The Puerto Rico Supreme Court recently ruled that an employer did not have just cause under local employment law to dismiss an employee who required additional medical treatment after the expiration of the job reserve period...more
The Puerto Rico Supreme Court recently issued a decision reaffirming the importance of just cause for employment terminations in Puerto Rico. Méndez Ruiz v. Techno Plastics Industries, Inc., No. 2025 TSPR 68 (June 26, 2025)....more
The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico recently issued an important decision limiting the role of Puerto Rico’s courts in labor complaints that involve conduct governed by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). In Rodríguez...more
On May 21, 2025, the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico had the opportunity to address the judicial deference that was traditionally given to administrative decisions. In Vázquez v. Consejo de Titulares, 215 D.P.R. ___, 2025 TSPR...more
Litigants in Puerto Rico now have an easier path to challenge administrative agencies’ determinations after the Puerto Rico Supreme Court (PRSC) ruled in Vázquez v. Consejo de Titulares, 2025 TSPR 56, that courts shall not...more
The Puerto Rico Supreme Court has issued a landmark decision limiting the deference that Puerto Rico courts owe to administrative agencies’ legal conclusions. The ruling recalibrates the balance of power between courts and...more
On January 14, 2025, the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico had the opportunity to address the “national origin” protected category under the anti-discrimination provisions of Puerto Rico Act No. 100 of June 30, 1959, as amended...more
The Puerto Rico Supreme Court has issued an opinion interpreting, for the first time, several provisions of the Puerto Rico Labor Reform Act of 2017, specifically holding the McDonnell Douglas burden-shifting framework...more
Prudent entities responding to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) from the Government of Puerto Rico will exercise additional caution when determining how to demonstrate their economic fitness, after the Puerto Rico Supreme Court...more
In Ruiz Mattei v. Commercial Equipment Finance, Inc., the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico determined that claims under the Unjustified Dismissal Act and the Workplace Discrimination Act are transferable to the employee’s heirs...more
On June 30, 2023, the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico issued an Opinion and Order interpreting an employer’s obligation to pay the Christmas Bonus to employees covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Writing for the...more
In a recent case issued by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico (“the Court”), the Court addressed the standard and level of proof that must be presented by employers when raising as an affirmative defense a corporate...more
In Torres Rivera v. Econo, 2021 TSPR 150, 208 D.P.R. __ (Nov. 18, 2021), the Puerto Rico Supreme Court (“PRSC”) determined that when a plaintiff prevails in a discrimination lawsuit, any award of back pay (lost wages) to be...more
The Puerto Rico Supreme Court has confirmed that continued employment may be valid consent to mandatory employment arbitration agreements in a matter of first impression. Aponte et al. v. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, LLC, CC...more
In Aponte Valentín v. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, CC-2018-748, the Puerto Rico Supreme Court reinforced the strong public policy favoring arbitration agreements in Puerto Rico, validating continued employment as implicit consent...more
Article II, Section 1, of the Puerto Rico Constitution’s Bill of Rights prohibits "discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, birth, origin or social status, or political or religious ideas." In Garib Bazain v. Hospital...more
The Puerto Rico Supreme Court (PRSC) recently issued an opinion in José Méndez et al v. Carso Construction, 2019 TSPR 19 (May 22, 2019), validating an arbitration clause that covers a claim under the Puerto Rico Unjust...more
The Puerto Rico Supreme Court (PRSC) recently held that that a felony indictment constitutes just cause for termination under Puerto Rico’s Unjust Dismissal statute, Act No. 80 of May 30, 1976 (Act 80)....more
The Puerto Rico Supreme Court (“PRSC”) recently issued an Opinion in the case of Roldán Flores v. M. Cuebas, 2018 TSPR 18, 199 D.P.R. __ (Feb. 6, 2018), in which it addressed again the requirements for applying the “successor...more
Protections for breastfeeding employees in Puerto Rico just became even stronger. A recent ruling from Puerto Rico’s highest court in Siaca v. Bahía Beach Resort & Golf Club, LLC, held that failing to provide a safe, private,...more