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Employment
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April 19, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen U.K. holiday resort chain Butlins target Aviva and a huddle of insurers, Meta and WhatsApp tackle a patents claim by telecommunications company Semitel, an ongoing construction dispute between Essex County Council and Balfour Beatty, and Formycon AG hit a pharmaceutical company for infringing medical products. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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April 18, 2024
'Severe Impact' If HBCUs Paid Athletes, NLRB Judge Told
A commissioner of an athletic conference for historically black colleges and universities testified Thursday in a hearing before a National Labor Relations Board judge that being forced to pay student-athletes a salary and treat them as employees would have a "severe impact" on those institutions.
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April 18, 2024
Amazon Ignored Labor, IP Laws In AI 'Panic,' Ex-Worker Says
An artificial intelligence researcher suing Amazon for labor law violations says it disregarded numerous laws in a frantic attempt to catch up to its AI rivals, directing her to ignore copyright laws in developing its large language models and retaliating when her pregnancy leave coincided with a rival's product launch.
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April 18, 2024
Conn. Marketing Co. Says Competitor Poached Top Exec
Unlock Health Inc. hired away a senior executive at competing healthcare marketing firm Primacy LLC who arrived at his new job with trade secrets from his ex-employer and a plan to lure former clients and co-workers, according to a lawsuit in Connecticut federal court.
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April 18, 2024
Ex-Daycare Head Guilty Of Failing To Report Staff Child Abuse
A former daycare director at Robins Air Force Base has been found guilty by a Georgia federal jury of failing to report physical and emotional abuse of children at the hands of her staff.
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April 18, 2024
Software Co. Demoted Worker For Getting Pregnant, Suit Says
A former sales director has claimed the software company she worked for ran afoul of federal and state laws when it gave away her job while she was on maternity leave and put her in a more junior role when she returned, according to lawsuit filed in Connecticut federal court.
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April 18, 2024
Pharma Ex-Exec Can't Revive $12M Underpayment Suit in US
A Manhattan federal judge has refused to rethink her decision tossing a $12 million suit accusing Altum Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its cannabis-focused parent company, BetterLife Pharma Inc., of stock dilution and underpaying a former executive chairman of the board of directors, saying the claims are better suited for Canadian courts.
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April 18, 2024
Jury Awards $98M To Wash. Healthcare Workers In Wage Suit
A Seattle jury said Thursday a Washington-based healthcare system should pay thousands of its employees almost $100 million for its illegal timeclock rounding and meal break practices, an award that's expected to be doubled because a judge has already determined that the company's violations were willful.
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April 18, 2024
6th Circ. Axes Ex-Perrigo Worker's Drug Test Firing Suit
The Sixth Circuit refused to reinstate a bias suit from a worker who said drugmaker L. Perrigo Co. unlawfully fired him after lip balm caused him to test positive for marijuana, saying he didn't show that age or disability discrimination motivated the decision to let him go.
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April 18, 2024
New Va. Law Prohibits NCAA From Limiting Athlete NIL Deals
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Thursday signed into law a landmark state bill that allows schools in the state to enter into name, image and likeness deals with athletes while prohibiting the NCAA and other institutions from punishing the athletes or the schools for cutting the NIL agreements.
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April 18, 2024
NCAA Rips 'Vague' Claims In Student-Athlete's Transfer Suit
The NCAA has urged a West Virginia federal judge to toss a suit from a 22-year-old student-athlete alleging the organization tried to prevent him from being eligible to play basketball following a mid-season transfer, saying the suit is too vague to pass muster.
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April 18, 2024
$550K Fingerprint BIPA Deal Receives Ill. Judge's Initial OK
An Illinois federal judge gave his early blessing Wednesday to a nearly $550,000 settlement between global food supplier Rich Products Corp. and hundreds of current and former employees who claimed the company illegally collected and used their scanned fingerprint data.
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April 18, 2024
Red States Back Call To Overturn Nasdaq Diversity Rule
Utah and 23 other Republican-led states have filed an amicus brief asking the full Fifth Circuit to vacate a Nasdaq board diversity rule and declare it unconstitutional, saying the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which approved the rule, is "affirmatively perpetuating" race-based discrimination instead of eliminating it.
