Labor & Employment

1st Circuit: Gov’t Must Pay $3.1M to Family of Man Slain By FBI Agent’s Informants

A federal appeals court yesterday upheld a $3.1 million award against the U.S. government to the family of a Quincy, Mass., fisherman killed in 1984 by leaders of the Winter Hill gang in Boston, after a rogue FBI agent leaked information to them. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of…

Oct 18, 2008 2:41 AM CDT

Meatpacker Prayer Dispute Among Rising Complaints of Religious Bias

Complaints of religious bias in the workplace are increasing as employees become more open about their faith. More than 4,500 religious bias complaints were filed last year with federal, state and local agencies, a 15 percent increase, the Wall Street Journal reports. In the last 15 years, complaints of religious…

Oct 16, 2008 2:29 PM CDT

Fla. School Board Lawyer May Get Nearly a Year of Paid Vacation

A Florida attorney who has contracted to provide legal services for the Miami-Dade School Board has already spent four months at home on unpaid leave. But now a divided board is hoping to give JulieAnn Rico another six months’ pay in a severance package that will conclude her contract, reports…

Oct 10, 2008 10:35 PM CDT

Justices Appear to Side with Employee in Retaliation Case

A Nashville, Tenn., school employee who claims she is protected from retaliation for cooperating in an internal probe of sexual harassment appeared likely to win her case before the U.S. Supreme Court. In oral arguments yesterday, lawyers for Vicky Crawford contended she was entitled to the same retaliation protections under…

Oct 9, 2008 5:26 PM CDT

Seyfarth Steps Out, Littler Steps In as Only US Member of Int’l Labor Group

Littler Mendelson has stepped in to take the place of Seyfarth Shaw as the only U.S. member of an international group of labor and employment law firms. The 50-law firm group, Ius Laboris, serves as a referral network among members, who tend to turn to one another when legal help…

Oct 8, 2008 9:24 PM CDT

Fired for On-the-Job Sex at Neiman’s, Ex-Workers Sue Over Videotape

Two former security employees at a Neiman Marcus department store near Chicago were fired after a video camera allegedly twice caught the “close friends” allegedly involved in “sexual activity” with each other last year in a loss prevention office. Now they are suing the store in Cook County Circuit Court,…

Oct 1, 2008 4:47 PM CDT

Atlanta-Based Employment Boutique Expands to West Coast

A rapidly growing Atlanta-based employment boutique is expanding its services to the West Coast, with the acquisition of a California-based counterpart, Landegger, Baron & Lavenant. Constangy Brooks & Smith “has added 12 offices since 1999, and we are continuing to expand our presence into new areas of the country,” the…

Oct 1, 2008 4:00 PM CDT

Unbridled Bureaucracy?

Equine Massage Therapist Rears Up at Rules and Regulations Regarding Hands-On Help for Horses

Oct 1, 2008 3:15 PM CDT

Solicitor General Had Winning Supreme Court Term

Solicitor General Paul Clement was on the winning side in 20 out of 25 Supreme Court cases in which the Justice Department filed an amicus brief last term. In business cases, Clement was particularly successful, staking out a win in six out of seven cases. The figures are reported in…

Oct 1, 2008 1:53 PM CDT

GE Battles a Second In-House Lawyer in Court

Two in-house lawyers for General Electric are facing the company in courtroom battles. In the most recent case, fired lawyer Adriana Koeck is defending a GE lawsuit that seeks return of confidential e-mails, memos and legal opinions she is accused of misappropriating, Corporate Counsel reports. The company contends she gave…

Sep 30, 2008 6:32 PM CDT

Federal Judges Ax Case, Sanction N.Y. Lawyer for Trial Conduct

A New York civil rights practitioner was sentenced to two years of probation on Friday in a criminal contempt case that resulted from the way she handled a federal court employment discrimination trial. Ruth Pollack, who practices in Mineola, N.Y., on Long Island, also was suspended from practice for 45…

Sep 29, 2008 7:26 PM CDT

As Tattoos Enter Mainstream, Courts Uphold Employers’ Right to Ban Them

Tattoos and body piercing are gaining increasing acceptance, but employers have a right to ban their workers from sporting them. In case after case, courts have found no legal right to such self-expression, the New York Times reports. The decisions come despite the new popularity of body art such as…

Sep 25, 2008 1:13 PM CDT

Judge Gives Green Light to Some of Dan Rather’s Claims Against CBS

Former CBS news anchor Dan Rather can proceed with a claim that his ex-employer breached its contract with him and damaged his reputation by firing him after a controversial 60 Minutes weeknight edition report in 2004 about President George W. Bush’s service in the Texas Air National Guard. But a…

Sep 23, 2008 8:50 PM CDT

Transgender Woman Wins Sex Bias Suit Over Rescinded Job Offer

A federal judge has ruled that a transgender woman whose job offer was revoked was the victim of illegal discrimination. U.S. District Judge James Robertson ruled Friday that the Library of Congress violated the Civil Rights Act’s ban on sex discrimination, the Washington Post reports. He cited “direct evidence, and…

Sep 22, 2008 11:00 AM CDT

Bill Expanding Protection for Disabled Gets Final Congressional OK

A bill expanding protections for workers with disabilities has gotten final approval of Congress. The White House said President Bush would sign the measure, the New York Times reports. The legislation is intended to override court decisions that denied workplace protection for people whose disabilities could be controlled by medication…

Sep 18, 2008 1:27 PM CDT