Labor & Employment

Associate Claims Houston Firm Retaliated for Reporting Racist Directive

A former associate with a Houston law firm alleges in a lawsuit that she was fired for reporting the comments of a top partner who told her not to hire any more black lawyers. The former associate, Sandra Perez Ard, is suing Forman Perry Watkins Krutz & Tardy, Texas Lawyer…

Jan 15, 2008 5:00 PM CST

Academic Booted From School Soccer Team Sues for Discrimination

An Oxford University don has sued the renowned British institution for employment discrimination, contending that she was excluded from a staff soccer team that is considered a department of the university because she has children. An economics lecturer at the university’s Balliol College, 40-year-old Cecile Deer is also an expert…

Jan 15, 2008 4:38 PM CST

High Court Drops Wal-Mart Disability Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has dropped a case from its docket in which an injured Wal-Mart worker contended she should been given preference for an open position. The case was dismissed apparently because it has settled, SCOTUSblog reports. Oral arguments would have been held this spring, according to Dow Jones…

Jan 14, 2008 5:08 PM CST

Judge Accused of Sex Harassment Returns to Bench

U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent returned to the bench in Galveston, Texas, yesterday after a four-month suspension for alleged sexual harassment. He won’t be hearing cases involving sexual misconduct or in which the federal government is a party, the Galveston Daily News reports. Kent was suspended based on accusations he…

Jan 11, 2008 2:09 PM CST

Fla. Field-Workers File Class Action Claiming Wage Violations

In an unusual move that has caught the attention of local South Florida residents, several field-workers have filed a federal lawsuit contending that the owner of the farm at which they have been harvesting beans for years has underpaid them and hundreds of other laborers. The basis of their suit,…

Jan 9, 2008 10:12 PM CST

Voter ID Law, Retirement Plan Bias Before High Court

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments today in two cases, one dealing with the constitutionality of Indiana’s voter ID law and the other with the legality of the use of age in retirement plans. Indiana’s law requiring voters to show a photo ID barred Valerie Williams from voting in the…

Jan 9, 2008 1:28 PM CST

Secretary Loses Appeal in Disability Suit Against Peabody & Arnold

A Massachusetts appeals court has affirmed dismissal of a legal secretary’s disability lawsuit against Peabody & Arnold based on evidence turned up by a private detective. The secretary, Teresa Brooks, claimed she had a disabling spinal condition, but the detective videotaped her “working in her yard, repeatedly bending over, carrying…

Jan 9, 2008 12:01 PM CST

N.H. City Says Attorney Malpractice Nixed Insurance

A New Hampshire municipality has sued its former legal counsel for malpractice, contending that he not only failed to appropriately advise the city of Claremont of the legal risks associated with firing the city tax assessor in 2000 but also failed to advise the city that the tax assessor, Steve…

Jan 7, 2008 9:17 PM CST

EEOC Obtains Record Settlement in Race Bias Case

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has negotiated a record $2.5 million settlement on behalf of a former electrician at Lockheed Martin Corp. The EEOC says the amount is the largest settlement it has secured for an individual in a racial discrimination suit, Reuters reports. The plaintiff, Charles Daniels, had alleged…

Jan 3, 2008 3:27 PM CST

‘Lolita Lawyer’ Sues Cravath for Unpaid Salary

The so-called “Lolita Lawyer” has sued his former firm, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, for unpaid salary and bonus. James Colliton pleaded guilty this fall to statutory rape and patronizing a prostitute based on allegations he paid a woman to have sex with her teen daughters. His suit, handwritten on notebook…

Jan 2, 2008 11:51 AM CST

Associate Claims Allen & Overy Fired Him for Observing Sabbath

An associate claims in a lawsuit that British-based law firm Allen & Overy fired him for religious reasons. Norman Schoenfeld claims he was fired for observing the Jewish sabbath and religious holidays. His suit, filed in Manhattan federal court, alleges partner Mark Wojciechowski swore at him when he left one…

Jan 2, 2008 11:37 AM CST

The Boss Is Watching

And employees are finding they have fewer places to hide

Jan 1, 2008 8:53 PM CST

The Garcetti Effect

Government employees fear high court case undermines retaliation protections

Jan 1, 2008 8:14 PM CST

Calif. Sues Janitor Cos., Claims ‘Flagrant’ Independent Contractor Abuses

In an apparent escalation of an ongoing effort to police companies that misclassify employees as independent contractors, two California agencies have announced joint litigation against two janitorial companies that send workers to restaurants in multiple counties. In the first lawsuits resulting from a coordinated effort by Jerry Brown, the state…

Dec 20, 2007 1:35 AM CST

Sexual Harassment of ... Santa?!?

The next time Santa’s making a list and checking it twice, he might want to focus on an elite group. That is the very small number of adults who show up at a shopping mall for a visit with St. Nick with more than Christmas on their minds, an employment…

Dec 18, 2007 7:37 PM CST