On November 17, a federal jury returned a verdict against AutoZone in favor of a single plaintiff for the insane amount of $185,000,000.00 in punitive damages. The plaintiff alleged gender and pregnancy-related harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. On November 19, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California upheld the

The EEOC is back at it! This time it has targeted corporate wellness programs and is challenging the legality of such programs under the ADA. The EEOC contends that the biometric testing and health risk assessments are “disability-related inquiries and medical examinations” that are not job-related and consistent with business necessity and, therefore, violate Title

On September 25, 2014, the EEOC filed lawsuits in Florida and Michigan accusing employers of discriminating against transgendered employees. These are the first two cases ever filed seeking to protect transgender workers under Title VII.

In the Florida Case, EEOC v. Lakeland Eye Clinic,  the EEOC claims that Lakeland terminated an employee, Branson, in

From the time that S. Truett Cathy opened his first Chick-Fil-A in 1946, he made the decision to close his restaurants every Sunday to give his employees “an opportunity to rest, spend time with family and friends, and worship if they choose to do so.”  When I heard the news that S. Truett Cathy passed

Who, What, Why . . .

Who does it apply to: According to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, all employers with more than 50 employees nationwide are required to comply. Employers with less than 50 employees may not comply if it would be an undue hardship.

What am I supposed to do: Employers

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently updated employees’ guide to southern manners. Don’t worry, employees should still say “yes ma’am” and “no ma’am.” But you know the old saying that you should never discuss politics or religion at work? Well employees better forget that saying ever existed. Not only should employees discuss their religion

Who, What, Why . . .

Who does it apply to: The law applies to all employers with 15 or more employees.

What is the issue: Title VII was passed in the 1960’s to protect against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Since that time, other laws have been passed adding

Who, What, Why . . .

Who does it apply to: All employers who are subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act, which is virtually every employer.

What is the issue: Employers are required to count certain time spent traveling toward an employee’s hours worked each week unless the employee is exempt from overtime. (For