Last month, the United States Supreme Court made it easier for employees to prove a claim that their employer failed to accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Gerald Groff worked for the United States Postal Service (“USPS”). Mr. Groff is an…
A recent ruling by the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey underscores the importance of disclosing potential witnesses to your opposing party during the discovery process of a lawsuit. The case was filed by Matthew Webster, an individual whom Dollar General hired to be its store…
The United States Supreme Court recently ruled that an employer cannot refuse to hire a job candidate because she needs a reasonable accommodation for her religious practice even if the prospective employee did not request an accommodation. The decision was made under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of…
New Jersey has many well-known laws that protect employees. Perhaps the two best know are the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (“LAD”), an anti-discrimination law, and the Conscientious Employee Protection Act (“CEPA”), a whistleblower law. The state has many other employment laws as well. One much less known law is…
In a ground-breaking employment law decision, New Jersey’s Appellate Division recently ruled that an employee can sue for a hostile work environment if his employer harasses him based on a mistaken belief that he belongs to a legally-protected group. Specifically, the court allowed an employee to proceed with his claim…
Yesterday, a unanimous United States Supreme Court ruled that ministerial employees of religious groups cannot bring employment discrimination claims against the religious groups for which they work. It ruled that those claims would violate the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Hosanna-Tabor…
Earlier this year, Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed into law an amendment to the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL). The amendment clarifies when employers in New York City are required to provide reasonable accommodations for the religious observances and practices of their employees and prospective employees. Employers must provide…
The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to allow employees to observe their sincerely held religious practices and observances, unless the company cannot accommodate the employee without causing an undue hardship to its business. Last month, New Jersey’s Appellate Division reversed a trial court’s decision…
New Jersey’s Appellate Division recently upheld a jury verdict which found Avaya, Inc. liable for retaliation in violation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. The case is LaFranco v. Avaya, Inc. It involves an employee who responded to his supervisor’s anti-Semitic statement by emphatically indicating that he is Jewish.…