A recent opinion from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania serves a win to a medical marijuana card-holder who brought claims against an employer under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), the Pennsylvania Medical...more
6/4/2025
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Pennsylvania ,
Plant Based Products ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Screening Procedures ,
State Labor Laws
In 2018, Washington enacted a Fair Chance Act, requiring covered employers to wait until after considering an applicant to be “otherwise qualified” for the position at issue to inquire about or consider criminal history when...more
5/6/2025
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Fair Chance Act ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Notice Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Washington
Effective September 3, 2024, employers with locations or employees (including remote workers) in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County (ULAC) will be subject to a new Fair Chance Ordinance. To say that the new...more
For many years, California employers have been subject to the state’s Fair Chance Act, which (in a nutshell) requires employers to...more
8/23/2023
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Background Checks ,
California ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Employees ,
Fair Chance Act ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On May 25, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey granted an employer’s motion to dismiss a putative class action in Zanetich v. Wal-Mart Stores E., Inc. Addressing an issue of first impression, the...more
6/6/2023
/ Cannabis Products ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Marijuana ,
New Jersey ,
Recreational Use ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
On September 18, 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2188, which will make it unlawful for California employers to rely on cannabis test results for employment purposes, unless in very narrow circumstances....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Every year, employers find themselves revisiting their marijuana and drug testing policies to account for newly enacted laws at the state and local level. Now is no different. Below are some highlights of...more
On April 28, 2021, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney signed Bill No. 200625 which, effective January 1, 2022, prohibits employers from requiring prospective employees to undergo testing for the presence of marijuana as a...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: New Jersey recently enacted a law permitting personal, nonmedical use of marijuana for individuals age 21 and over. Separate laws decriminalize marijuana and hashish possession and set out the penalties...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Illinois currently has a ban-the-box law restricting employers from asking about criminal history generally until after an interview and the state’s Human Rights Act makes it unlawful for an employer to...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: As the number of class actions alleging FCRA violations continues to skyrocket, it is critical for California employers to understand the basics of all laws affecting employment screening programs. This...more
8/21/2020
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Seyfarth Synopsis: On June 16, 2020, the New York City Commission on Human Rights adopted new rules clarifying the catch-all “safety-sensitive” exception to the prohibition against New York City employers requiring job...more
6/30/2020
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Drug Testing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: On March 20, 2020, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s (“FCRA”) standalone disclosure requirement does not allow for the inclusion of any extraneous information in an...more
4/11/2020
/ Background Checks ,
Class Action ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Credit History ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Application ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Job Offers ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Seyfarth Synopsis: Waterloo, Iowa has enacted the state’s first “Ban the Box” Ordinance.
UPDATE #2: On April 3, 2020, the lawsuit brought by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (the “Association”) against the...more
4/10/2020
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Seyfarth Synopsis: On January 30, 2020, the Maryland General Assembly voted to override Governor Larry Hogan’s May 2019 veto of the Act Concerning Record Screening Practices (Ban the Box) (the “Act”). As a result, effective...more
2/7/2020
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
General Assembly ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
On January 10, 2020, Colorado Representative Jovan Melton (D) introduced House Bill 20-1089, which proposes to clarify that the existing prohibition on an employer terminating an employee for the employee’s lawful off-duty...more
1/28/2020
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Controlled Substances ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Drug Testing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
Preemption ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Seyfarth Synopsis: The San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (the “FCO”), which was amended as of October 1, 2018, has long required that covered employers provide employees with the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement’s...more
1/24/2020
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Fair Chance Act ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Local Ordinance ,
Notice Requirements ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Seyfarth Synopsis: On December 3, 2019, the Appellate Court of Illinois affirmed summary judgment in favor of a public utility company that considered credit checks for individuals applying for a customer service...more
1/14/2020
/ Appeals ,
Confidential Information ,
Credit Checks ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Right to Privacy ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Summary Judgment
In 2016, Pennsylvania enacted its “Medical Marijuana Act” (MMA), which permits individuals suffering from certain conditions to use marijuana for medicinal use. Several provisions in the MMA impact employers. For instance,...more
1/7/2020
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Duties ,
Labor Regulations ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
On November 18, 2019, Florida Senator Lori Berman (D) introduced Senate Bill 962, which proposes to provide job applicants and employees who use medical marijuana various protections in employment....more
12/4/2019
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Job Descriptions ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: Waterloo, Iowa has enacted the state’s first “Ban the Box” Ordinance....more
11/27/2019
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Local Ordinance ,
State Labor Laws
The Illinois General Assembly passed SB 1557, revising the language of the Recreational Cannabis Law to reduce but not eliminate employer liabilities.
...more
11/22/2019
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Pending Legislation ,
Recreational Use ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: California’s ban-the-box law strictly regulates how employers may obtain and consider background check information when hiring and making personnel decisions. What’s more, Los Angeles and San Francisco have...more
10/31/2019
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Notification Requirements ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Seyfarth Synopsis: A New Jersey appellate court recently concluded in Wild v. Carriage Funeral Holdings, Inc. that even though New Jersey’s Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act (the Act) did not “require … an employer to...more
7/23/2019
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Seyfarth Synopsis: While employees often will toot their own horn, employers sometimes may have concerns about their ability to safely perform their job. If this situation rings a bell, it will be music to your ears to hear...more