Labor & Employment

No Disability Pension for Judge Who Won $2.1M Libel Verdict; Top Mass. Court Says Job Link Not Shown

The top court in Massachusetts has upheld administrative decisions nixing a disability pension for a former superior court judge who won a $2.1 million libel verdict against the Boston Herald over a series of 2002 articles that criticized his handling of a rape case. Although Ernest Murphy said he suffered…

Aug 31, 2012 8:45 PM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: Why the Law Doesn’t Suck; Judge Alex Kozinski on the Big Screen

Bloggers write to win This week at Simple Justice, in honor of finding himself in possession of a copy of Writing to Win by Steven Stark, New York City solo Scott Greenfield decided to have a writing contest on his blog to give it away. The challenge? Finish this sentence:…

Aug 31, 2012 1:30 PM CDT

Gay Man Sues Library of Congress, Alleging ‘Sex Stereotyping’ Discrimination

Peter TerVeer says he was an up-and-coming auditor for the Library of Congress’s inspector general’s office until his boss found out that he was gay. Then his boss started harassing him with religious-based homophobia and eventually got him fired, TerVeer claims in a federal lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed Aug. 3…

Aug 30, 2012 9:00 PM CDT

Bank Fires Customer Rep for Using Fake Dime at Laundromat in 1963, Cites New Regulations

Fearful of $1 million-a-day fines under new regulations, banks have fired thousands of employees, according to a California lawyer who has helped some of the workers regain their jobs. New regulations adopted in May 2011 and in February bar banks from employing anyone convicted of a crime involving dishonesty, breach…

Aug 30, 2012 12:35 PM CDT

As Conjoined Twins Enter the World of Work, Some New Legal Definitions May Be Needed

If Abby and Brittany Hensel should ever litigate a wage dispute with their employer, a judge or jury is going to have to give the matter some serious thought. The two recent college graduates, now 22, are looking for work together. In fact, they’re looking for a job at the…

Aug 27, 2012 4:48 PM CDT

BigLaw Firm’s Alleged Blog Disclosure Results in Defamation Claim by Ex-Associate

A former Ropes & Gray associate who sued the firm for racial discrimination and retaliation is adding additional claims as a result of the law firm’s alleged disclosure to a legal blog. A federal judge in Boston is allowing former associate John Ray III to add defamation and invasion of…

Aug 27, 2012 3:46 PM CDT

Empire State Building Shooter Reportedly a Disgruntled, Laid-Off Employee

A women’s apparel designer, disgruntled after losing his job, is responsible for this morning’s Empire State Building shootings, the New York Times reports. Raymond W. Kelly, the New York Police Commissioner, identified the man as Jeffrey Johnson, 56, and said he worked for Hazan Industries. The Associated Press reports that…

Aug 24, 2012 4:40 PM CDT

Suit Claims US Immigration Official Created ‘Frat House-Type Atmosphere’

The chief of staff at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has taken a voluntary paid leave pending a review of allegations in a lawsuit claiming she created a discriminatory work environment for male employees. The suit filed in May by James Hayes Jr. accuses chief of staff Suzanne Barr of…

Aug 22, 2012 1:41 PM CDT

Law Firm’s ‘Playbook’ Shows How Police Play Hardball at Bargaining Table, Paper Says

In what one California newspaper characterizes as a rare look behind the curtain of police pay negotiations, a law firm has posted a “playbook” of sorts. Upland law firm Lackie, Dammeier & McGill—which maintains the Web domain policeattorney.com and touts that its attorneys are “Former Cops Defending Current Ones”—has on…

Aug 17, 2012 12:03 PM CDT

Hospital Tech Criminally Charged in Hepatitis Case Worked at 10 Jobs in 4 Years Despite Drug Issues

Despite repeated incidents in which co-workers suspected radiology technician David Kwiatkowski of abusing addictive drugs intended for patients, he managed to get jobs as a temporary worker at 10 hospitals in the four years after he was fired from by a medical center in Pittsburgh. Now thousands of people in…

Aug 15, 2012 5:47 PM CDT

Are Bosses Who Yell a Relic of the Past?

Belligerent supervisors who yell at and bully their employees are slowly disappearing from the workplace. So says the Wall Street Journal, which says “The new consensus among managers is that yelling alarms people, drives them away rather than inspiring them, and hurts the quality of their work.” And, there are…

Aug 15, 2012 1:54 PM CDT

Retired State Supreme Court Judge Takes Justice of Peace Court Bench After Predecessor’s Abrupt Exit

A retired former justice of the Montana Supreme Court is temporarily serving as a justice of the peace in Lake County, after her longtime predecessor on the Polson court seat abruptly resigned. Judge Diane Barz, who lives near Flathead Lake with her husband, had to get special permission from the…

Aug 14, 2012 3:55 PM CDT

Prosecutor Loses $129K Job, Is Accused of Creating Hostile Work Environment via ‘Spy Pen’ Photos

A longtime Connecticut prosecutor accused of creating a hostile work environment for female colleagues and court workers by secretly videotaping their legs with a “spy pen” in and around court and at his office was fired Friday from his $129,000-a-year job. Senior Assistant Danbury State’s Attorney David Holzbach, 52, had…

Aug 9, 2012 8:44 PM CDT

Turmoil at SLU: Law Dean Resigns, Cites Funding Issues, ‘Hostility,’ Prez Says She Was to Be Fired

Updated: The dean of St. Louis University’s law school has resigned after a year on the job and plans to return to teaching as a tenured faculty member. In a Wednesday resignation letter, Annette Clark stepped down from the job, effective immediately, and brings up multiple issues with the SLU’s…

Aug 8, 2012 7:47 PM CDT

State Department Employee Can Sue for Age Discrimination, DC Circuit Rules

The State Department can not engage in age discrimination, even if the employee resides in a country that condones the behavior, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia found today, in an action brought by a former Paris U.S. embassy worker forced to retire at age 65.…

Aug 7, 2012 10:06 PM CDT