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Employment
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May 14, 2024
Venable Opens Colo. Office With 8 Sherman & Howard Attys
Venable LLP is growing its presence by opening its first office in Colorado, with eight commercial and employment attorneys from Sherman & Howard LLP opening its Denver location, which will be headed by partner-in-charge James "Jim" Sawtelle, the firm announced Tuesday.
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May 14, 2024
Seattle Public Defender's $7M Employment Win Wiped Out
The Washington Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled a former King County public defender could not bring a hostile work environment claim over a client's harassing behavior that persisted after she stopped representing him, erasing her $7 million jury win.
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May 14, 2024
Conn. Retaliation Suit Advances After Justices' Title VII Ruling
With a recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion said to be illuminating the path forward, a federal judge in Connecticut has declined to dismiss a case by a self-described former "high-level" employee of a private equity firm who alleges she was fired after raising concerns about her employer's treatment of women.
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May 14, 2024
5th Circ. Expresses Doubt On Nasdaq Board Diversity Rules
Lawyers for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Nasdaq Stock Market LLC faced a barrage of questions from the full Fifth Circuit on Tuesday, with judges wondering whether rules requiring corporations to disclose board diversity information would open the door to investor questions on religious practices, political beliefs or Taylor Swift fandom.
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May 14, 2024
NC State Fights Cancer Patient's Presuit Building Access
North Carolina State University is pressing the state appeals court to find it is insulated from an "unusual" order allowing a former graduate student worker diagnosed with cancer to inspect a campus building that tested high for levels of carcinogens.
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May 14, 2024
Ind. Panel Agrees Hospital Can't Be Liable If Doctors Aren't
An Indiana appeals court has refused to reinstate a woman's vicarious liability claim against Indiana University Health North Hospital Inc. in a suit alleging its staff failed to properly diagnose her sepsis, holding the hospital can't be held liable for the conduct of agents who have already been released from liability.
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May 14, 2024
Colo. Org Lacks Standing In Access Law Row, Judge Says
The Colorado Livestock Association doesn't have standing to challenge a state law that requires agricultural employers to give workers access to service providers, a state judge ruled, finding individual members of the group must take part in the proceeding.
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May 14, 2024
Revised $2.25M Walmart OT Deal Fails For Lack Of Changes
A California federal judge again refused to approve a $2.25 million deal between Walmart and 1,700 workers that would resolve an unpaid overtime lawsuit, finding that the modified agreement did not fix deficiencies the court had previously identified in the settlement's distribution method.
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May 14, 2024
Northwestern Settles Tax Law Prof's Age Bias Suit
Northwestern University agreed to settle a law school professor's age bias suit filed in Illinois federal court claiming he was given smaller raises year-over-year in comparison with his younger colleagues after he cast aside the institution's push for him to retire early.
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May 14, 2024
Trial Averted In Boston Health Agency Harassment Case
A former Boston health department employee on Tuesday reported that she had settled her claims against the city and a former boss who she says sexually harassed her, scuttling a trial that would have featured several high-profile witnesses, including a federal judge.
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May 14, 2024
Kraft Heinz Seeks To Ax Teamsters' Retiree Benefit Grievance
Kraft Heinz asked a Delaware federal judge Tuesday to step in and stop a Teamsters unit's healthcare grievance from going to arbitration, saying the union must use the dispute resolution process outlined in the company healthcare plan, not the grievance and arbitration process outlined in the union contract.
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May 14, 2024
Ex-Tesla Worker Urges 9th Circ. To Revive Whistleblower Suit
A former Tesla employee who says he was fired for reporting unlawful activity asked the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday to revive his Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower claim, saying those claims aren't arbitrable, and a lower court erred when it dismissed them based on an arbitrator's findings regarding his other claims against Tesla.
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May 14, 2024
Insurer Says Miami Retaliation Scheme Not Covered
An insurer for the City of Miami is seeking reimbursement of $5 million for expenses incurred in defending the city and one of its commissioners against underlying lawsuits alleging political retaliation, telling a Florida federal court that the allegations fall outside the scope of its policies.
