range of individuals with disabilities, as originally envisioned by Congress. The amendments were also meant to reverse several U.S. Supreme Court decisions that limited the ability of individuals to qualify as disabled …

Are we responsible for repairing employee’s car damaged on company time?

12/04/2008

Q. Are employers responsible for fixing an employee’s car if it is involved in an accident while traveling to conduct company business on company time?

How much investigation information do we need to give to suspended employee?

12/04/2008

Q. If we suspend an employee “pending investigation,” what information must we provide to the employee?

What’s our liability when a supervisor strikes an employee?

12/04/2008

Q. We recently had an incident in which a supervisor hit an employee. Are we liable? What kind of violence is a company responsible for preventing?

Do we need posters at every work site?

12/04/2008

Q. Must a company post mandatory notices at every work site? What are the penalties for failing to put up the mandatory posters?

If an employee’s loved one dies, can he use FMLA leave to settle estate affairs?

12/04/2008

Q. One of our employees has been out on FMLA leave for seven weeks taking care of his sick mother in another state. We approved a full 12 weeks of leave. I received a voice mail from him saying that his mother died. He also said that he had to clear up a lot of things with his mother’s estate, but that he would be back by the end of his scheduled leave. Can he do that, or can I tell him he needs to come back sooner?

Could we get in trouble? Brief posting led to job for applicant with inside info

12/04/2008

Q. My company posted an internal job position for 24 hours and only one person applied. She got the job. This person knew about the position and the posting because she works in HR. Is this legal to do in the state of Texas?