News & Analysis as of

Supreme Court of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico

Fisher Phillips

Puerto Rico Supreme Court Tightens “Just Cause” Under Law 80 in Injury-Firing Case

Fisher Phillips on

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

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Puerto Rico Supreme Court Reaffirms Importance of Just Cause for Employee Terminations

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

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

Littler

Puerto Rico Supreme Court: State Courts Lack Jurisdiction Over Labor Cases Governed by the NLRA

Littler on

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

Littler

Supreme Court of Puerto Rico Addressed the Legal Framework of Deference to Administrative Agencies

Littler on

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

DLA Piper

Puerto Rico Supreme Court Issues Key Ruling: No Automatic Deference to Administrative Agencies’ Conclusions of Law

DLA Piper on

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

Jackson Lewis P.C.

PR Supreme Court’s Rejection of Agency Deference Gives Employers New Tools

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

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

Littler

Puerto Rico Supreme Court Clarifies National Origin Discrimination

Littler on

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

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Setting Evidentiary Standards: What Employers Need to Know After Puerto Rico Supreme Court’s Employment Discrimination Ruling

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

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

DLA Piper

Puerto Rico Supreme Court Issues Key RFP Ruling: Top Points for Companies

DLA Piper on

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

Littler

Puerto Rico Supreme Court Clarifies Employment Claims Inheritance Rights

Littler on

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

Littler

Supreme Court of Puerto Rico Rules PR-DOL Christmas Bonus Exemption Decree Was Inapplicable to Unionized Employees

Littler on

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

Littler

Puerto Rico Supreme Court Favors Employers on Business Reorganization and Unjustified Dismissal

Littler on

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

Littler

Puerto Rico Supreme Court Rules on Damages Calculations Involving Double Penalties and Alternate Income Streams

Littler on

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

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Puerto Rico Supreme Court Rules Continued Employment is Valid Consent to an Arbitration Agreement

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

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

Littler

Supreme Court of Puerto Rico Validates Implicit Consent for Arbitration Agreements in the Employment Context

Littler on

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

Littler

Supreme Court of Puerto Rico Rules “Ex-Offender” is not a Protected Category

Littler on

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

Littler

Puerto Rico Supreme Court Holds Arbitration Clauses in Employment Contracts—Including Those Governing Unjust Dismissal Claims—are...

Littler on

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

Littler

Puerto Rico Supreme Court Holds that an Employee’s Felony Indictment Constitutes Just Cause for Termination

Littler on

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

Littler

Puerto Rico Supreme Court Sets Standard to Apply the Successor Liability Doctrine

Littler on

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

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

The High Costs of Violating Puerto Rico’s Breastfeeding in the Workplace Law: Supreme Court Decides Right to Privacy Claim

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

20 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 1

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide