On July 26, 2022, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law “An Act Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Natural and Protective Hairstyles,” also known as the Massachusetts CROWN Act. The law prohibits...more
In Burnett v. Ocean Properties, Ltd., et al., the First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a jury verdict for the plaintiff in his failure to accommodate claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Maine Human...more
3/12/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Appeals ,
Compensatory Damages ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Human Rights Act ,
Joint Employers ,
Jury Verdicts ,
Punitive Damages ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Single Integrated Employer ,
Workplace Injury
On February 12, 2020, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued an opinion with significant implications for Massachusetts employers with commissioned employees. In Parker v. EnerNOC, Inc. (SJC-12703), the SJC...more
2/25/2020
/ Appeals ,
Contract Terms ,
Damages ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Jury Verdicts ,
MA Supreme Judicial Court ,
Retaliation ,
Sales Commissions ,
Termination ,
Treble Damages ,
Wage Act
On June 5, 2019, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued a decision emphasizing that an employer’s well-designed and thorough internal investigations made prior to a termination decision can provide a strong...more
On March 1, 2018, the Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) issued detailed guidance on the amendments to the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act (MEPA), which are set to go into effect on July 1, 2018. The amendments, which were...more
Readers are probably aware that last year, Massachusetts voters approved a new sick leave law that went into effect on July 1, 2015. Many employers with preexisting leave policies, however, took advantage of the so-called...more
On November 4, 2014, Massachusetts voters approved by a decisive margin (approximately 60 percent in favor) a new measure requiring employers to provide sick leave to all employees (with certain limited exceptions regarding...more
Effective January 1, 2014, a new law in Rhode Island will ban employers from inquiring on job applications about the criminal histories of applicants. ...more