A Matter of Personal Space
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled on Oct. 6, 2010 in the case of Vera v. McHugh that a supervisor’s allegedly intentional encroachment on a subordinate’s personal space was severe...
View ArticleService Members Option: Quit
Appeals Court says “No” to Hostile Environment Claim New Orleans, LA – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled that members of the armed services cannot file a lawsuit under the...
View ArticleTarget can have job, not $4.4 million
Here’s yet another case where a jury “got it” but the court did not. Not only did the appeals court minimize the trauma of workplace abuse in its ruling but it did not hold the employer accountable...
View ArticleRon Paul to sexual harrassment victims — Go home?
Unlike Herman Cain, his former competitor in the GOP presidential race, Ron Paul is not facing accusations of sexual harassment. However, Paul, a member of the U.S. Congress from Texas, may be accused...
View ArticleGreat Policy; No Follow-Through
The best policy in the world won’t protect you without follow-through. That’s the lesson of a decision by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in a Wisconsin sexual harassment case, Equal Employment...
View ArticleSEXUAL HARASSMENT, DINE EQUITY & PEANUTS
The EEOC has been settling lawsuits at a frenzied pace of late, some for the monetary equivalent of peanuts. This week, the EEOC settled for $1 million a sexual harassment case filed against IHOP...
View ArticleAppeals Ct Says OK for Supervisor to Throw Things
A federal appeals court panel has ruled that a supervisor did not violate the rights of a subordinate when he allegedly yelled at her in front of coworkers and violently threw a heavy notebook at her....
View ArticleAARP Official Calls Out EEOC on Age Discrimination
An AARP official has called upon the EEOC to “significantly ramp up” its minimal efforts to combat age discrimination in employment in the United States. Daniel B. Kohrman, a senior attorney with AARP...
View ArticleWhen the Alleged Abuser Refuses to Leave …
The lack of legal protection from workplace abuse has consequences, as can be seen in the cases of two politicians who have ignored calls to resign. Utah County Commissioner Greg Graves is weathering a...
View ArticleMocking Comments of Tourette’s Syndrome May Cost Costco
A federal appeals court in New York has shed light on when simple teasing crosses the line and gives rise to a “hostile” work environment under the law. A three judge panel for the U.S. District Court...
View Article