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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

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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.

Whistleblowers may not have common-law protection

05/02/2016
Pennsylvania workers fired after reporting safety violations may not have a common-law wrongful discharge claim if they didn’t have a specific duty to report the safety problems.

Court losing patience with baseless lawsuits

05/02/2016
Increasingly, courts have been tossing out cases early on when it’s clear the former employee isn’t sure exactly what she thinks the employer did, but just assumes it was some sort of discrimination.

Discharge for racial slur upheld in Philadelphia’s ongoing Fox 29 lawsuit

05/02/2016
In a notorious case involving a Philadelphia TV station, a reporter who used a racial slur during an editorial meeting has lost his bid to overturn a jury’s decision that his firing was not racially based.

Discharged for gross misconduct? Then employee isn’t entitled to COBRA coverage

05/02/2016
Generally, employers that provide health benefits must offer continuing COBRA coverage whenever an employee resigns or is terminated. But that requirement doesn’t apply if the employee was discharged for gross misconduct.

Company activities heavy on religious content? Better pray you don’t wind up in court

05/02/2016
Evangelical fervor can cause legal trouble if an employer requires employees to participate in religious practices or activities as a condition of continued employment.

PO’d telemarketers get relief on bathroom breaks

05/02/2016
A telemarketing company will have to pay $1.75 million to 6,000 employees after a federal judge ruled the company’s policy of making employees clock out to go to the bathroom violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Disability: It’s never a joking matter

05/02/2016
Supervisors must understand that they have a responsibility to stop harassment immediately and take steps to prevent it from recurring.

How to comply with new DOL rules on anti-union ‘persuaders’

03/29/2016

A new Department of Labor rule will limit employers’ ability to use “persuaders” to convince workers to resist union organizing efforts, critics say.

Send FMLA forms to ‘ineligible’ employees?

03/29/2016
Q . An employee who’s been employed since October is out on workers’ comp and will be for a while. Do I send her FMLA paperwork even though she hasn’t met the criteria of being employed for at least a year? It’s my understanding that I should send it to everyone that requests leave, and only after they return the paperwork should I determine if the person is, in fact, eligible.

Utz drivers demand overtime

03/29/2016
Three drivers for Utz Snacks in Hanover are suing, claiming the company owes them thousands of dollars in back overtime pay.