Despite the ubiquitous nature of the attorney-client privilege, attorneys generally understand far less about the nuances of the invocation of the attorney-client privilege than they should, particularly in the context of interacting with former employees of a corporate client.
Last April, the Supreme Court held that the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the EEOC may raise the agency's failure to engage in conciliation as a defense. It reversed a decision by the Seventh Circuit, which had held ' contradicting other circuits ' that the EEOC's conduct of the conciliation process is not judicially reviewable.
In an effort to "help employers to review their handbooks and other rules, and conform them if necessary, to ensure that they are lawful," the National Labor Relations Board's general counsel recently issued a 30-page memorandum setting forth guidance on employers' internal personnel policies to ensure compliance with the National Labor Relations Act.
In early June, the Supreme Court issued its decision in EEOC v. Abercrombie. The case raised the question of whether an employer must have actual knowledge of the religious nature of an employee's practice to be found liable for discrimination under Title VII for denying employment based on that practice. The short answer is no.
Discrimination claims based upon an employer's failure to promote or hire remain among the more difficult claims for employees. Employees seeking to demonstrate discriminatory animus must demonstrate both comparable qualifications to the selected candidate and pretext in the decision-making process.
If a plaintiff in a discrimination case or a recipient spouse in a divorce action is unemployed or under-employed and seeking compensation or maintenance, that party's employability must be ascertained in order to determine a fair and just award. Frequently, this requires consultation with, or testimony by, a vocational or employability expert.
With July 26, 2015, marking the 25th anniversary of the ADA, disabled Americans have reason to celebrate as recent court decisions have strengthened and broadened their protections under the ADAAA.
The employment lawyer's adage that "no good deed goes unpunished" was thrown into sharp relief by the Sixth Circuit recently when it held that telecommuting ' even when offered to other employees ' is not necessarily a reasonable accommodation for a disabled employee. ).
A look at a case involving alleged pregnancy discrimination.
In 2014, the DOL published a request for information (RFI) regarding the use of so-called "brokerage windows" under retirement plans, such as many "Section 401(k)" plans, that allow participants (and beneficiaries) to direct the investment of their retirement accounts. The RFI is one of the more recent developments surrounding what has become an increasingly controversial topic regarding the investment of Section 401(k) plans and other participant-direct retirement plans.
