Tag: disparate treatment

Will & Grace: New Run, Same Naughty Karen

Back in March, I wrote about the revival of Will & Grace, though we all know it is really the Jack & Karen show.  Over the years, we have seen the softer side of Karen Walker, which lies far (really far) below the surface of her martini-swilling, insult-slinging, pill-popping, Botox veneer. In the series revival, […]

U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Alleges Gender Wage Discrimination

Five star players of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Hope Solo) made headlines this week by filing a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging gender wage discrimination against the U.S. Soccer Federation.  In their charge, the players allege that they should be […]

American Idol’s ‘cold-hearted’ background check practices

by Kylie Crawford TenBrook The new season of American Idol begins tonight. While viewers are getting acquainted with a new panel of judges and group of contestants, Fox attorneys are battling charges from former contestants.  In July, 10 black former American Idol contestants filed a 429-page discrimination complaint against Fox and the show’s production company […]

Caught Red-Handed and Breastfed

Last night’s episode, Jury Duty, involved scandalous improprieties, shrewd cover-ups, relentless investigations, and dramatic public confessions. Agatha Christie would have been proud, although Scranton’s twist on these themes might have left her a little confused. It took Dwight only a few minutes to dismantle Jim’s lie about having been on jury duty for a full […]

Breastfeeding Employee Entitled to Equal, Not Preferential, Treatment

The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans recently addressed a case in which the employee alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA). The dispute arose when the employee claimed she was given insufficient break time to express breast milk following the […]

Sixth Circuit Affirms Decision to Lay Off Predominantly Female Departments

As more and more companies struggle in this tough economy, many are forced to implement reductions in force (RIFs) and layoffs. Often, RIF decisions lead to litigation if not properly planned. In a recent case, the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that an employer didn’t discriminate against employees based on gender even though […]

Grief Counseling

LITIGATION VALUE: Nominal An employer can do many things to assist employees in coping with grief, but requiring them to attend a bird funeral in the parking lot is not one of them. Also, as a general rule, regional managers shouldn’t be soft shoulders for their subordinates. Certainly, they shouldn’t have a meeting asking employees […]