Employment-Related Cases on the Supreme Court’s Docket This Term
As the first Monday in October rolled around last week, the U.S. Supreme Court was back on the bench, with new chief justice John G. Roberts.
Tag: First Amendment
Wrongful Termination: Private Employee’s Free-Speech Claim Fails
Joan Grinzi, a case manager for San Diego Hospice Corp., was fired after 13 years on the job as an at-will employee. Hospice, which is a private company, allegedly initially told Grinzi that she was being terminated because she belonged to the Women’s Garden Circle, an investment group that Hospice considered to be an illegal […]
News Notes: Ninth Circuit Issues Pair Of Free Speech Rulings
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a public employee whose First Amendment rights are violated can sue even if the employee wasn’t terminated or disciplined—if an adverse employment action was taken that was reasonably likely to deter the employee from engaging in constitutionally protected speech. But in another case, the same court gave […]
Public Employee Whistleblowers: Court OKs Lawsuit By Firefighter Terminated After Reporting Pornography On Station Computers
Whistleblowers have become increasingly common in the American workplace. These employees feel compelled to expose situations they consider wrong. And they risk being ostracized at work, or worse—being fired. A recent federal court decision affecting California once again underscores that both public and private employers should take the proper steps to avoid both liability and […]