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Terminations

Prepare to make clear-cut case before firing public employee working on contract

01/05/2009

Ohio public school employees who work under contracts for a set term have the right to keep working until the contract runs out, absent certain “extraordinary circumstances.” But school districts that show exactly why an employee should be fired … are on solid ground when it comes to a later lawsuit.

Don’t mess with the maestro

01/05/2009

Donald Rosenberg is suing The Plain Dealer, claiming he was fired from his beat as classical music critic because he frequently panned the Cleveland Orchestra’s conductor, Franz Welser-Möst.

UT HR official fights for job after newspaper op-ed furor

01/05/2009

Crystal Dixon, former associate vice president of HR at the University of Toledo (UT), has filed a federal lawsuit challenging her termination for writing a newspaper column that conflicted with the university’s values. In April 2008, Dixon wrote an opinion piece defending limits on domestic-partner benefits …

Hang tough when there’s absolutely no discrimination

01/05/2009

Sometimes, you have to trust that your lawyer and the courts will do the right thing and toss out a clearly frivolous case. As long as you are sure that you have solid reasons for firing an employee who wasn’t doing her job—and that you didn’t treat her any differently than any other employee with the same track record—fire her.

Can I fire an employee whose financial woes have me worried about our own finances?

01/05/2009

Q. I recently discovered that an employee who handles my company’s accounts receivable has filed for bankruptcy. Can I discharge this employee?

Texas Workforce Commission gets $5 million for base closures

01/05/2009

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced that Texas will receive a $5 million grant to help respond to military base realignment and closures.

UT faculty association sues over job losses at medical branch

01/05/2009

An association representing University of Texas faculty members recently filed a lawsuit against university officials on behalf of UT Medical Branch employees, challenging the legitimacy of the decision to lay off 3,800 employees in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

Avis Budget Group to close call center in Wichita Falls

01/05/2009

Avis Budget Group has announced that it plans to close a call center in Wichita Falls, in addition to a claims processing facility in Orlando, Fla., as part of its efforts to cut 2,200 jobs worldwide.

Tenure denial and discharge don’t give right to sue over ruined reputation

12/31/2008

Probationary university professors whose contracts aren’t renewed because they failed to achieve tenure status can’t use tenure denial alone as the basis of a suit alleging damage to their reputations. They must show that the decision was actually motivated by something like race or sex discrimination.

Seek civility, don’t sweat oversensitivity

12/31/2008

Whether a work environment is actually sexually hostile depends on whether that’s how an average person would perceive it. A supersensitive person won’t get to sue for sexual harassment if an ordinary person would brush off the alleged harassment.