News Notes: Court Rules You Can Correct Family Leave Mistakes

A court has decided that an employer who granted federal family leave to someone who wasn’t qualified to take it can later correct its mistake, despite a government regulation that says otherwise. The employer in the case had told a pregnant worker, Susan Seaman, that she was entitled to family leave, but it turned out she had not worked the required 12 months before asking for time off. One month into her leave, her job was eliminated. Seaman sued, relying on a regulation stating that once an employer approves family leave, it cannot later challenge the worker’s eligibility. But the court said that the regulation was invalid and ruled for the employer, although higher courts may still have the final word on the subject.