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Employer Liability Issues Employee Misconduct Employment Litigation

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Investigations: Employers Can Avoid Getting in Their Own Way with Some Planning

At some point, every employer will need to investigate an employee’s complaint. An investigation is an important tool that employers can use to fix a workplace problem and minimize liability. Or, an investigation can create...more

Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC

Online, Off-Duty Harassment is Still Unlawful Harassment

Once an employer knows or has reason to know about alleged harassment, it has an obligation to promptly remedy the hostile work environment, even if the offensive conduct occurred wholly offsite, online, or off-duty. This...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Fourth Circuit Expands Employer Protections Against Suspected FMLA Misuse

While the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is designed to protect employees who suffer from a qualifying "serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of" their job, its administration...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Eighth Circuit Chips Away at ‘Honest Belief’ Defense and Creates ‘Intertwinement Test’ for Disability Discrimination Cases

On July 1, 2024, in Huber v. Westar Foods, Inc., in a 2–1 decision, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals departed from the “honest belief” defense recognized by the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Seventh Circuits (and U.S....more

BCLP

UK HR Two-Minute Monthly: May 2024

BCLP on

Our May update includes a case on whistleblowing where the claimant’s belief in the disclosures was questioned along with whether decision makers who knew little or nothing about the disclosures could be blamed for those who...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

Employers May Now Be Limited from Presenting Certain Evidence of Employee Misconduct As Character Evidence In Harassment Cases

CDF Labor Law LLP on

In 2008, Eunices Argueta (Argueta) was hired by a freight operations company in El Segundo, California, eventually acquired by Worldwide Flight Services, Inc. In late 2016 and early 2017, several (5) of her subordinates filed...more

Epstein Becker & Green

Massachusetts Federal Judge Rules that Protected Activity Does Not Shield an Employee from the Consequences of Engaging in...

Epstein Becker & Green on

On November 13, 2023, in USA ex rel, Morgan-Lee, et al. v. The Whittier Health Network, LLC, et al., a Massachusetts federal district judge concluded that although the plaintiff engaged in protected activity when she raised...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Employment Flash - June 2023

New York, Minnesota and NLRB Act To Limit Noncompetes - New York Legislature Passes Bill To Ban Post-Employment Noncompetes - On June 20, 2023, the New York state Legislature passed a bill that bans post-employment...more

Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC

Discipline for Offensive or Abusive Conduct Towards Management - What is “Opprobrious” Enough for the NLRB?

Employers must be cautious in disciplining employees for offensive or abusive conduct directed at management in the workplace in light of standards recently reestablished by the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”)....more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Bitter Medicine: Third Circuit Holds Officers Disciplined for Offensive Social Media Posts Stated a First Amendment Claim

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Seyfarth Synopsis: On June 8, 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit held in Fenico v. City of Philadelphia that police officers disciplined for offensive Facebook posts stated a First Amendment claim...more

Stikeman Elliott LLP

Salina v. Investors Group: Employers Do Not Owe a Duty of Care to Employees in Connection with Workplace Investigations

Stikeman Elliott LLP on

In Salina v. Investors Group Financial Services Inc., 2023 BCS41 C 86 (the “Decision”), the Supreme Court of British Columbia (the “Court”) considered the question of whether an employer owes its employee a duty of care in...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

NLRB Makes It Significantly Harder for Employers to Issue Discipline for Workplace Outbursts

Lion Elastomers Revives a "Setting-Specific" Standard That Is Again Likely to Lead to Arbitrary Results and Conflicting Obligations Under Various Statutes - After the National Labor Relations Board's recent decision in...more

Littler

Alberta, Canada Arbitrator Finds Grievor’s “Off-Duty” Sexual Assault of Co-Worker is Just Cause for Employment Termination

Littler on

In Corporation of the City of Calgary v Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 583, 2023 CanLII 20867 (AB GAA), Arbitrator James T. Casey dismissed the union’s grievance of an employee’s job termination, finding that his off-duty...more

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC

NLRB Gives Workers Greater Leeway to Engage in Abusive Conduct

On May 1, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (the Board) issued its decision in Lion Elastomers LLC II and made it more difficult for employers to discipline employees for misconduct and outbursts. Now employers must...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Seventh Circuit Ruling Reminds Courts Not to Draw ‘Narrow’ Comparisons in Title VII Cases

On October 26, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit handed employers another reminder of the potential benefits of consistent management. In Dunlevy v. Langfelder, the Seventh Circuit upheld the appeal...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Motive Behind Employer's Investigation Determines Retaliation Question

​​​​​​​Here’s another common scenario we see with clients: An employer has an especially difficult employee who has made multiple complaints about their treatment while at the same time performing terribly and missing...more

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

Third Circuit Upholds Firing of Whistleblower Accused of Harassment by Oinking

On August 26, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued an order reaffirming that potential False Claims Act (FCA) whistleblowers are not immune from being fired for workplace misconduct, especially where that...more

Fisher Phillips

Unhappy New Year? South Carolina Employers Face New Lawsuit Worries After Supreme Court Decision

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Employees in South Carolina who report workplace misconduct may soon find themselves personally named as defendants in employment lawsuits following a recent noteworthy decision from the South Carolina Supreme Court. Managers...more

Bennett Jones LLP

Labour Arbitrator Upholds Employee Termination After Surreptitious Interference with Employer's Virtual File Storage

Bennett Jones LLP on

In a recent labour arbitration decision, TELUS v United Steelworkers, Telecommunications Workers Union National Local 1944 (Heywood), Arbitrator Jolliffe, Q.C., upheld the termination of a long-service, unionized employee for...more

Laner Muchin, Ltd.

Seventh Circuit Reiterates Who is “Similarly Situated” for Purposes of Title VII Claims

Laner Muchin, Ltd. on

In a recent opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reiterated the requirements that must be met for an employee to identify a similarly situated comparator for purposes of a Title VII claim. Gamble v. FCA...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Superior Court Determines Employee Misconduct Did Not Justify Dismissal for Cause Without Notice

Littler on

In Czerniawski v. Corma Inc., 2021 ONSC 1514, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice concluded that a long-term employee’s misconduct did not justify dismissal for cause without notice. The court awarded 19 months’ common law...more

McAfee & Taft

Unequal workplace investigation leads to discrimination lawsuit

McAfee & Taft on

When an employee complains of unfair or discriminatory treatment, employers should promptly and thoroughly investigate such a complaint. A quality investigation can solve a problem and avert potential litigation. If a lawsuit...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

What To Do When Employee Misconduct And Protected Activity Collide?

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Seyfarth Synopsis: When an employee violates company rules or policies, a company is within its rights to respond with appropriate corrective action. How to respond, however, can become complicated when an employee engages in...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Federal Court Decision Highlights Challenges of Dealing With Employee Performance Issues While an Employee Is on FMLA Leave

Addressing performance issues of employees who are on leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) can present challenges for employers. An employer may discover, for instance, that prior to going out on FMLA leave, an...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

5 Key Trends In Workplace Class Action Litigation: Trend #5 Impact Of The #MeToo Movement (UPDATED)

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Seyfarth Synopsis: Seemingly overnight, the #MeToo movement emerged as a worldwide social phenomenon with significant implications for the workplace and class action litigation. By 2019, it became clear that the movement is...more

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