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Employment Law

Justices may back job applicant in hijab case

03/10/2015
Abercrombie & Fitch had a bad day in court Feb. 25 when its lawyer squared off against skeptical Supreme Court Justices hearing oral arguments in a case involving a teenager who says the Muslim headscarf she wore to an interview cost her a job at the preppy retail chain.

Fired Texas news producer kills self outside Fox HQ

03/09/2015
An employee terminated from the Fox TV affiliate in Texas drove to New York City in January and shot himself outside News Corporation’s Midtown Manhattan headquarters.

NYC pawnshop pays full price to settle harassment complaint

03/09/2015
Seapod Pawnshops, with stores in Brooklyn and Queens, will pay $300,000 and sever ties with a former owner to settle sexual and racial harassment charges. Employees alleged that the former owner harassed them because of their sex, race and ethnicity.

Rid bulletin board of offensive materials ASAP

03/09/2015
Do you check bulletin boards and other areas regularly, looking for potentially offense materials? If not, make it a routine practice. Otherwise, you could wind up facing a hostile work environment lawsuit.

Watch out, boss! You can be sued separately

03/09/2015
Generally, all claims arising out of the same set of facts must be brought in one lawsuit. However, in limited circumstances, it’s possible for an employee to file separate lawsuits against her employer—and her supervisor!

Racial harassment charges reach all-time high

03/09/2015
Employees filed 8,826 charges of racial harassment with the EEOC in fiscal year 2014, the most ever. In 10 years, racial harassment charges have increased by 58%.

Remind bosses: Don’t comment or ask details about employee doctor visits

03/09/2015
Warn supervisors that they should avoid making derisive comments when employees take time off for medical treatments. If the underlying medical condition is a disability under the ADA, such comments may come back later to haunt the employer.

When are a couple of butt slaps not harassment?

03/09/2015
A female nursing home worker slapped a male co-worker twice on the rear end. He complained to HR and the female employee was disciplined. A few days later, the male worker was fired when he didn’t show up for his shift. He sued, claiming he’d been sexually harassed.

EEOC, DOJ team up on public-sector bias

03/06/2015
The EEOC and the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division have signed a new memorandum of understanding firming up the agencies’ enforcement cooperation on discrimination, harassment and retaliation complaints involving local, state and federal government employees.

Worker’s crazy email likely won’t cost you in court

03/06/2015
Not every complaint amounts to “protected activity” that shields an employee from retaliation.