Labor & Employment

Washington bar’s board mishandled employee’s sexual harassment complaint, report finds

The Washington State Bar Association’s board of governors created a hostile work environment for staff by mishandling an employee’s sexual harassment allegations lodged against a board member, according to an outside investigator’s scathing report that recently became public.

May 21, 2020 9:23 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Judge trims bias claims against Jones Day; was Roe plaintiff paid to switch sides?

Judge winnows claims in sex bias suit against Jones Day U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss has tossed some claims and allowed others in a sex discrimination lawsuit filed by former female associates against Jones Day. The Washington, D.C., judge said the plaintiffs had “alleged just enough” to support claims that…

May 20, 2020 4:21 PM CDT

Law firm told to reduce on-site employees sues for alleged ‘disturbing and gross abuse’ of power

A law firm that continued limited operation during the COVID-19 pandemic sued New York’s governor and attorney general this week after receiving a cease-and-desist letter telling it to reduce on-site employees.

May 15, 2020 1:37 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: License yanked for barber who wouldn’t close; fired Walmart lawyer sues

Michigan suspends license of barber who refused to close Michigan suspended the license of barber Karl Manke on Wednesday after he refused to obey state shutdown orders. On Monday, Judge Matthew Stewart of Shiawassee County refused to grant a temporary restraining order to close the barber shop, saying the state…

May 13, 2020 3:46 PM CDT

Transgender woman in pending SCOTUS case dies at 59

A transgender woman whose workplace bias case is before the U.S. Supreme Court died Tuesday at age 59.

May 13, 2020 12:25 PM CDT

Why exotic dancers and other gig workers are seeing employment law gains, COVID-19 losses

“The coronavirus is exposing the dangers of being a gig worker—you have no benefits, no health care, and no one to one to speak for you,” says lawyer Michael P. Maslanka, a labor and employment law expert in Texas. “I think this crisis is so severe that it will change the mindsets of the people, and when the mindsets of the people change, laws change.”

May 12, 2020 8:00 AM CDT

IT manager’s age-bias suit says he was falsely accused and fired by BigLaw firm

A 62-year-old IT manager at Shearman & Sterling alleges in an age-bias lawsuit that he was wrongly accused of taking vendor kickbacks and fired without further explanation.

May 8, 2020 12:23 PM CDT

SCOTUS refuses to block Pennsylvania order shutting down most businesses

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to block enforcement of a Pennsylvania executive order that shuts down businesses if they are not “life-sustaining.”

May 7, 2020 9:36 AM CDT

What happens to gig workers when a California Assembly bill meets the coronavirus?

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a spotlight on the underbelly of the United States economy. With many Americans following orders to stay at home, gig workers have moved into the forefront of the marketplace. Delivery workers, truck drivers and other independent contractors are still going out into the world to work and to keep the world working.

May 7, 2020 8:00 AM CDT

Nearly 800 COVID-19 lawsuits have been filed, according to law firm’s tracker

Wondering what kind of lawsuits are being filed in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic? A lawsuit tracker has the answer.

May 4, 2020 4:41 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Justice Thomas speaks in SCOTUS teleconference arguments; courts want rule ideas

Few glitches and 1 surprise in SCOTUS teleconference arguments U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas asked questions during the high court’s first teleconference arguments Monday, something he rarely does. The court followed a new format in which Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. asked the first question, then other justices…

May 4, 2020 3:39 PM CDT

Federal judge tosses unequal pay claims by US women’s soccer team, allows other claims

A federal judge in Los Angeles tossed pay-bias claims Friday by the U.S. women’s soccer team, finding that the women actually earned more on an average per-game basis than men.

May 4, 2020 11:38 AM CDT

Many law firms that applied for paycheck protection loans are still waiting; Texas lawyer sues

Many smaller law firms applied for loans under the federal Paycheck Protection Program, and many are still waiting.

Apr 29, 2020 12:45 PM CDT

McConnell says COVID-19 aid bill must include liability shield for businesses and hospitals

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that a federal aid bill for state and local governments should make the money contingent on states providing liability protection to businesses and hospitals providing services amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apr 29, 2020 10:26 AM CDT

3rd Circuit revives judge’s claims against court officials over seized tape recorder, harassment

A New Jersey superior court judge can sue her assignment judge and other court officials for alleged constitutional and statutory violations, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

Apr 28, 2020 12:36 PM CDT