Long-standing and consistently applied policy, coupled with clear and objective documentation of the employer’s financial status form the basis of a decision by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the dismissal of an employee’s age discrimination claim. Green v. Twp. Of Addison, 6th Cir., No. 14-1607, unpublished (May 27, 2015).
Employment termination during an employee’s leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) may constitute “interference” with that leave. However, an employer typically does not violate the FMLA if it terminates an employee for failing to comply with the company’s policies regarding absences, even if those absences occur during a protected FMLA leave. A
On September 26, 2011, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned summary judgment allowing a 59 year old employee’s claim of age discrimination to go to a jury, based largely on evidence that younger employees – even those over 40 years old – had been disciplined differently than she was. Christine Earl v. Nielsen
In order to support a claim of employment discrimination, an individual typically must show that an “adverse employment action” was taken, and that such action was based upon a protected characteristic. To constitute an adverse employment action for purposes for federal anti-discrimination laws, such action must create a significant change in an employee’s status,
Unless an individual can prove that she is meeting the expectations of her employer, that individual cannot set forth the prima facie case necessary to support a claim of workplace discrimination. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has found that an employee who was fired for insubordination was not meeting an employer’s legitimate business
Employers often are hesitant to discipline or fire an employee who is in a protected class, knowing that the potential for lawsuit can be higher in those circumstances. This issue was addressed directly by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in an unpublished opinion in which an employee failed to prove that the company’s
A public school music teacher who was replaced by a less experienced teacher eleven years her junior was unable to show that her age – rather than her work-performance – was the basis of the non-renewal of her contract. Dorfman v. Pine Hill Board of Education, 3d Cir., No. 08-4012, September 30, 2009.
Judith Dorfman
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) makes it unlawful to discriminate against an individual over the age of 40, and specifically includes a prohibition against failing to hiring someone based on his or her age. The 2d U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently pointed out the expansive nature of that prohibition by holding that
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) prohibits employers from treating employees who are 40 or older adversely on the basis of their age. Recently, however, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that an employee’s “obsolete skill set” which caused him to be of “declining value” to the company was sufficient basis to
Litigation often ends when one party files a motion for summary judgment, asking the court to determine that there is no issue of material fact for the jury, and asserting that a decision can be made in its favor based solely on the legal issues. In reviewing a motion for summary judgment, a court must