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May 14, 2024
Law Firm Must Face Ex-HR Manager's Pregnancy Bias Suit
A Florida federal judge refused Tuesday to allow a law firm to escape a former human resources manager's pregnancy discrimination suit, saying a jury should decide the dispute given the "peculiar" timing of her firing.
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May 14, 2024
States Accuse EEOC Of 'Smuggling' Abortion Into PWFA Rule
Louisiana and Mississippi have sued the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission seeking to invalidate regulations implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, claiming the agency's stance that employers must provide workers accommodations if they get an abortion flouts U.S. Supreme Court precedent and the PWFA itself.
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May 14, 2024
7th Circ. Seems Wary Of Jurisdiction Over Union Fund Misuse
Two Seventh Circuit judges on Tuesday pressed the U.S. Department of Labor to address how much authority individual employers had as part of an allegedly mismanaged multiemployer benefit fund, saying the question is crucial to determine whether the agency properly won a federal court injunction.
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May 14, 2024
Christian Org. Staves Off Same-Sex Bias Trial With $120K Deal
A Christian nonprofit has agreed to pay a Washington job candidate $120,000 to avoid a damages trial on claims it refused to hire her because she was in a same-sex marriage, though it said it would appeal the liability finding against it.
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May 14, 2024
Energy Cos. Don't Have To Clarify Financier Takeover Claims
The founders of several Houston energy companies don't have to clarify a state court complaint in which they accuse an equity shareholder and several companies he manages of a scheme to take over their companies and steal millions in their membership interests, a Texas state judge has ruled.
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May 14, 2024
Calif. Grower Fights State's Farmworker Unionization Law
Wonderful Nurseries LLC is challenging a California state statute that simplified the process for farmworkers like the agricultural company's own to unionize, arguing in a new lawsuit that it's unconstitutional to allow a union to represent workers without a secret-ballot election as long as a majority sign union cards.
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May 14, 2024
Workday's Liability Defense In AI Bias Battle Troubles Judge
A California federal judge handling a job candidate's discrimination case over Workday's artificial intelligence-powered hiring tools seemed ready Tuesday to let the legal battle move ahead, as she expressed skepticism about the software developer's assertion that federal employment laws can't reach it.
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May 14, 2024
Mass. Pot Shop Ordered To Recognize Union, Rehire Workers
A Massachusetts cannabis retailer found to have engaged in union busting must recognize and bargain with a United Food and Commercial Workers local and offer to rehire two fired union supporters, a federal judge ordered Tuesday.
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May 14, 2024
Delays Justified Dismissing Malpractice Suit, Firms Tell NJ Panel
Two New Jersey law firms said a lower court got it right when it threw out malpractice claims against them due to the plaintiffs' failure to comply with discovery demands, arguing on Tuesday to a New Jersey state appeals court that the plaintiffs' delay in producing discovery and filing amended complaints was prejudicial.
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May 14, 2024
Mexican Mine Labor Row Ruled Outside Trade Pact's Scope
An international tribunal formed under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement declined to examine if workers at a Mexican mine were denied collective bargaining rights, finding that much of the 17-year dispute had already been decided under now-defunct labor laws.
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May 14, 2024
Vince McMahon Calls Accuser Hypocritical In Arbitration Push
Embattled World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. founder Vince McMahon has characterized a former employee's bid to strike his preliminary statement from her lawsuit as meritless hypocrisy, a move that comes roughly four months after she first lodged the shocking complaint against him alleging abuse and trafficking.
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May 14, 2024
California Pot Worker's Suit Alleges Slurs, Unpaid Overtime
A former worker for a cannabis cultivator and distributor is suing his former employer in California state court, saying he was fired in retaliation for reporting a work environment rife with racial discrimination.
Expert Analysis
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Where Justices Stand On Chevron Doctrine Post-Argument
Following recent oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court, at least four justices appear to be in favor of overturning the long-standing Chevron deference, and three justices seem ready to uphold it, which means the ultimate decision may rest on Chief Justice John Roberts' vote, say Wayne D'Angelo and Zachary Lee at Kelley Drye.
