Lessons Learned from Trial This Week
Although we know it, we are always reminded after a trial of just how much sympathy a jury can conjure up for a Plaintiff who is clearly lying. We were pleased to receive a defense verdict this week in a sexual harassment case. The Plainti
City of New Haven Pays $5 Million To Settle Reverse Discrimination Suit
A few months ago we sent out a News Alert about a Supreme Court ruling in favor of a group of white firefighters in a reverse discrimination case. Interestingly, current Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor had ruled against the white firefi
Attorneys’ Fees Not Always A Sure Thing in FLSA Pay Outs
Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) claims are the type of claims that can keep an employer fretting. Not only can FLSA lawsuits be time intensive and mentally draining, they can also prove to be a financial burden if an employer is unsucc
Litigation Over Tip Credits: Hospitality Industry Fighting Over Amended Regulations
New regulations issued by the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor (DOL) interpreting the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regarding tip credits and tip pools recently went into effect on May 5, 2011. However, some industries are no
Social Media and the Fair Credit Reporting Act
Many employers screen job applicants with background searches that include searches for information on social-networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. If the employer hires another company to conduct such searches, the employer and
Are You Sure He’s a Manager?
Have you given some of your employees the oh-so-important title of “manager” in order to avoid paying them overtime? Burlington Coat Factory reportedly settled a class action lawsuit brought by its assistant managers this week for $5.7 mi
WAL-MART ESCAPES MASSIVE CLASS ACTION SEX DISCRIMINATION CASE
On June 20, 2011 the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Wal-Mart in one of the biggest class action lawsuits ever. In Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes[1], the Supreme Court was faced with a class of about one and a half million pla
Employee Discussions of new DOL Phone App
On May 19, 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor launched its first application for smartphones. Available in English and Spanish, the application helps employees conveniently track regular work hours, break time and any overtime hours for one or
Immigration
Georgia now has a new Illegal Immigration Reform and /Enforcement Act of 2011 that will require private employers with 500 or more employees to begin using E-Verify to check the employment authorization of newly-hired employees by January 1,