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April 18, 2024
Building Groups Say They Can Fight Prevailing Wage Rule
Several construction trade groups told a Texas federal judge that they don't need to point to specific members to support their argument that a U.S. Department of Labor final rule regulating prevailing wages will hurt them, urging the court to keep alive their suit challenging the rule.
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April 18, 2024
NY Appeals Court Revives AI Firm CLO's Claim For Pay
In a significant ruling for executives and professionals, a New York state appeals court has reversed the dismissal of key claims in a former chief legal officer's lawsuit alleging he wasn't paid all wages owed after his employment ended at artificial intelligence company Amelia US LLC.
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April 18, 2024
Saladworks Operator Misclassified Asst. Managers, Suit Says
A Pennsylvania-based franchisee of fast-casual salad eatery Saladworks misclassified its assistant managers as overtime-exempt even though they should have earned time-and-a-half wages for overtime hours, a former manager alleged in a proposed collective action filed in federal court Thursday.
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April 18, 2024
NCAA Reforms Division I Transfer Rule, Upgrades NIL Policy
The NCAA Division I Council voted unanimously to allow certain transferring student-athletes to be immediately eligible to play on the teams of their new schools, following a multistate antitrust lawsuit challenging current restrictions.
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April 18, 2024
Amazon Strikes Deal, Staves Off Trial In Disability Bias Suit
Amazon reached a deal to end a suit from an ex-employee who accused the e-commerce giant of pushing him out because of a knee injury stemming from his military service, ahead of a trial slated to begin in May, according to a filing in California federal court.
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April 18, 2024
Kellogg Beats ERISA Suit Over Use Of Outdated Data
A Michigan federal judge tossed litigation accusing Kellogg of shortchanging married retirees by relying on outdated life expectancies and interest rates when calculating their pension payments, agreeing with the company that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act doesn't require the data used to be reasonable.
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April 17, 2024
NLRB Judge Told Of College Hoopsters' Hotel Curfew Guard
A Stanford University runner testified on Wednesday for the National Labor Relations Board that some student-athletes should be considered employees due to the control programs exert over them, and that a time he encountered a hotel curfew guard for a Division I basketball team highlights how tight that control can be.
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April 17, 2024
Wells Fargo Headed To Trial In Ex-Exec's COVID-Era ADA Suit
Wells Fargo is headed to trial over a former investment director's Americans with Disabilities Act claim in a suit alleging he lost his job following an accommodation request after his employer prepared to mandate a return to office, with a North Carolina federal judge also trimming the former employee's age discrimination suit.
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April 17, 2024
NC Justices Fear UNC Doc Wants 'Dramatic' Immunity Expansion
The North Carolina Supreme Court expressed concern Wednesday over a "dramatic" broadening of public official immunity if they accepted the arguments of a University of North Carolina doctor looking to escape a defamation lawsuit alleging he made up accusations to incite a vindictive investigation into a going away party for a subordinate.
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April 17, 2024
SpaceX's NLRB Suit Stays In Calif. After 5th Circ. Deadlock
SpaceX's challenge to the National Labor Relations Board's constitutionality will be heard in California federal court after the full Fifth Circuit deadlocked Wednesday on the company's bid for review of a panel decision letting the suit's transfer from Texas stand.
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April 17, 2024
Lab Whistleblower Drops COVID Test Suit After Feds Pass
An ex-lab director has dropped his False Claims Act lawsuit alleging he was ousted from a diagnostic testing firm for raising concerns about regulatory violations and improper billing of federal health care programs, closing his Washington federal court case just days after the government declined to intervene.
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April 17, 2024
Biden Admin Probes Chinese Shipbuilders For Unfair Trade
The Biden administration launched an investigation Wednesday into whether China used unfair practices to gain a competitive edge in the global shipping and maritime services sector, setting the stage for potential new tariffs against Beijing.
Expert Analysis
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Avoiding Jurisdictional Risks From Execs' Remote Work
Following a California federal court's recent decision in Evans v. Cardlytics — where the case was remanded to state court because the company’s executives worked remotely in California — there are several steps employers can take to ensure they will not be exposed to unfavored jurisdictions, says Eric Fox at Quarles & Brady.
