On Friday, Target agreed to pay $3.74 million and review its policies for screening job applicants to settle Carnella Times et al. v. Target Corp., a class action in the Southern District of New York challenging the company’s use of background checks. The suit claimed that Target’s use of criminal background checks violated Title
Discrimination
6th Circuit Court Of Appeals Holds That Telecommuting May Be A Reasonable Accommodation
In a recent decision handed down by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, Mosby-Meachem v. Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division, No. 17-5483 (6th Cir. 2018), the Court held that in certain circumstances telecommuting may constitute a reasonable accommodation.
Andrea Mosby-Meachem was hired by Memphis Light in 2005 as an in-house…
Court Ruling Protects Transgender Employees From Discrimination And Rejects Employers’ Religious Beliefs As a Rationale For Mistreatment
On March 7, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit determined in a landmark ruling that federal law protects transgender individuals from employment discrimination. The Sixth Circuit also determined that private employers cannot use their religious beliefs to justify discrimination against transgender individuals.
The Sixth Circuit’s decision case in the case…
Massachusetts Supreme Court Allows Disability Discrimination Claim For Use of Medical Marijuana
In Cristina Barbuto v. Advantage Sales & Marketing LLC and Joanne Meredith Villaruz, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Case No. SJC-12226, the Massachusetts Supreme Court held on July 17, 2017, that an employee in Massachusetts can bring a claim of disability discrimination after being fired for using medical marijuana.
Medical marijuana was approved by Massachusetts…
Sexual Orientation Discrimination Deemed Illegal Under Federal Law
Yes, federal law prohibits employers from discriminating against employees and applicants based on their sexual orientation. Yes, employers who allow discrimination or harassment based on sexual orientation can be forced to pay a full range of damages, including punitive damages.
Employment and civil rights lawyers have struggled to find clear answers to these questions for…
Comments to Proposed Harassment Guidance Critical of EEOC’s Position on LGBT Bias
Before the expiration of the extended deadline last week, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received over 100 comments to its proposed Enforcement Guidance (“Proposed Guidance”) on workplace harassment. The revised guidance is the first revision to the EEOC’s workplace harassment guidance since the 1990s and the result of the July 2016 report by the…
SCOTUS Nominee Gorsuch Likely to Carry On Scalia Tradition
President Donald Trump has nominated Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy caused by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia nearly one year ago. Known for his classical constructionist approach, Gorsuch is expected to restore the ideological balance that existed before Justice Scalia’s passing, with four conservatives,…
EEOC Resource Document Provides a Refresher on Workplace Rights for Individuals with Mental Health Conditions
On Monday, December 12, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a resource document concerning workplace rights for individuals with mental health conditions under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), entitled “Depression, PTSD, & Other Mental Health Conditions in the Workplace: Your Legal Rights.” This resource document is part of a series of…
LGBT Issues Taking Center Stage
On October 28, 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States said that it would decide whether the Obama Administration’s interpretation of Title IX as requiring schools to allow students to utilize restrooms that correspond to their gender identities is proper. The case of Gloucester County School Board v. GG, involves the claims of a…
Another End-of-Presidency Regulation Held Up in Texas
Texas courts continue to be the focus of anti-regulation filings as the next election approaches. In August, a U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a nationwide injunction barring the enforcement of Department of Education guidance requiring schools to allow transgender students to use bathroom and changing facilities consistent with their gender…