Wisconsin may soon join fourteen other states that have adopted laws prohibiting employers from requesting usernames and passwords to access an employee’s or job applicant’s social media accounts, including Facebook® and Twitter®. On Tuesday, August 20, 2013, the Wisconsin Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor held a public hearing to discuss a bipartisan bill that […]
Employment LawScene Blog
On June 24, 2013 the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision in Vance v. Ball State University, in which it defined narrowly what it means to be a “supervisor” in the context of workplace harassment claims. The Court’s decision in Vance has been a long time coming and offers long-awaited guidance to […]
Although having a criminal record in itself does not afford individuals protection under Title VII, it is the EEOC’s position that the use of criminal records in making employment decisions has a disproportionate effect on certain racial and ethnic groups, which may have a discriminatory effect on those racial or ethnic groups who are afforded […]
Recently, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center v. Nassar, which raises the bar for employees who file Title VII retaliation claims against their employers. Title VII protects employees from discrimination based on race, sex or gender, religion, or national origin. Title VII also protects […]
With Labor Day in the rearview mirror and the fall M&A deal season now upon us it is important to remember that, while most liabilities can be extinguished in an Asset Purchase Transaction, there are a few liabilities that cannot. This post will focus on one such liability – Federal Employment Liability. Last spring, the […]
In EEOC v. United Airlines, the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held that an employer, as part of its reasonable accommodation obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), must reassign a disabled employee to an open and available position regardless of whether there might be a better or more qualified applicant for […]
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently held that firing a female employee because she is lactating or expressing breast milk constitutes sex discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, which, until Congress enacted […]
Generally, the “ministerial exception” allows religious employers to avoid liability for discrimination claims when making employment decisions concerning employees who qualify as “ministers.” The exception is rooted in religious freedom principles found in the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of […]
Almost 99% of today’s information created by businesses is generated and stored electronically. The ability to easily and conveniently store large amounts of data has created a hidden liability that did not exist in the age of when companies maintained its information primarily in paper format. The effect of this hidden liability is twofold. First, […]
The EEOC is statutorily obligated to enter into confidential conciliation efforts with an employer prior to commencing a lawsuit. Only if the EEOC is unable to secure a conciliation agreement acceptable to it may it bring a civil action, as conciliation is a condition precedent to the EEOC’s power to sue. The purpose of this […]
Employment Lawscene Team
