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Pennsylvania

Employment Lawyer Network:
Pennsylvania

Susan K. Lessack (Editor)

Pepper Hamilton LLP
Pennsylvania Employment Law

LessackS@PepperLaw.com
(610) 640-7806

Click for Full Bio

Susan K. Lessack is a partner in the Berwyn and Philadelphia offices of Pepper Hamilton LLP. She concentrates her practice in employment counseling and employment litigation. Ms. Lessack’s experience includes counseling employers on matters related to compliance with federal and state labor and employment laws, counseling regarding employee discipline and terminations, conducting investigations of employee conduct, including harassment, training employers on their obligations under employment laws and litigation avoidance, and developing employment policies. She defends employers in litigation of employment discrimination claims, wrongful discharge claims, and claims under federal and state employment-related statutes, such as the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law.

Tell bosses: No comments about health costs

01/03/2019
Make sure supervisors understand that it is never appropriate to question how much an employee’s health problems might cost the organization.

Pennsylvania LGBT employee rights in flux as courts weigh in on bias

12/06/2018
A significant number of test cases are working their way through federal courts, testing whether Title VII’s prohibition against sex discrimination encompasses discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

OSHA proposes fines after finding no peace at KidsPeace

12/06/2018
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited KidsPeace, a private charity serving youth with behavioral and mental health problems, for exposing its employees to workplace violence.

Milton, Pa. truck wash accused of harassment, discrimination

12/06/2018
Eagle United Truck Wash, a national chain, faces charges it permitted severe harassment of a black employee at its Milton facility—and then retaliated against him after he complained.

Make objective qualifications your focus when hiring

12/06/2018
The best way to inoculate against failure-to-hire or promote lawsuits is to ensure your selection process is based on objective criteria.

Contradictory evaluations? That’s going to be a problem

12/06/2018
Beware changing supervisors during an employee’s probationary period. That may lead to evaluations that contradict one another, which could trigger a lawsuit.

Worker demands back overtime? Investigate and, if warranted, pay up

12/06/2018
If an employer pays overtime incorrectly, it may be liable for up to two years of unpaid overtime, doubled as a penalty. But if an employer’s overtime mistake is “willful,” that liability reaches back another year, adding to the cost.

Seek confidentiality order if employee wants access to co-workers’ disciplinary records

12/06/2018
A federal court hearing a Pennsylvania case has concluded that plaintiffs seeking to compare the discipline they received with that of other employees are entitled to the information, but must keep it confidential.

Flu shots: Seek accommodations if employee refuses vaccine for religious reasons

12/06/2018
Employers must reasonably accommodate employees whose sincerely held religious beliefs prohibit immunization.

No FMLA leave? ADA may be available

12/06/2018
An employee who has used up all paid and FMLA leave (or who isn’t yet eligible for FMLA leave) may have other leave options if he’s also disabled.