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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.

Nail down all the details when settling lawsuit

08/29/2018
Sometimes, it makes sense to settle a lawsuit instead of pursuing long, drawn-out litigation. But if you do, make sure that the written settlement agreement (and any promises made along the way) is accurate and specific.

FMLA: Firing can easily trigger retaliation suit

08/29/2018
Thinking about terminating an employee who is currently out on FMLA leave? Proceed with the greatest of care! If ever there was a “red lights flashing” HR moment, this is it.

‘Clean slate’ law helps ex-cons, adds employer responsibilities

08/01/2018
Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf has signed a “clean slate” bill designed to help people convicted of nonviolent crimes obtain gainful employment.

Shapiro presses fast food biz about ‘no-poach’ contracts

08/01/2018
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has asked franchisees of eight fast food restaurants to disclose any “no-poach” agreements written into their employment contracts.

Shapiro among officials pushing back against PAID

08/01/2018
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is one of 11 state AGs who recently told Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta they have big problems with his agency’s new Payroll Audit Independent Determination program.

Five women leave Harrisburg, Pa. TV station in four months

08/01/2018
Harrisburg television station WHTM ABC27 is the target of a Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission complaint that alleges Robert Bee, the station’s general manager, created a hostile work environment for women.

Regular safety complaints could spell legal trouble

08/01/2018
Be careful if a worker files a steady stream of safety complaints. If those complaints are followed by an accident or incident and the worker is disciplined for something seemingly unrelated, he may still be able to make a whistleblower complaint.

Resist temptation to rubber-stamp terminations

08/01/2018
Don’t just automatically approve a manager’s recommended discipline. Always conduct an independent investigation to verify that the manager is being fair and reasonable.

When planning layoffs, conduct audit to ensure there’s no age discrimination

08/01/2018
Calculate the average age of the workers you plan to retain and compare it to the workers you plan to terminate.

It’s tough to prove bias if the manager who hired was also the one who fired

08/01/2018
A manager who knew of someone’s protected characteristic would not have hired that applicant and then turn around and fired the same individual because of that very protected characteristic. A biased manager would never have hired her in the first place.