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Calif. High Court Ruling Outlines Limits On PAGA Actions
While the California Supreme Court’s ruling last week in Estrada v. Royalty Carpet Mills held that courts cannot dismiss Private Attorneys General Act claims on manageability grounds, the opinion also details how claims can be narrowed, providing a road map for defendants facing complex actions, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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Perspectives
6 Practice Pointers For Pro Bono Immigration Practice
An attorney taking on their first pro bono immigration matter may find the law and procedures beguiling, but understanding key deadlines, the significance of individual immigration judges' rules and specialized aspects of the practice can help avoid common missteps, says Steven Malm at Haynes Boone.
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Lessons From Country Singer's Personal Service Saga
Recent reports that country singer Luke Combs won a judgment against a Florida woman who didn’t receive notice of the counterfeit suit against her should serve as a reminder for attorneys on best practices for effectuating service by electronic means, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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NY Pay Frequency Cases May Soon Be A Thing Of The Past
Two recent developments in New York state have unfurled to suggest that the high tide of frequency-of-pay lawsuits may soon recede, giving employers the upper hand when defending against threatened or pending claims, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
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Trends That Will Shape The Construction Industry In 2024
Though the outlook for the construction industry is mixed, it is clear that 2024 will bring evolving changes aimed at building projects more safely and efficiently under difficult circumstances, and stakeholders would be wise to prepare for the challenges and opportunities these trends will bring, say Josephine Bahn and Jeffery Mullen at Cozen O'Connor.
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A Focused Statement Can Ease Employment Mediation
Given the widespread use of mediation in employment cases, attorneys should take steps to craft mediation statements that efficiently assist the mediator by focusing on key issues, strengths and weaknesses of a claim, which can flag key disputes and barriers to a settlement, says Darren Rumack at Klein & Cardali.
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How To Start Applying DOL's Independent Contractor Test
Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor finalized a worker classification rule that helpfully includes multiple factors that employers can leverage to systematically evaluate the economic realities of working relationships, says Elizabeth Arnold and Samantha Stelman at Berkeley Research Group.
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3 Areas Of Focus In Congressional Crosshairs This Year
Companies must prepare for Congress to build on its 2023 oversight priorities this year, continuing its vigorous inquiries into Chinese company-related investments, workplace safety and labor relations issues, and generative artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Vaccine Accommodation Suits Show Risk Of Blanket Policies
A recent federal class action alleging Tyson Foods inappropriately applied a one-size-fits-all response to Arkansas employees seeking religious COVID-19 vaccine exemptions, with similar suits going back to 2022, should remind employers to individually consider every worker request for a religious accommodation, say Christopher Pardo and Elizabeth Sherwood at Hunton.
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5 Trade Secret Developments To Follow In 2024
Recent cases and trends in trade secret law indicate that significant developments are likely this year, and practitioners should be anticipating their impact on the business and legal landscape, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
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Series
Baking Bread Makes Me A Better Lawyer
After many years practicing law, and a few years baking bread, I have learned that there are a few keys to success in both endeavors, including the assembly of a nourishing and resilient culture, and the ability to learn from failure and exercise patience, says Rick Robinson at Reed Smith.
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Federal Courts And AI Standing Orders: Safety Or Overkill?
Several district court judges have issued standing orders regulating the use of artificial intelligence in their courts, but courts should consider following ordinary notice and comment procedures before implementing sweeping mandates that could be unnecessarily burdensome and counterproductive, say attorneys at Curtis.
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Why CFTC Whistleblowers Are Crucial To Crypto Regulation
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's whistleblower program has proven to be a key tool in the U.S.' efforts to police cryptocurrency, but a funding issue shows that it has become a victim of its own success, says Stephen Kohn at Kohn Kohn.
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PAGA Turns 20: An Employer Road Map For Managing Claims
As California’s Private Attorneys General Act turns 20, the arbitrability of individual and representative claims remains relatively unsettled — but employers can potentially avoid litigation involving both types of claims by following guidance from the California Supreme Court’s Adolph v. Uber ruling, say attorneys at Mintz.