By: Ogletree Deakins

Health Law

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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…

As the first anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act approaches on March 23, five district courts have issued final judgments on the issue of whether the Act itself is constitutional. The score is 3-2 in the federal government’s favor, but all five cases are on appeal at this time. The principal issue in those cases…

Written by Leigh M. Nason, Esquire (Ogletree Deakins, Columbia, SC)

 

Despite ongoing litigation with health care providers and insurers, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently issued an extensive administrative directive to provide “comprehensive guidance for assessing when health care providers and insurers are federal contractors or subcontractors.” The December 16 directive…

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a nursing home’s policy of complying with patients’ wishes to be treated only by white health care workers can form the basis of a racially hostile work environment for non-white employees. Chaney v. Plainfield, 7th Cir., No. 09-3661, 7/20/10.

Brenda Chaney was employed as certified…

It is generally understood that employees can bring claims for hostile environment, wrongful termination, or even “constructive discharge” – where an employee claims that an employer made working conditions so intolerable that a reasonable employee would feel compelled to resign. What is less clearly understood is the extent of the economic damages for which a…

A medical intern who misdiagnosed patients (including mistakenly identifying a patient as deceased), prescribed inappropriate medications or incorrect dosages, and who was “extremely argumentative” with his supervisors and co-workers was unable to perform the essential functions of his job and therefore, according to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was not a qualified individual…

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was the first major federal statute to focus on the rights of individuals with medical impairments. Section 504 of the Act creates a private right of action for individuals claiming to have been discriminated against in any “program or activity” receiving federal financial assistance. Courts have included federally funded employment…

If so, you’ve done the following things:

 Created a pandemic flu plan and educated your employees on that plan;
 Have become aware of current CDC recommendations, and will stay alert for upgrades;
 Reviewed and (if necessary) revised attendance policies;
 Educated yourself on confidentiality issues and concerns;
 Checked with HR or…