Employment Law

Train employees to avoid pestering workers who file lawsuits or in-house complaints

02/01/2007

Even if you think an employee’s complaint about alleged harassment doesn’t have legal merit, it makes sense to take steps to stop the offending behavior anyway. Otherwise, if the employee perceives that co-workers are targeting him for more harassment, he can quit and sue …

Illegal firing can cancel terms of noncompete pact

02/01/2007

New York companies that require employees to sign noncompete agreements sometimes make deferred compensation conditional on whether the ex-employee actually complies with that noncompete pact. That’s fine, according to state law. But the deal can collapse, as a new case shows …

Check cashing ‘convenience fee’ is an illegal deduction under state wage law

02/01/2007

If you force an employee to pay a fee to cash his paycheck, you’re violating the paycheck-deduction provisions of the New York Labor Law …

NYC celebrity restaurateur accused of racism

02/01/2007

Even the stereotypical hot-tempered chef is not immune to labor-law complaints, as Daniel Boulud, owner of the Upper East Side’s four-star restaurant, Daniel, recently learned …

Super Steel settles bias suit

02/01/2007

Glenville locomotive manufacturer Super Steel Inc. settled a lawsuit by black workers who alleged racial discrimination by employees and supervisors. The lawsuit sought $175 million but the settlement amount was not specified …

Westchester County defends shrink-wrap abuse charge

02/01/2007

A learning-disabled man whom Glen Island Park fired filed a federal lawsuit and EEOC complaint against the Westchester County Parks Department alleging that his supervisors restrained him with shrink wrap and set it on fire …

Melville benefits firm settles father/son harassment lawsuit

02/01/2007

Melville-based Comprehensive Benefits Consultants will pay $150,000 to four former employees who alleged the company’s owner and his son subjected them to name-calling, sexual jokes, hugging and grabbing …

JPMorgan Chase settles pair of disability-bias claims

02/01/2007

JPMorgan recently settled a pair of expensive disability discrimination suits …

Advocates urge Spitzer to get tough on labor-law violators

02/01/2007

Immigrant advocacy groups banded together recently to urge Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer to encourage the state’s Labor Department to pursue labor violations against whole industries in addition to individual companies …

Train managers on FMLA or risk paying double damages

02/01/2007

It’s more important than ever to teach supervisors how to listen for leave requests that could fall under the umbrella of a “serious” condition qualifying for FMLA relief. Otherwise, don’t expect to plead ignorance if they make a mistake …