Labor & Employment

Court of Public Opinion Sways Wal-Mart in Battle Over Legal Winnings

A Missouri man, who lost a son in Iraq and whose wife suffers from debilitating memory loss because of an auto accident, couldn’t convince his wife’s former employer to back off its claim to the money the family recovered for her accident. At least not until his plight made prime-time…

Apr 2, 2008 6:52 PM CDT

New Troubles for Teens at Work

With more youths on the job, sex harassment claims are on the rise

Apr 1, 2008 7:38 PM CDT

Scene One, Act Won

Can the guy who created a TV cartoon about a robot running a Valentine’s Day dating service—until his malfunctioning metal butt explodes—have the gravitas to win a revolutionary union contract?

Apr 1, 2008 4:46 PM CDT

Supreme Court Accepts Another Union First Amendment Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the constitutionality of an Idaho law that bars local governments from making automatic payroll deductions to pay for political activities by labor unions, SCOTUSblog reports. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled the ban burdened political speech by…

Mar 31, 2008 5:36 PM CDT

23 Long Island School Districts Count Private Lawyers as Employees

Nearly two dozen school districts on Long Island improperly reported private attorneys as employees, helping them earn public pensions totaling more than $342,082 a year, Newsday reported today. The paper brought to light the issue of independent contractors being treated as employees who could obtain public benefits when it questioned…

Mar 28, 2008 8:11 PM CDT

New Troubles for Working Teens; Sex Harassment Claims on the Rise

When it comes to sexual harassment, lawyers have done a thorough job educating adult workers about the limits of acceptable behavior in the workplace. The same can’t be said of the youth workforce, however, as studies have shown an increase in sexual harassment claims. Employment lawyers say suits by teen…

Mar 28, 2008 4:38 PM CDT

Federal Judge Blocks Bear Exec From Leaping to New Company

A federal judge issued an order yesterday that bars a former Bear Stearns executive from joining Morgan Stanley. The order by U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton in Boston said Bear Stearns was likely to succeed on the merits of its case against Douglas Sharon, Reuters reports. Sharon was executive director…

Mar 28, 2008 12:04 PM CDT

Appeals Court Allows Ground Zero Lawsuits

A federal appeals court ruling allows thousands of lawsuits filed by ground zero workers against the city of New York to move forward. The New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday (PDF) that the city’s claims of immunity could not be decided without further litigation, the…

Mar 27, 2008 5:20 PM CDT

Pregnancy Bias Complaints Jumped Last Year

Complaints and inquiries about pregnancy discrimination are rising, possibly reflecting confusion about federal protections. Complaints of pregnancy discrimination filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission totaled 5,587 last year, a 14 percent increase over the year before and a 40 percent increase over the last decade. But the EEOC’s call…

Mar 27, 2008 10:37 AM CDT

Supreme Court Declines AARP’s Appeal in Health Benefits Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear a challenge to a federal policy that makes it easier for companies to pay lower health benefits to retired workers when they turn 65. A rule adopted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in effect allows companies to reduce health benefits when…

Mar 24, 2008 4:02 PM CDT

Ex-Foley & Lardner Secretary Wants to Use 823 Disputed Documents in Bias Suit

A secretary who was fired from Foley & Lardner at the age of 63 took 823 documents with her that are now at a center of a discovery battle. Hideko Shiroyama sued the law firm last June for age discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination and intentional infliction of emotional distress, the…

Mar 24, 2008 12:04 PM CDT

Female Associate Unhappy at Mintz Firm, One of the ‘Best Law Firms for Women’

A female associate has filed a state administrative law complaint against her Boston-based law firm, claiming sex discrimination and retaliation. Kamee Verdrager filed a complaint against Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, “alleging that she was demoted because of her gender and treated…

Mar 21, 2008 10:56 PM CDT

Ex-Associate Files $75M Suit, Claims She Was Window Dressing at Clifford Chance

A former Haitian associate has filed a $75 million discrimination lawsuit against Clifford Chance that contends the firm gave her boring work and fired her when she complained. The New York Sun reports that the plaintiff, Caroline Memnon, is “claiming that the firm used her only as window dressing because…

Mar 21, 2008 4:07 PM CDT

Court Leaves Starbucks Baristas $100M Tip

A San Diego judge has ruled that Starbucks must pay its California baristas $86 million plus interest for forcing them to share tips with supervisors. Judge Patricia Cowett based her ruling on a California law that bars employers or their agents from taking tips meant for hourly workers, the Recorder…

Mar 21, 2008 10:39 AM CDT

BigLaw ‘Ghetto’? Former Staff Attorney Raps Covington’s D.C. Office

A former staff attorney at Covington & Burling’s office in Washington, D.C., contends that the law firm is improving its diversity profile by hiring black lawyers for low-level “ghetto” positions. And, if that’s true, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog suggests, Covington may not be the only BigLaw firm to…

Mar 18, 2008 5:30 PM CDT