Labor & Employment

Judge blocks new ‘persuader rule’ requiring disclosure of lawyer advice to employers on union issues

A federal judge in Texas has blocked a new Department of Labor rule that requires employers and consultants—including lawyers—to report when the consultants give advice to employers about persuading employees on union issues. U.S. District Judge Sam Cummings of Lubbock issued a preliminary injunction on Monday that blocked the so-called…

Jun 28, 2016 1:15 PM CDT

Divorced and separated people are protected by marital discrimination law, top state court rules

Employers may not discipline, fire or block the advancement of workers who are divorced or in the process of divorcing, the New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled. According to Reuters, the high court ruled 6-0 that New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination, which includes a prohibition on discrimination according to marital…

Jun 23, 2016 2:30 PM CDT

Suit says Jones Day manager was micromanaged and laid off after pregnancy leave

A former Jones Day manager claims in a lawsuit that she laid off as a result of bias due to pregnancy, disability, age and gender. Plaintiff Cortney Nathanson, a business development and communications manager in New York, was laid off last year after working for the firm for 13 years,…

Jun 23, 2016 8:29 AM CDT

Two lawyers and housekeeper are indicted in connection with sex tape of Waffle House CEO

Two Georgia lawyers and their client were indicted on Friday in connection with a secret sex tape of Waffle House CEO Joe Rogers and the client. Lawyers David Cohen and John Butters of Marietta were indicted along with the client, Mye Brindle, who worked for Rogers as a housekeeper and…

Jun 21, 2016 12:02 PM CDT

Suit by lawyer for startup claims he received zilch for his work as general counsel

A California lawyer for a startup called QuickLegal claims in a lawsuit that he was never paid for more than three months of work he performed as in-house general counsel for the company and its predecessor. The lawyer, Justin Lowenthal, says in the June 11 suit (PDF) that QuickLegal Inc.…

Jun 20, 2016 7:30 AM CDT

Law360 settles state AG probe, will stop requiring new editorial hires to sign noncompete agreements

Law360 has settled a New York state attorney general probe by agreeing not to require new editorial hires to sign noncompete agreements. The online legal publisher, which is part of LexisNexis Group, said it “voluntarily collaborated with the New York attorney general’s office and reached a mutual agreement regarding the…

Jun 15, 2016 12:00 PM CDT

Advantaged women are more likely to work full-time, study says: Are better work policies the answer?

A study of Baby Boomer women has found that those with the greatest financial needs were less able to find steady, full-time work than those who were more advantaged. The study found that women who appeared to face the greatest barriers to continuous full-time work had experienced poverty when they…

Jun 15, 2016 5:45 AM CDT

Cost-of-living adjustments not guaranteed for public pensioners, says NJ Supreme Court

A New Jersey pension overhaul that suspended cost-of-living adjustments for public employees was upheld Thursday by the state supreme court. The plan, enacted in 2011, reduces the state pension system’s unfunded liability by $17.5 billion, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. According to NJ.com, the state’s pension system is underfunded by $59…

Jun 10, 2016 4:30 PM CDT

Illinois attorney general sues Jimmy John’s over noncompete clauses for low-wage workers

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan claims in a lawsuit that Jimmy John’s sandwich restaurants are violating state law by requiring low-wage workers to sign restrictive noncompete agreements. The suit filed on Wednesday in Cook County says it is intended to prevent the sandwich chain from continuing to require the noncompete…

Jun 10, 2016 8:45 AM CDT

Court awards over $500K in wrongful dismissal case to rogue trader who cost bank nearly $7B

A rogue trader who cost the French bank that employed him some $7 billion has been awarded over $500,000 in a wrongful dismissal case. A French labor court said Société Générale must have known what Jerome Kerviel was doing, so blaming him for the adverse consequences that ensued and firing…

Jun 7, 2016 4:00 PM CDT

Fired by feds over critical op-eds, former Gitmo chief prosecutor settles free-speech case for $100K

In a mixed victory over free-speech rights, a former chief prosecutor at the military tribunals at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba has agreed to accept a $100,000 settlement from his subsequent employer, because he was fired based on his critical op-eds about Gitmo. However, the settlement…

Jun 2, 2016 1:30 PM CDT

Bias claims against Mintz Levin are revived; associate had searched computer system for evidence

May a lawyer search a law firm’s computers to find evidence of bias to bolster her case? In some circumstances, the answer is yes, the highest court of Massachusetts ruled in a decision that revives gender bias and retaliation claims against Mintz Levin. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled on…

Jun 2, 2016 5:45 AM CDT

Lawyer banned by fitness club had no standing to complain about retaliation, says appeals court

A New York lawyer who says he was banned from his fitness club after filing a wage-and-hour suit on behalf of a client had no standing to complain of the ouster under state labor law, an appeals court has ruled. Douglas Wigdor had contended that the SoulCycle ban violated anti-retaliation…

May 27, 2016 9:10 AM CDT

Supreme Court ruled for postal worker in dispute over time limit for constructive discharge claim

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday favored employees in a ruling on the time limit for contacting the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission about a constructive discharge claim under Title VII. The time limit in such cases begins to run on the date an employee notifies his employer that he intends…

May 23, 2016 2:06 PM CDT

It’s not illegal to fire someone for being ‘too cute,’ Manhattan trial court rules

Attractive women are not a protected class under employment laws, even the expansive laws in place in New York City, the New York Law Journal reported Friday. Dilek Edwards had sued her former employer for gender discrimination, alleging she was fired because her boss, Stephanie Adams, was concerned that her…

May 20, 2016 5:25 PM CDT