5th Circuit: Male on Male Lewd Conduct Can Be Sexual Harassment
In August 2012, I wrote a blog article entitled, “Despicable Sexual Conduct Not Necessarily Sexual Harassment”, lamenting the 5th Circuit’s reversal of a male-on-male sexual harassment jury verdict. Recently, however, a decision from an en banc 5th Circuit Court of Appeals (a full 16 judge panel instead of the usual 3 judge panel) affirmed the jury’s verdict. […]
El Paso Judge Attacks Arbitration Falsehoods
It has been said that a tidal wave starts with a ripple in the ocean. I’m not sure if that’s true, but a Texas judge recently cast a stone in the polluted waters of arbitration, that may hopefully lead to a tidal wave of change for workers and consumers forced to give up their constitutional […]
MLK: Workers Advocate
This week we celebrate two important dates significant to all Americans. On August 28th, we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. On September 2nd, we will celebrate Labor Day. These two events, however, share more than their close proximity in dates. Many of us forget that Martin […]
The Zimmerman Verdict and Whistleblowers
Like most Americans, the George Zimmerman verdict left me with mixed emotions. As a former prosecutor, I knew the State of Florida had a difficult case to prove. The jury’s not guilty verdict, therefore, was not unexpected. Yet growing up in Northeast El Paso with many African American friends, I know that blacks, especially black […]
New Moms Still Face Bias at Work
In February 2012, a Houston federal judge made national news when he dismissed the case of Donnicia Venters. Venters was a new mother attempting to return to work after maternity leave. She advised her employer that she was still lactating, and asked if she could use a back room at work to pump her breasts. […]