• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Employment Law

Rep. Lewis, Capitol Hill staffer settle discrimination suit

04/21/2008
U.S. Rep. John Lewis, of Georgia’s 5th Congressional District, has settled a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former employee who claimed she was passed over for a promotion because she is a black woman …

Employer may be liable when employee attacks

04/18/2008
Sometimes an employee gets into an argument with a customer, and what began as a war of words turns into actual violence. When that happens, the employer may be on the hook for damages. Under the right conditions—or more precisely, the wrong ones—the employer may be liable for physical altercations its employee may engage in while working …

Association discrimination covers friends, not just family

04/18/2008
California law and the ADA protect just about anyone who “associates” with a disabled person from discrimination. It doesn’t have to be a child, spouse or blood relative. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act and the Unruh Act both protect those who count disabled persons as friends …

Lack of female supervisors a red flag for discrimination

04/18/2008
Have you taken a good look at who fills supervisory roles at your workplace? If not, you should. Having very few female supervisors may spell trouble. Having none is like carrying a sign that reads, “Sue me now!” Employees suing for sex discrimination could point to the lack of female supervisors as evidence supporting their claims …

Warn managers: They may be personally liable for discrimination

04/18/2008
If you have trouble persuading managers that they cannot discriminate or harass, here’s ammunition. Tell them that if they participate in any form of discrimination or harassment, it’s their assets on the line. An employee can sue them directly, and they may have to pay damages out of their own bank accounts …

When the lawsuit is frivolous, employee may have to pay employer’s attorneys’ fees

04/18/2008
Here’s some good news from the litigation front. In some cases, employees who file frivolous discrimination lawsuits may actually end up reaching into their own wallets—to pay their employers’ legal fees …

Good ol’ boy network could cost you millions

04/18/2008
Is there’s a “good ol’ boy” network growing in your organization? If promotions and raises tend to go just to employees who win management’s favor—and not to those who perform, regardless of race or gender—you could easily find yourself on the losing end of a big lawsuit. How big? Try $24 million!

You can’t ignore state disability law

04/18/2008
UPS requires all its drivers to hold U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) commercial driver’s licenses to operate trucks weighing more than 10,001 pounds, even if they regularly drive only smaller trucks. Drivers diagnosed with epilepsy can’t qualify for the national licenses. That became a problem when UPS driver Paul Warren developed epilepsy …

Race, national origin aren’t synonymous

04/18/2008
Kyaw Nyunt, a U.S. citizen of Burmese origin, worked for the government agency that broadcasts Voice of America radio programming. After the agency failed to promote Nyunt several times, he filed a complaint alleging age and national origin discrimination. Then he filed a federal lawsuit alleging age, national origin and race discrimination …

Citigroup to pay $33 million in gender-Bias settlement

04/18/2008
Citigroup will pay $33 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by three female brokers who worked in the Santa Barbara office of Smith Barney, a Citigroup unit. As many as 2,500 former and current Smith Barney female brokers may end up sharing in the settlement pot …