Providing Interpreter for Deaf Lifeguard May Not Be Unreasonable Accommodation, 6th Circuit Says

Updated: An Americans with Disabilities Act case involving a deaf Michigan man denied a lifeguard position because he needed an sign language interpreter was reinstated Thursday in the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Nicholas Keith, who has been deaf since birth, passed the Oakland County lifeguard training course…

Jan 11, 2013 6:45 PM CST

Reprimand for ‘Flatulence’ Withdrawn in Unusual Employee Discipline Case

After the Smoking Gun called attention to an unusual reprimand letter accusing a Social Security Administration employee of misconduct for continuously passing gas, thus creating a hostile work environment, the agency has seen fit to clear the air and withdraw the action. The five-page letter sent in early December accused…

Jan 11, 2013 12:30 PM CST

Do Footnoted Allegations of Vegetarian Bias Amount to Defamation? Suit Targets Law Review Article

A law professor who wrote a law review article on gender-stereotyping theory has been sued for alleged defamation over a footnoted case study he used involving a claim of vegetarian bias. The defendant, employment law professor Zachary Kramer, is now associate dean for intellectual life at Arizona State University’s Sandra…

Jan 3, 2013 11:30 AM CST

Columnists Decry Iowa Ruling Finding No Sex Bias in Woman Fired for Being Too Irresistible

Outraged columnists are still talking about an Iowa Supreme Court ruling issued before Christmas that tossed a lawsuit by a woman who says her boss fired her because he considered her an irresistible attraction. The Iowa Supreme Court ruled on Dec. 21 that the firing of dental assistant Melissa Nelson…

Jan 2, 2013 4:31 PM CST

Work on Your Retirement Plans: Choices Depend on Firm Size and Income

Jan 1, 2013 7:40 AM CST

Ex-Crime Lab Supervisors Sue Texas DA, Claim Pointing to Booze Breath-Test Issues Led to Retaliation

Two former supervisors at a troubled police crime laboratory in Houston, Texas, have sued the local district attorney, contending that they suffered retaliation after blowing the whistle about problems with portable breath-alcohol testing stations. The Houston Chronicle reports that the plaintiffs, Amanda Culbertson and Jorge Wong, name three defendants in…

Dec 18, 2012 7:21 PM CST

DC Court of Appeals Revives Pro Se Attorney’s Constitutional Claim re Rejected Gov’t Job Application

A Kentucky lawyer who wanted to work in the administrative office of the United States Courts in Washington, D.C., was summarily rejected when she applied because she doesn’t live in the nation’s capital or its suburbs. That was a violation of her constitutional right to travel, argued Malla Pollack, at…

Dec 18, 2012 5:13 PM CST

Aussie Court Upholds Workers’ Comp for Woman Injured During Hotel Tryst on Business Trip

An Australian court has upheld a judge’s decision that a woman injured during hotel sex on a business trip is entitled to workers’ compensation. The Full Bench of the Federal Court ruled last Thursday on behalf of the woman, a government employee, report the Associated Press, the Independent and the…

Dec 18, 2012 2:41 PM CST

Missing Citations and Missed Deadlines Irk Federal Judge, Who Tosses Bias Suit

A federal judge in Minnesota has dismissed a job bias suit by six plaintiffs against the Minneapolis Convention Center in an opinion that expresses frustration with their lawyer. U.S. District Judge Ann Montgomery said the plaintiffs had failed to offer statistical evidence of discrimination or other evidence showing the convention…

Dec 17, 2012 12:15 PM CST

Judge Axes Most of Defamation Suit Filed By Former Phila. News Anchor Alycia Lane Against TV Station

A state court judge in Philadelphia has dismissed all claims made by former KYW-TV news anchor Alycia Lane against the station and CBS in a defamation suit. However, some claims against her former co-anchor, Larry Mendte, remain, CBS reports. The Associated Press and the Daily Mail also have stories. Lane,…

Dec 13, 2012 6:44 PM CST

Suit by David Hester of ‘Storage Wars’ Claims Some Locker Finds Are Rigged

A suit filed by one-time Storage Wars star David Hester claims some of the valuable items found in lockers are placed there by the producers. Hester claims he was fired for complaining about the practice, report the Associated Press, E! Online and TMZ. He alleges wrongful termination in violation of…

Dec 12, 2012 12:53 PM CST

$200M Class Action Claims ‘Boys Club’ at Greenberg Traurig Hogs Work and Origination Credit

A $200 million class action lawsuit filed on Monday claims women lawyers at Greenberg Traurig are undercompensated partly because of a “boys club” in which male lawyers hog origination credit, exclude women from client pitches and favor themselves in work assignments. There is just one exception to policies favoring men,…

Dec 3, 2012 5:26 PM CST

King Coal’s Violent Reign: Century-Old Labor Strife Still Raises Constitutional Questions

Dec 1, 2012 11:10 AM CST

Hated Music as Job Harassment? Justices Consider Hypo in Case on Who Qualifies as Supervisor

In oral arguments on Monday, justices on the U.S. Supreme Court imagined the types of workplace punishment that could be inflicted by a senior employee who harasses a co-worker. At issue is whether an employee who oversees the work of a harassment complainant in a Title VII case can be…

Nov 27, 2012 5:35 PM CST

Law Firm Coffee Spat Leads to Unemployment Case

A Wisconsin law firm known for its representation of workers in cases against employers got the worst of legal dispute with its own ex-receptionist after a disagreement over an empty coffee pot. Sandy Weidner said she was fired on a trumped-up claim that she hadn’t included a few breaks on…

Nov 26, 2012 8:24 PM CST