Supreme Court Extends Accommodations to Pregnant Workers
The U.S. Supreme Court recently decided the highly anticipated case of Peggy Young v. UPS, and addressed the unresolved question of whether pregnant employees are entitled to workplace accommodations due to their pregnancy. The Supreme Court’s response . . . yes, but it depends. I have represented pregnant employees who experienced the same type of […]
“Gorilla” Presentation on Juneteenth Costs Employer
CorpCar is a limousine service in Houston, Texas, and 75% of its chauffeurs are African-American. In the spring of 2009, several black employees requested time off to attend “Juneteenth” celebrations. “Juneteenth” is a holiday officially recognized by the State of Texas commemorating the June 19, 1865 announcement in Galveston, Texas of the emancipation of black […]
Employer’s Anti-SLAPP Defense Slapped Down by Court
In 2011, the Texas Legislature passed the Texas Citizen’s Participation Act (or the Texas “Anti-SLAPP” statute). This law was designed to protect against SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) lawsuits. These are meritless lawsuits filed for the purpose of censoring or intimidating persons who exercise their First Amendment rights. For example, John Q. Public writes […]
Stripping of Duties Can be Basis for Claim
Three Waco police detectives were accused of falsifying time sheets, two white detectives, and Allen Thompson, an African-American detective. The department reinstated all three, but imposed written restrictions only on Thompson that included preventing him from searching evidence without supervision, working undercover, or being a lead investigator. Thompson filed suit alleging race discrimination. The federal […]
Supreme Court Resuscitates Free Speech Protections
Edward Lane was the director of an underprivileged youth program operated by a community college in Alabama. Lane discovered that Suzanne Schmitz, an Alabama State Representative, was stealing taxpayer money by being on the program’s payroll, but not showing up for work. Lane shared his findings with the college’s president and attorney, but was warned […]