The Timing of the Employer’s Decision In some instances, the timing of an employment decision can help prove it was discriminatory. While this most frequently comes up in retaliation cases, it also arises in some types of employment discrimination cases. For example, if your boss starts treating you worse soon…
The Employer’s Pattern of Discrimination In addition to the topics discussed in my previous article, How Do I Prove Employment Discrimination? (discriminatory statements of the employer and evidence the employer’s explanation is false), you also might be able to help prove discrimination by a pattern of discrimination. In other words,…
State and federal employment laws in both New York and New Jersey make it illegal for employers to discriminate against employees because of their age, race, gender, pregnancy, disability, color, national origin, sexual orientation, or veteran/military status. But how do you prove your employer’s actions were discriminatory? The Employer’s Discriminatory…
Earlier this year, President Obama signed a law which requires employers to provide reasonable break time for nursing mothers. This new employment law right is part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA), a federal law which requires employers…
What is a Disparate Impact Case? On May 24, 2010, the United States Supreme Court decided another employment law case. Specifically, in Lewis v. City of Chicago, the Supreme Court clarified how to determine if an employee has met the filing deadline to bring a “disparate impact” discrimination case under…
In a recent federal employment law decision, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that side effects of medication or other medical treatment can constitute an impairment within the meaning of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA is a federal law which prohibits employers from discriminating against employees…
Many companies offer severance pay to certain employees who they have laid off, downsized, or fired. For example, some companies pay severance to employees who lose their jobs as part of a mass layoff or other reductions in force. Severance is often based on one or two weeks of pay…
Many employment law cases involve employees who are fired in violation of their legal rights. However, companies are often too smart to fire an employee for an illegal reason, and instead try to force them to quit. Courts understand this reality, and have a name for it: a “constructive discharge.”…
On April 8, 2010, in the case of Colwell v. Rite Aid Corporation, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled that employers can be required to change an employee’s work shift to accommodate the employee’s disability. The Third Circuit is the federal appellate court that covers…
Today, a new employment law, the New Jersey “Emergency Responders Employment Protection Act,” goes into effect. The new law makes it illegal for employers to fire or suspend an employee who fails to report for work because (1) the employee is actively engaged in responding to an emergency alarm, or…