Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it unlawful to discriminate against any individual with respect to the terms and conditions of employment because of certain protected characteristics, including gender. In order to support a claim under Title VII, an individual must point to an “adverse employment action” that was taken again
Gender discrimination
Pregnancy-related statements by managers help employee to avoid summary judgment on pregnancy discrimination claim.
In an unpublished opinion, the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit reversed a lower court’s dismissal of a pregnancy discrimination claim, finding that an employer’s “no accommodation for non-work-related injuries” raised an issue of pregnancy discrimination for a jury. Latowski v. Northwoods Nursing Center, 6th Cir., No. 12-2408, December 23, 2013.
Jennifer…
Family squabble leads to “Facebook firing,” and to dismissal of plaintiff’s case.
The line of “Facebook firing” cases is growing longer every month. In October, the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld summary judgment in an unpublished opinion in which an individual claimed gender discrimination after he was fired from his job as a daycare center worker. According to the employer, the firing was based on…
Firing of employee after his angry outburst during mediation did not constitute retaliation.
While Title VII’s anti-retaliation provision does not prohibit all employer action after an employee has filed a discrimination charge or lawsuit, it precludes employers from taking an action that might dissuade a reasonable employee from making or supporting a discrimination charge. Recently, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reviewed the retaliation claim of an…
Domestic Violence Victim Leave Law Enacted in New Jersey.
The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA), which was extended in February 2013, is a federal law that provides funding toward investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, imposes automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted, and allows civil redress in cases prosecutors chose to leave unprosecuted. The Act also establishes the Office…
Ostracism and petty mistreatments may collectively rise to the level of hostile work environment.
A female plumber on “light duty” in the City of Chicago’s Department of Sewers filed a lawsuit alleging that because she was female, her supervisor assigned menial work to her, prohibited her coworkers from interacting with her, and subjected her to alleged “verbal violence.” While the district court viewed each of those actions individually and…
Alleged comments by HR director sufficient to defeat company’s motion for summary judgment.
Remarks by a law firm’s human resources director could be “direct evidence” of pregnancy discrimination and violation of the FMLA, according to the 7th U.S. District Court of Appeals. According to the court, such evidence falls outside of the “hearsay” objection that might otherwise keep it from being presented to a jury. Makowski v. SmithAmundsen…
Issue: Doctors, Diapers, and . . . Discrimination?
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) requires employers to treat pregnant employees in the same manner as other employees who are not pregnant, but who are similarly situated in their ability or non-ability to work. That means that under the PDA, a woman who is unable to work because of pregnancy-related illness is entitled to sick…
Sexual innuendos and demeaning comments cost employer $1.6 Million.
In gender discrimination cases under Title VII, a jury can award back pay and front pay, but also can award compensatory damages if it believes that an employee was harmed emotionally or psychologically by the alleged harassment or hostile work environment. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently affirmed a $1.6 Million damages…
First Circuit holds that Title VII does not protect employees from the “ordinary slings and arrows that suffuse the workplace every day.”
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reminds us that while Congress’ antidiscrimination laws are designed to protect workers’ rights, they are “not intended to function as a collective panacea for every work-related experience that is in some respect unjust, unfair, or unpleasant.” Consistent with this statement, the court dismissed the claims of four female…