Data Protection
A recent case in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California highlights two important emerging issues in the data protection arena. The first issue is the concern of data breaches by employees and ex-employees. The sec
EEOC Charges Hit Record High
The EEOC released statistics in January showing a record number of Charges of Discrimination filed by private sector employees in 2011. Although some EEOC Charges contain multiple types of claims, the 99, 947 total charges filed consisted of:
Illegal Immigrants and Workers’ Compensation
The Center for Immigration Studies estimates about five percent of workers in the U.S. are illegal immigrants. In some industries, such as food service and construction, it’s much higher – 18 percent for construction. While IRCA, the Immigra
CATCHING CLAIMANTS IN THE ACT – INTERNET SURVEILLANCE THROUGH POPULAR SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES
With the rapid rise of social networking through internet sites such as Facebook and Myspace, more and more people are placing personal and private information on the web. At Hall Booth Smith & Slover, we perform internet inquiries of popula
Attorneys’ Fees
Have you ever received a lawsuit that contained such baseless employment law claims that you wanted to lash out? Many employers have, but most employers do not file counterclaims, and here is why: the Plaintiff was awarded almost $250,000.
Minimum Wage Changes in 2012
The federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is not currently scheduled to increase in 2012. Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee are not scheduled to enact changes. In fact, Alabama, South Carolinaand Tennessee do not have indi
USERRA Rights Expanded for National Guard and TRICARE and Affirmative Action Plans
The President is expected to sign a Conference Report approved by both the House and Senate to the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2012. The Conference Report addresses two issues important to employers. I. EXPANDED USERRA
SPECIAL EMPLOYMENT TASKS – LIMITS TO THE COURSE AND SCOPE OF EMPLOYMENT
In Georgia, it is well established that an employee is generally not acting in the course of his employment when traveling to and from work. However, one of the exceptions to this rule is the “special task” rule. This exception allows for an
EQUITABLE RULING ALLOWS EMPLOYER TO RETAIN EQUITY IN HOME
In the event of a catastrophic injury, the Georgia Workers’ Compensation Act requires an employer/insurer to provide the injured employee with reasonable and necessary rehabilitation services. This often requires the employer/insurer to make s