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Over the last several years, the U.S. Supreme Court has issued a string of decisions limiting the rights of state employees to sue their state employers for violating federal employment laws. Now a new high court decision continues the trend, ruling that state employees can’t recover damages for disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities […]
Gov. Davis has signed into law a sweeping measure, A.B. 2222, that strengthens the disability discrimination protections for California employees. Because the new law—which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2001—could bring a flood of new disability-bias lawsuits, it’s more important than ever to use caution when handling accommodation issues.
When Eugene Quinn applied to be a Los Angeles police officer, he failed the medical exam because of a hearing impairment. But due to a clerical error, he was told to report for further training exams, which he passed. Quinn graduated from the police academy and was assigned to patrol duty before his hearing problem […]
A hearing-impaired worker in Los Angeles who requested a sign language interpreter for meetings–and instead was allegedly told by her supervisors to read lips and try harder–will receive $100,000 to settle her claim that her employer failed to accommodate her under the Americans with Disabilities Act. In a confidential settlement, the government employer also agreed […]
In a decision that could test the limits of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal court in Utah has ruled a worker’s sensitivity to strong fragrances may qualify as a disability. Glenda Davis had worked for a state tax agency for four years when she developed a sensitivity to fragrances that resulted in headaches, […]
The federal government pulled in a record $49.9 million last year for employees who filed complaints under the Americans with Disabilities Act, an increase of $34 million over the last six years, according to recent Equal Employment Opportunity Commission statistics. Topping the list were HIV-related claims of $10.5 million, followed by orthopedic and back injuries […]
In a flurry of employment-related activity, the high court ruled that state employees can’t sue for age discrimination under federal law, although they can still file suit under state law. Plus, the court upheld the following important decisions: the landmark Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal ruling that said Microsoft improperly treated temporary employees as independent […]
The U.S. Supreme Court left intact a landmark federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal ruling that has forced many employers to reassess how they deal with temporary workers. The federal court had ruled that Microsoft improperly treated as many as 10,000 temporary employees as independent contractors and illegally denied them the option of participating […]
A Wisconsin jury has awarded over $13 million in damages to a mentally retarded janitor who claimed he was fired because of his disability—the largest verdict ever in a case brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The EEOC had filed suit on behalf of Donald Perkle, who worked […]
California law has long prohibited workplace discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions. Now Governor Davis has expanded the law by inking new legislation that lets a pregnant worker sue if you refuse to grant a reasonable accommodation request.