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BT Currents - Hot Topics in Employment Law
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03 Apr 2017 Noncompetes Q&A: A Look at Ohio

Noncompetes and Trade Secrets | Bill Nolan

    We write a lot on the Currents blog about noncompete agreements. The topic presents a wealth of material because of the critical differences between state laws and the importance of employers to be aware of developments even in states where they don’t do business, and the fact that typically several times a year there is a development in some state’s law, with Nevada and Pennsylvania being two examples in recent years where a state supreme court decision has attracted attention.   Yet I find that…

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03 Apr 2017 Employer’s ‘Stirring Up’ Testimony Allows Plaintiff to Pursue Section 504 and ADA Claims

Employment Discrimination | Taylor Hunter

  A case out of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee provides a useful reminder that employers must exercise caution when responding to reports of potential protected activities. The case, Hicks v. Benton County Board of Education, involved a special education aide who spoke to special education parents about services their students failed to receive. Upon learning this information, the principal instructed the plaintiff to cease talking directly to parents concerning what was going on in the program and to instead…

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31 Mar 2017 Paid Leave American-Style: “I Get Mine, But You Can’t Have Yours!”

Employee Leave | Anthony Glenn

  Employers are all too familiar with the FMLA, but paid leave seems to be generating a lot of political buzz these days. A new Pew Research Center Survey reveals that a paid leave law might be a popular measure. However, the same survey also reveals that most Americans are cynical when it comes to the use of such leave.   The Pew study found that, of those surveyed, about 75 percent of Republicans and about 90 percent of Democrats support some kind of federal…

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30 Mar 2017 Federal Contractor “Blacklisting” Rules Repealed

Employment Lessons | Mark Kittaka

  As we previously covered, most of the Fair Pay and Safe Workplace Executive Orders and related regulations were halted by an injunction in a Texas federal court in October of last year. However, with President Trump’s recent signature on the joint resolution of disapproval passed by both the House and the Senate pursuant to the Congressional Review Act (CRA) as well as his execution of a new executive order revoking President Obama’s prior executive orders, all of the executive orders and related regulations (referred…

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29 Mar 2017 Liability Waiver in Pre-Employment Disclosure Form is Unlawful, Says Ninth Circuit

Employment Lessons | BT Currents

  In Syed v. M-I, LLC, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently held that a prospective employer violated the disclosure requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by including a liability waiver in a job applicant’s pre-employment form. The provision of the FCRA at issue – 15 U.S.C. § 1681b(b)(2)(A) – requires prospective employers to disclose “in a document that consists solely of that disclosure” that they may obtain a job applicant’s consumer report as part of the employment application…

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28 Mar 2017 Update on Trump’s Line-Up for DOL and Supreme Court

Employment Lessons | Jeanine Gozdecki

  Regulation-weary employers excitedly anticipated the new Trump Administration – and its promises that ranged from repealing the Affordable Care Act to appointing a friendly U.S. Supreme Court Justice to abolishing the fiduciary and overtime regulations. But, change often comes slowly in government, and employer expectations have been frustratingly delayed by some unexpected upsets on Capitol Hill. Apart from the last-minute decision to withdraw the GOP healthcare bill, here’s a quick update on two key Trump nominees.   Secretary of Labor   The ill-fated nomination…

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24 Mar 2017 Easy Come, Easy Go: Appeals Court Reverses $2.6 Million Award in ADA Case

Employment Lessons | Hans Murphy

    In a helpful case for employers, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a $2.6 million jury verdict in Stevens v. Rite-Aid Corporation (Case No. 15-277), holding that the employer could not reasonably accommodate a pharmacist’s fear of needles.   The case began in 2011, when Rite-Aid started requiring that all of its pharmacists be able to administer immunization injections to customers. But, the new job requirement presented a problem for Rite-Aid pharmacist Christopher Stevens; he suffers from the fear of needles, known…

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17 Mar 2017 Does Same-Sex Harassment Support Gender Discrimination Claims? Texas Supreme Court to Decide

EEOC, Employment Discrimination, Workplace Harassment and Conduct | Laura Luisi

  The Texas Supreme Court agreed to determine whether a school teacher’s allegations of a hostile work environment by her same-sex superiors can support a claim of gender discrimination in violation of the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (TCHRA). The court will also decide whether the circumstantial evidence presented to prove the teacher’s retaliation claim is sufficient to support a violation of the TCHRA.   The teacher alleged that a fellow coach began to sexually harass by allegedly making comments about the teacher’s body…

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16 Mar 2017 Mugshots Gone Viral: Internet Clickbait is a Hiring Manager’s Minefield

Employment Discrimination | Jennifer Cerven

  While “that hot mugshot guy” launched a modeling career – including a recent New York Fashion Week runway appearance – based on his improbably good-looking booking photo, most arrestees are not so lucky.   It seems the Internet-browsing public can’t resist clicking around for such photos — from celebrities to the average joe — and thus media sites routinely post such photos to attract page views. Mugshots are nearly unavoidable on the Internet and they remain posted long after any news value has faded away. There are even commercial…

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10 Mar 2017 Supreme Court Nominee Gorsuch Receives ABA’s Highest Rating

Supreme Court Watch | BT Currents

  On Thursday evening, March 9, the American Bar Association (ABA) released its much-anticipated evaluation of Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch to the Senate Judiciary Committee.  After a thorough and detailed review of the candidate’s temperament, integrity, and overall competence, all 14 members of the ABA’s Standing Committee unanimously rated Gorsuch – currently a judge on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals – as being “well-qualified,” the highest rating possible.   Getting a seal of approval from the ABA, which is often viewed as aligning…

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