• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

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.

The case of the purloined letter: Real resignation or post-affair retaliation?

09/02/2014

Here’s a big reason to ban supervisor/subordinate relationships: When those affairs end, trouble for employers often begins. The subordinate, who may have been a willing participant, may now claim she was being sexually harassed. Or the supervisor may punish the subordinate for cutting off the relationship. Either way, there’s probably a lawsuit coming.

Used all the official FMLA forms? 3rd Circuit says that may not be enough

09/02/2014
You might believe that an employee couldn’t argue she didn’t know she was on FMLA leave or that she might lose her job if she didn’t return to work within 12 weeks. You would be wrong.

Retain hotline records for later use in court

09/02/2014
If you have an ethics, harassment or discrimination hotline, be sure to track all complaints that come in, your response and any follow up. This information will come in handy later if someone who used the hotline sues, claiming you ignored her complaints or otherwise discriminated against her.

Consider FMLA before firing for attendance

09/02/2014
Here’s some advice that can save you money you might otherwise have spent defending an FMLA lawsuit: If an employee has accrued enough absences under your attendance policy to warrant termination or is coming close, make sure you haven’t counted any missed work that should have been covered by the FMLA.

Can we require lie detector tests?

07/02/2014
Q. We have experienced several incidents of employee theft over the past few years. Would it be legal to require all job applicants to take a lie detector test?

What should we do? Her request for time off was denied, so she called in sick

07/02/2014
Q. What do we do if an employee calls in sick even though her request for time off was denied?

Going mobile: The risks and rewards of BYOD

07/02/2014
“Bring Your Own Device” policies are a growing trend, but can they bite back against employers?

Harrisburg, Pa. strip club faces FLSA undressing

07/02/2014
A Harrisburg area gentlemen’s club faces a federal lawsuit alleging it failed to pay exotic dancers the minimum wage and proper overtime. Four dancers filed suit in federal court charging the club violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by misclassifying them as independent contractors.

Teachers win right to union vote at charter school

07/02/2014
The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School (PCCS) has lost in its bid to stop a union election among its teachers. The Pennsylvania Cyber School Education Association, an arm of the Pennsylvania School Edu­­ca­­tion Association and the National Edu­­ca­­tion Association, sought an election to represent the teachers working for the PCCS.

Erie, Pa. restaurant settles harassment case for $20,000

07/02/2014
Outrageous behavior by a co-owner of Ricardo’s Restaurant in Erie has cost the establishment $20,000. The EEOC reports that it has settled sexual harassment complaints filed by one of the restaurant’s former employees.