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11th Circ. FMLA Ruling Deepens Divide Over Causation
The Eleventh Circuit's recent ruling in Lapham v. Walgreen distinguishes the circuit as the loudest advocate for the but-for causation standard for assessing Family and Medical Leave Act retaliation claims, though employers in other jurisdictions may encounter less favorable standards and the U.S. Supreme Court will likely have to address the circuit split eventually, say attorneys at Benesch.
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What Workplace Violence Law Means For Texas Healthcare
While no federal laws address violence against healthcare workers, Texas has recently enacted statutory protections that take effect later this year — so facilities in the state should understand their new obligations under the law, and employers in other states would be wise to take notice as well, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.
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Handling Neurodivergence As The Basis Of Disability Claims
Three recent discrimination claims in Rhode Island and New Jersey show how allegations of adverse treatment of neurodivergent individuals will continue to be tested in court, so employers should create an environment that welcomes the disclosure of such conditions, says Ting Cheung at Sanford Heisler.
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Employers Should Take Surgeon's Sex Bias Suit As A Warning
A Philadelphia federal jury's recent verdict in a sex bias suit over Thomas Jefferson University's inaction on a male plaintiff's sexual harassment complaint is a reminder to employers of all stripes about the importance of consistently applied protocols for handling complaints, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.
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Business Litigators Have A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment
As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.
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Generative AI Adds Risk To Employee 'Self-Help' Discovery
Plaintiffs have long engaged in their own evidence gathering for claims against current or former employers, but as more companies implement generative AI tools, both the potential scope and the potential risks of such "self-help" discovery are rising quickly, says Nick Peterson at Wiley.
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5 Ways To Hone Deposition Skills And Improve Results
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Depositions must never be taken for granted in the preparations needed to win a dispositive motion or a trial, and five best practices, including knowing when to hire a videographer, can significantly improve outcomes, says James Argionis at Cozen O'Connor.
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Series
Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
A lifetime of skiing has helped me develop important professional skills, and taught me that embracing challenges with a spirit of adventure can allow lawyers to push boundaries, expand their capabilities and ultimately excel in their careers, says Andrea Przybysz at Tucker Ellis.
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Navigating Trade Secret Litigation In A High-Stakes Landscape
Recent eye-popping verdicts are becoming increasingly common in trade secret litigation — but employers can take several proactive steps to protect proprietary information and defend against misappropriation accusations in order to avoid becoming the next headline, say Jessica Mason and Jack FitzGerald at Foley & Lardner.
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Opinion
UK Whistleblowers Flock To The US For Good Reason
The U.K. Serious Fraud Office director recently brought renewed attention to the differences between the U.K. and U.S. whistleblower regimes — differences that may make reporting to U.S. agencies a better and safer option for U.K. whistleblowers, and show why U.K. whistleblower laws need to be improved, say Benjamin Calitri and Kate Reeves at Kohn Kohn.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC
The mode of legal reasoning most students learn in law school, often called “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion,” or IRAC, erroneously frames analysis as a separate, discrete step, resulting in disorganized briefs and untold obfuscation — but the fix is pretty simple, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Opinion
There Is No NCAA Supremacy Clause, Especially For NIL
A recent Tennessee federal court ruling illustrates the NCAA's problematic position that its member schools should violate state law rather than its rules — and the organization's legal history with the dormant commerce clause raises a fundamental constitutional issue that will have to be resolved before attorneys can navigate NIL with confidence, says Patrick O’Donnell at HWG.
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Employer Pointers As Wage And Hour AI Risks Emerge
Following the Biden administration's executive order on artificial intelligence, employers using or considering artificial intelligence tools should carefully assess whether such use could increase their exposure to liability under federal and state wage and hour laws, and be wary of algorithmic discrimination, bias and inaccurate or incomplete reporting, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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The Pros And Cons Of Protecting AI As Trade Secrets
Despite regulatory trends toward greater transparency of artificial intelligence models, federal policy acknowledges, and perhaps endorses, trade secret protection for AI information, but there are still hurdles in keeping AI information a secret, say Jennifer Maisel and Andrew Stewart at Rothwell Figg.