Labor & Employment

Ex-Partner Sexually Harassed 12, Kasowitz Law Firm Says in Lawsuit

Striking back at a former partner who last month filed a defamation claim over a law firm press release that he had been fired for “extremely inappropriate personal conduct,” Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman filed a lawsuit of its own today in Manhattan Supreme Court. In it, the law firm…

Jul 7, 2008 9:13 PM CDT

Judge v. Judge: Banned Florida Jurist Sues Courthouse Chief

Banned from the main Broward County, Fla., courthouse and reassigned to work on traffic cases after a reported verbal altercation with another judge, Judge Jay Spechler resigned earlier this year. But now he has sued Broward Chief Judge Victor Tobin personally for defamation, contending also that Tobin created a hostile…

Jul 3, 2008 6:31 PM CDT

Appeals Court Rules for Grasso in Compensation Case

The battle over the $187.5 million compensation package for Richard Grasso has ended in a win for the former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange. A New York appeals court ruled that the state attorney general did not have authority to prosecute two violations of the state’s nonprofit law…

Jul 2, 2008 1:35 PM CDT

Rejected Job Applicant Sues DOJ for Political Hiring

A former applicant for the Justice Department’s honors program has filed a suit that contends his First Amendment rights were violated when he was denied a job because of his liberal affiliations. The plaintiff, Sean Gerlich, had received good marks as a Justice Department intern and believed his first job…

Jul 2, 2008 11:00 AM CDT

Willful Wal-Mart Worker Violations Could Cost $2B in Minn.

Willful violations by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of wage-and-hour rules in Minnesota could require the mega-retailer to pay $2 billion in penalties for more than 2 million such infractions involving $6.5 million in underpayments to workers, a judge says. The 151-page ruling by District Judge Robert King Jr., in Hastings, Minn.,…

Jul 1, 2008 4:06 PM CDT

Pass The Aspirin?

Tardy Employee Taken to Task by Colleagues Who Work Overtime to Help Hammer Home a Message

Jul 1, 2008 1:00 PM CDT

Who Says Law Ain’t a Thrill Ride?

Hollywood labor lawyer finds a theme in theme parks

Jul 1, 2008 1:00 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Fake Letter Complaining About Boss Puts Her in Hot Water

Attorney Maureen Duggan wasn’t happy with her boss at a state agency in Connecticut. But she was afraid that openly complaining about him could put her job at risk. So she drafted a letter in 2004 that was written to appear as if the sender were a parking lot attendant…

Jun 30, 2008 7:09 PM CDT

Amicable Divorce for Partners of Dissolving Coffman Coleman in Fla.

A Jacksonville, Fla., employment boutique is dissolving, but the parting is a friendly one. Coffman Coleman Andrews & Grogan had been approached a number of times about merging with other firms, and when that didn’t happen, other firms “started cherry-picking” its attorneys a few years ago, partner Bill Andrews tells…

Jun 30, 2008 4:00 PM CDT

Jackson Lewis Opens in N.M. & Memphis; 5th & 6th New Offices This Year

National employment boutique Jackson Lewis has opened an office in Albuquerque, N.M., acquiring four lawyers from the city’s Noeding & Jarrett in order to do so. The office is the firm’s 37th, and the fifth new outpost it has opened so far this year, reports the New Mexico Business Journal.…

Jun 26, 2008 11:20 PM CDT

News Anchor Fired Over Alleged E-Mail Snooping That Brought Down Co-Anchor

Embarrassing publicity that resulted in the firing of one Philadelphia television news anchor has now brought down her co-anchor, too. Larry Mendte, 51, has been fired by CBS3, not quite one month after FBI agents seized his home computer and not quite six months after the station fired his co-anchor,…

Jun 24, 2008 4:06 PM CDT

L.A. Exotic Dancers Sue Over ‘Independent Contractor’ Status

Add another group of workers to the ever-increasing ranks of those claiming to have been misclassified (and underpaid) as independent contractors: exotic dancers. Four have filed a federal suit in Los Angeles, claiming that 19 nightclubs there violate federal and state law by not paying exotic dancers any wages and…

Jun 23, 2008 8:19 PM CDT

Judge Blocks Ouster of Seven Lawyers from D.C. AG’s Office

A judge in Washington, D.C., has issued a temporary restraining order to block the ouster of seven lawyers from the District of Columbia Attorney General’s office. Judge Melvin Wright said a collective bargaining agreement requires fired employees to be given notice of poor performance and an opportunity to improve, the…

Jun 20, 2008 2:29 PM CDT

In ‘Clean Sweep,’ Supreme Court Backs Workers in Fifth Case this Term

The U.S. Supreme Court has shown a surprising turnabout in workers’ discrimination cases. In all five cases this term, including a decision issued yesterday, the supreme court ruled for workers, the New York Times reports. The sweep “was little short of astonishing, given how far the court had appeared to…

Jun 20, 2008 11:55 AM CDT

Supreme Court Upholds Kentucky Retirement Plan in Age Bias Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a 5-4 opinion that the use of age as a factor in Kentucky’s retirement plan does not violate the federal age bias law. The plan treats younger workers in hazardous jobs who become disabled before retirement better than some older workers. The majority…

Jun 19, 2008 4:27 PM CDT