Labor & Employment

Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds law curbing collective bargaining for public workers

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has upheld a law that limits collective bargaining for public workers and requires them to make increased contributions to pensions and health care. The state supreme court ruled in a 5-2 decision (PDF) on Thursday that the law does not violate associational and equal protection rights…

Jul 31, 2014 4:03 PM CDT

Ex-administrator sues attorney grievance commission, says he was fired after reporting illegal email

A former longtime administrator has filed a whistleblower suit against the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission, contending that he was fired after reporting illegal email sent by subordinates. Filed Tuesday in Wayne County Circuit Court, the suit by Robert Agacinski also names the chief justice of the state supreme court as…

Jul 30, 2014 5:00 PM CDT

Shot by patient, psychiatrist pulls gun and fires back, saving many lives, authorities say

A troubled mental patient with a substantial criminal history pulled out a gun Thursday during an appointment with his longtime psychiatrist at a Philadelphia area hospital and shot his caseworker to death, authorities said. But the toll could have been far worse if the psychiatrist, Dr. Lee Silverman, hadn’t ducked…

Jul 28, 2014 10:45 PM CDT

Northwestern sues ex-employee, says author took book she was paid to write on infamous murder case

A former part-time employee and published author has been sued by Northwestern University for copyright infringement. Northwestern contends in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday that Nina Barrett was paid, while working on a library fellowship, to write about a notorious 1924 murder by University of Chicago students Nathan Leopold and…

Jul 24, 2014 8:25 PM CDT

Judge OKs class action over working conditions for almost 21,000 Apple employees

A ruling Monday by a California judge means Apple Inc. will have to defend state-law wage and hour claims by as many as 21,000 hourly employees who worked for the company between 2007 and 2012. San Diego Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Prager said it would not be feasible for…

Jul 23, 2014 10:50 PM CDT

Obama nixes LGBT discrimination by federal contractors; there is no religious exemption

Resisting pressure to include a religious exemption, President Barack Obama on Monday signed an executive order banning discrimination by federal contractors based on employees’ sexual orientation or gender identity. “I firmly believe that it’s time to address this injustice for every American,” Obama told those present, Politico reports. His order…

Jul 21, 2014 7:33 PM CDT

Diamond McCarthy files clawback suit against firm’s own ex-partner, over $1.4M Dreier trustee fee

A legal partnership known for its work in high-profile law firm bankruptcy cases has now filed a clawback suit against one of its own ex-partners. Diamond McCarthy says Sheila Gowan is contending, in contravention of the firm’s partnership agreement, that she is entitled to a $1.4 million fee for her…

Jul 21, 2014 5:10 PM CDT

Firing public defender over Facebook comments violated 1st Amendment, his lawyer says

Firing and publicly humiliating a longtime assistant Florida public defender over comments he made on Facebook violated his First Amendment rights, says a lawyer for now-former Broward County employee Gary Sheres. In a blistering Wedneday statement published by the Sun Sentinel, attorney Jason Blank contends that Broward County Public Defender…

Jul 17, 2014 4:30 PM CDT

Paralegal’s suit claims law firm should have paid for overtime

A paralegal has filed a lawsuit claiming that his employer, a New Jersey law firm, failed to pay time-and-a-half for overtime as required by federal law. The suit by Jason Barros was filed on behalf of five paralegals working at Pasricha & Patel of Edison, N.J., along with former paralegals…

Jul 17, 2014 3:48 PM CDT

Fired worker sues ex-employer, says he was illegally terminated for having a gun in his vehicle

A Wisconsin man has sued his now-former employer, contending he was illegally fired because he kept a gun in his parked vehicle at his workplace, as allowed by his concealed-carry permit and state law. Alleging that Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co. Inc. terminated him after a human resources representative asked…

Jul 17, 2014 2:50 PM CDT

Legislation aims to protect employees with changing schedules

University of Chicago professor Susan Lambert sees work scheduling as the next big issue in the push to improve labor standards. Lambert studied 88 low-skilled jobs at 22 Chicago employers in the retail, hospitality, financial services, and transportation industries, according to the school’s website. She found that employers sought to…

Jul 17, 2014 10:45 AM CDT

EEOC searches for plaintiffs in cases filed without named victims; are they ‘hybrid’ actions?

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is inviting potential plaintiffs to come forward in pending class actions that were filed by the agency without identifying any alleged bias victims. A 2011 hiring discrimination suit against Bass Pro Outdoor World was the first class action of its kind in which the EEOC…

Jul 15, 2014 10:45 AM CDT

Solo lawyer says someone hijacked her bar number for rogue legal filing in high-profile federal case

California solo practitioner Cathy Jones says she isn’t affiliated with a firm called Briggs Jones Law, and she didn’t file a motion that urged U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh to recuse herself in a high-profile case. But someone using that law firm name along with Jones’ name, bar number and…

Jul 10, 2014 11:14 AM CDT

Prof who claimed ‘unnerving and creepy’ party behavior by law dean settles retaliation suit

A Case Western Reserve law professor has settled a suit claiming the school retaliated against him after reporting possible sexual harassment by then-law dean Lawrence Mitchell. Terms of the settlement between the professor, Raymond Ku, and the school were confidential. However, a joint statement says Ku will become director of…

Jul 9, 2014 3:35 PM CDT

Assistant PD punched by judge resigns in protest after jurist returns to bench

An assistant public defender who said he was punched by a Florida judge in a Brevard County courtroom hallway has resigned in protest following the jurist’s return to the bench less than a month after the incident. Andrew Weinstock said in a Monday letter that he was resigning, effective immediately,…

Jul 8, 2014 9:20 PM CDT