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Ohio

Payday lenders fight consumer legislation

06/06/2008
Two payday lenders threatened to shut down operations in Ohio after the state Senate approved a bill that would limit consumers to four short-term loans per year and cap interest rates at 28% …

6th Circuit rules: Association discrimination now illegal in Ohio

06/06/2008
Employers, beware! Retaliation against a third party who is associated with an employee who engaged in protected activity now can be the basis of a lawsuit in Ohio …

Can I hire a home-Schooled teenager who doesn’t have a work permit?

06/06/2008
Q. I am a small business owner. A 17-year-old who is not emancipated and has not graduated from high school recently approached me seeking full-time employment. She claims that, because she is home-schooled, she can work full-time year-round and does not have access to a work permit from her school. Can I legally hire this minor without the school certificate required by Ohio law? …

Interview questions: What not to ask

06/06/2008
Q. Are there specific questions that an employer is prohibited from asking during a job interview? …

I was harassed and I quit! Now can I sue—Or get unemployment?

06/06/2008
Q. I found my working conditions to be intolerable because of the behavior of my male co-workers that I considered to be sexual harassing. I just did not have the energy to complain about the behavior and face the consequences, so I quit without telling my employer about the harassment. I am having trouble finding a new job, and now I am thinking I made a mistake. Will I be able to sue my employer for sexual harassment? Can I obtain unemployment insurance?

Is it legal to deny me an interview just because I don’t meet the posted requirements?

06/06/2008
Q. I applied for a new position within my company—a promotion—for which my on-the-job experience clearly makes me the best candidate. However, the job posting states that the job requires a college degree and my employer will not even interview me for the job because he says I do not meet the minimum job requirements. Is this legal? …

Don’t consider pending lawsuits when making hiring decisions

05/09/2008
Don’t bar former employees who have sued the company from applying and being hired for new jobs. Doing so almost certainly invites a retaliation lawsuit—one that courts are likely to find in favor of the former employee.

Want to discard old applications? Tell applicants up front

05/02/2008
Do you have a file cabinet overflowing with employment applications filled out by years’ worth of job-seekers? Don’t toss them out! Unless those applications included a statement that you would retain them only for some set time, your best bet is to contact every applicant and explain what you are doing …

Caution: ‘Association discrimination’ is new HR worry

05/02/2008
You know it’s illegal to retaliate against an employee who has engaged in so-called “protected activity,” such as filing a discrimination complaint internally or with the EEOC. Now, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Ohio employers, has taken the concept one step further …

HR handles all transfers? Beware ERISA violation risk

05/02/2008
HR is usually the first to know when an employee files an ERISA complaint or lawsuit. Since HR also typically handles transfer, hiring and promotion paperwork, that can put the company at risk for a retaliation lawsuit …