Same Sex Harassment is Actionable, California Court of Appeal Affirms

In Lewis v. City of Benicia, the First Appellate District affirmed once again that in California, same-sex harassment is actionable.

Brian Lewis, a volunteer and later paid intern at the City of Benecia’s water treatment plan, claimed he was sexually harassed by two male supervisors (Hickman and Lantrip) in violation of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), that he was subject to retaliation when he complained of the harassment, and that the City was liable for failing to prevent sexual harassment. More ›

Employee’s Dishonesty Outweighs Employee’s Complaints of Harassment in Termination/Retaliation Suit

A hospital employee was terminated for dishonesty and causing a workplace disruption. She had previously posted comments on her Facebook page alleging that her supervising physician inappropriately touched her and was paying employees for time they did not work. The accused physician saw the posts and notified hospital management. The employee was asked about the posts, and three times denied that she had authored the posts. The hospital investigated the allegations, including the allegations concerning the touchings by the supervisor, and during this time, the employee told her co-workers that she believed the physician had destroyed evidence of the extra pay he had given to the employees. Later, the employee admitted that she had, in fact, authored the Facebook posts and was terminated for dishonesty and causing a workplace disruption. More ›

Employee Witness Entitled to Same Protections against Retaliation as Complaining Employee

In this case, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals holds that not only is an employee who complains about inappropriate conduct in the workplace protected from retaliation, but the same protections extend to those employees who participate in an investigation into the alleged conduct. More ›

Employee Fails to Prove Equitable Estoppel Regarding her FMLA Eligibility

How specific does an FMLA request have to be? And does an employer's "approval" of a request for leave automatically render that leave to be deemed FMLA leave? Those issues were recently addressed in this Eleventh Circuit opinion. More ›

Despite "Incredibly Suspicious" Timing, Retaliation Claim Fails

A surgical technologist at a hospital was having performance problems. The technologist's supervisor contacted her by phone following a complaint from a physician that the technologist had failed to perform a number of critical tasks that ultimately delayed a surgery. During the call, the technologist became angry and insubordinate. Following that call, the supervisor contacted human resources to discuss terminating the technologist, and then communicated his decision to others, but not to the technician. The following day, the technologist contacted human resources to complain of racial harassment and discrimination. Forty-five minutes later, the supervisor contacted the technologist via phone and informed her of her termination. While the court found the timing "incredibly suspicious," it ultimately ruled that the evidence that the decision had been made prior to the technologist's complaint precluded a finding that her complaint was the "but for" basis for her termination. This case demonstrates the importance of carefully documenting the termination decision-making process.

For more information read Wright v. St. Vincent Health System, No. 12-3162 (8th Cir. Sep. 18, 2013).

Employee must Exhaust Administrative Remedies Before Suing Employer

In MacDonald v. Superior Court, the court held that an employee must exhaust statutory administrative remedies before filing suit against an employer.

MacDonald worked for the State of California and the California State Assembly in San Joaquin County. According to his complaint, MacDonald was fired two weeks after complaining that a supervisor had been smoking in the office in violation of the Labor Code and Government Code. More ›

Arbitrator’s Award Given Preclusive Effect in Racial Discrimination Case

In Wade v. Ports America Management Corp., the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District held that an arbitration award, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement, had res judicata effect on a plaintiff’s subsequent common law racial discrimination claim.

Wade, an African-American longshoreman, was laid off in September of 2008, even though he had more seniority than other employees who were retained. The effective collective bargaining agreement (CBA) required union members to submit any grievances related to their employment to binding arbitration. More ›

It’s just Lunch Agrees to pay $900,000 to Settle Discrimination Suit

The dating service It’s Just Lunch USA, LLC (“It’s Just Lunch”) will pay $900,000 to settle a suit alleging that the company discriminated against men.

The announcement of the settlement comes just 10 days after the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) filed a complaint against the Hallendale Beach-based company in a Florida federal court. More ›

Supreme Court: Proving Title VII Retaliation Claim Requires “But-For” Causation

Adding to a recent string of victories for employers, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 24, 2013, that claims for retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 must be proved "according to traditional principles of but-for causation." More ›

Attorney fees not Available in Mixed Motive Retaliation Claims Under Title VII, Seventh Circuit Rules

Under Title VII, in “mixed motive” discrimination cases (i.e., discrimination motivated in part, but not entirely, by an impermissible factor), an employer may limit Plaintiff’s recovery where it can show that it would have made the “same decision,” regardless of the impermissible motive. But the employer may still be compelled to reimburse the plaintiff’s costs and attorney fees. More ›