The California Court of Appeal reversed a $90 million class action judgment in a case of alleged rest period violations under state law, finding the requirement of security guards to remain on-call during rest breaks was not improper. In weighing Augustus v. ABM Sec. Servs., Inc., the appellate court for…
A charter school teacher in South Carolina recently won her wrongful termination claim, which had been appealed by the school all the way to the state supreme court. The case of McNaughton v. Charleston Charter School is relevant to workers here in California because just like here, South Carolina is…
While sexual harassment claims are often filed by women who suffer discrimination or retaliation by male superiors, a recent federal case filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a reminder that discrimination and harassment can go both ways. According to a statement from the EEOC, a well-known restaurant…
Employees who turn in an application to an employer may not realize they have significant rights under federal law – even if they are not hired. Employers who decide to use consumer background checks, including criminal history or credit reports, to make a hiring decision must follow a very strict…
With a growing elderly population, more families are turning to home health care services to help with the aid and medical needs of their loved ones. Many of these health service employees work for agencies responsible for salary and hourly wages, including overtime. For employees, it is important to remember…
McDonald’s is facing some of its most egregious accusations of racial and sexual discrimination and harassment, which could result in a significant settlement or verdict for 10 former employees. The federal civil rights lawsuit was filed against the company in January of 2015 in the U.S. District Court for the…
Transgendered employees are a protected class under California state laws and federal law. The Justice Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission hold it is illegal for employers to discriminate against transgendered employees. In a recent turn of legal events, Saks & Co. administrators in a federal motion asserted the…
The American Civil Liberties Union has succeeded in taking on a gender discrimination case against a Catholic school in Indiana. According to court documents, a teacher was discriminated against after she sought in vitro fertilization treatment to get pregnant. After working at the school for more than seven years as…
Employers are being more heavily scrutinized for taking potentially illegal action when background checking employees either prior to hire or during the course of employment. A class action lawsuit was filed in a Missouri federal court alleging Michaels, a craft store chain, violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act in its…
Discrimination and retaliation can impact lower-rung employees as well as high-paid executives. A recent case demonstrates that even employees at the upper end of the pay scale can suffer because of discrimination in the workplace. According to Reuters, a former partner filed a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against a Silicon…