Labor & Employment

Pension plans created by church-affiliated groups get ERISA exemption, SCOTUS rules

Pension plans established by church-affiliated groups are not subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday. Justice Elena Kagan wrote the unanimous opinion (PDF) in the case brought by current and former employees of three church-affiliated nonprofits that run hospitals and other health…

Jun 5, 2017 9:51 AM CDT

Law prof files bias complaint over theater’s women-only screenings of ‘Wonder Woman’

An Albany Law School professor says he decided to investigate after seeing a Texas theater’s snide responses to complaints on its Facebook page about two women-only screenings of the “Wonder Woman” movie. Stephen Clark concluded that the events violated the city code in Austin, Texas, where the screenings were taking…

Jun 2, 2017 11:40 AM CDT

Contract lawyers pushing for better pay

Contract lawyers handle everything from document review to intellectual property audits to transactional due diligence to language translation. Since the Great Recession, rates for these services have plummeted from as much as $60 per hour to as little as $19. And because of falling wages, many project-based lawyers are seeking something normally reserved for blue- and gray-collar personnel: overtime pay.

Jun 1, 2017 4:20 AM CDT

June 5, 1939: Unions Confront Jersey’s ‘Boss Hague’

In Hague v. CIO, decided June 5, 1939, the Jersey City, New Jersey, Mayor Frank Hague argued that by pre-empting union activism, he was preventing “riots, disturbances or disorderly assemblage.” In a plurality decision, the justices disagreed.

Jun 1, 2017 12:30 AM CDT

Cleary wins dismissal of race bias suit filed by former project lawyer, a reality TV bachelor

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has dismissed a race-discrimination suit filed by a former project attorney for Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled against the lawyer, Lyle Silva, who appeared on a reality television show produced by Donald Trump in 2010, the National…

May 31, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Woman’s sex bias case still isn’t resolved after 27 years

A woman who sued the Washington, D.C., Department of Corrections for sexual discrimination is still awaiting the final resolution of her lawsuit 27 years after it was filed. The Washington Post reports that the length of the suit filed by Deborah Jean Bryant “may set a record for the court…

May 30, 2017 8:21 AM CDT

Columbia law prof’s age bias complaint is without basis, university contends in motion to dismiss

Columbia University is seeking dismissal of an age bias suit filed by a 78-year-old law professor who contends the school is pressuring him to retire by making it more difficult to meet a teaching quota. This week, the university filed a motion to dismiss the March lawsuit by law professor…

May 26, 2017 10:34 AM CDT

Judge allows lawyer to sue Proskauer for alleged gender bias under pseudonym; law firm fires back

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has allowed a partner suing Proskauer for alleged gender bias to remain anonymous, while the law firm is firing back with a new statement about the case. U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson signed an order on Wednesday allowing the anonymous partner to sue…

May 19, 2017 3:55 PM CDT

Workers with gender dysphoria are entitled to protection under the ADA, federal judge rules

A federal judge in Allentown, Pennsylvania, has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a transgender woman who claims discrimination by her former employer, Cabela’s Retail Inc., under the Americans with Disabilities Act. U.S. District Judge Joseph Leeson ruled (PDF) that the ADA protects people with gender dysphoria from discrimination,…

May 19, 2017 11:35 AM CDT

Anonymous partner sues Proskauer for alleged gender bias

An anonymous partner has filed a $50 million gender bias suit against Proskauer, the law firm that is defending Chadbourne & Parke in a discrimination lawsuit. Sanford Heisler Sharp filed the federal suit (PDF) Friday on behalf of the unnamed Washington, D.C., partner, the Am Law Daily (sub. req.) reports.…

May 15, 2017 10:57 AM CDT

ABA launches study of biases encountered by LGBT-plus and disabled lawyers

The ABA is launching a nationwide study to identify biases encountered by LGBT-plus and disabled lawyers in the legal profession. The study, to be conducted by the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, will help develop strategies to fight biases, according to an ABA press release that quotes President Linda…

May 10, 2017 11:12 AM CDT

Law prof’s suit says she suffered PTSD because her school failed to stop harassment by student

A former visiting law professor at Appalachian School of Law claims in a lawsuit that she was harassed by a law student, and the school’s probe of his conduct was “completely, and inexcusably, mismanaged.” The suit by Hillary Lynne Burgess, filed last week in federal court, says the school violated…

May 9, 2017 9:57 AM CDT

Cozen O’Connor adds 20 lawyers from Buchanan Ingersoll

Cozen O’Connor is launching a Pittsburgh office and expanding its labor and employment practice with the addition of 20 lawyers from Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney. Cozen O’Connor announced Monday that it is adding 17 more lawyers from Buchanan Ingersoll, in addition to three Buchanan lawyers who joined the firm last…

May 8, 2017 12:32 PM CDT

Public Employees, Private Speech: 1st Amendment doesn’t always protect government workers

High-profile controversies over police shootings, questionable promotions, racial profiling, attacks on law enforcement and race-based incidents have led to an increase in public employees being disciplined for publicly posting commentary deemed offensive or incendiary.

May 1, 2017 4:10 AM CDT

Employers can pay women less than men based on salary histories, 9th Circuit rules

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that an employer can pay a woman less than a man for the same work if he was paid more in his previous job and the employer used prior salaries as a measure in a reasonable business policy, the…

Apr 28, 2017 2:15 PM CDT