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Court opens door wider to sexual-orientation lawsuits

11/01/2002
In what gay-rights groups are calling a landmark decision, a federal appeals court has said that homosexuals can use federal civil rights laws to sue for alleged harassment. In the …

Not all vision impairments qualify as disabilities

11/01/2002
Several UPS employees who could only see out of one eye claimed their sight was a disability and that UPS’ policy of not allowing them to drive a truck was discriminatory …

Retaliation threat doesn’t erase time limit for filing lawsuit

11/01/2002
Wal-Mart employee Stephanie Beckel complained to a general manager that her supervisor was sexually harassing her. When the general manager told her not to discuss the matter with anyone but himself …

You’re not liable for failing to solve worker’s benefit problem

10/01/2002
Larkin Watson had a chronic heart condition and missed many days of work. His supervisor suggested he reduce his hours from full- to part-time status, which he did. But when his …

Go on offense to establish defense: Train staff in anti-harassment rules

10/01/2002
Maria Gaines, a corrections officer at a New Jersey county jail, claimed that one evening her supervisor grabbed her and kissed her. Then he allegedly joked about it with other high-ranking …

Draft benefit-plan documents can be legal

10/01/2002
A brokerage firm employee was seriously injured in a car accident while driving drunk. He applied for coverage under the company’s accidental death and dismemberment policy, but his claim was denied …

Politics at work: Know state law on voting leave, political speech

10/01/2002
Federal laws are silent on the issue, but 31 states require private companies to give employees time off to vote if the polls are closed during the employee’s off-work time. …

Investigating workplace harassment: 10 steps to success

10/01/2002
When complaints of workplace harassment arise, as they inevitably do, managers and HR directors are called upon to respond. Doing this right is a high-stakes venture. Here are 10 steps to …

No job application needed to sue for hiring bias

09/01/2002
When a University of Arkansas dean position was advertised on campus and statewide, Howard Lockridge, an African-American department chairman, told his supervisors he wasn’t planning to apply for the job. …

Drinking on the job? If it’s a job requirement, employer bears responsibility

09/01/2002
Strippers at a Texas nightclub can sue their employer for injuries caused by driving home drunk, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled. The nightclub requires its dancers to down the alcoholic …