Employment Law Blog
Victims of Anonymous Online Harassment Suffer Serious Consequences
February 27, 2020
With the rise of #MeToo, social media and the internet have been used as a powerful tool for empowering those who have experienced sexual harassment to come forward. Through social media, victims of harassment in the workplace can identify others with similar experiences, and the impact of their combined voices can help bring...
Protecting Employees Against Unfair Non-Compete Agreements
January 24, 2020
*Update* On March 16, 2021, the “Ban on Non-Compete Agreements Amendment of 2020” took effect in Washington, D.C. The new law prohibits employers from requiring their employees to sign agreements that include non-compete provisions, and prohibits workplace policies that limit the ability for employees to work for other people,...
McDonald’s CEO Fired over Relationship with Employee
November 6, 2019
This past weekend, McDonald’s Corporation announced that Steve Easterbrook had been ousted as its president and chief executive, after its board of directors determined that Mr. Easterbrook violated company policy and “demonstrated poor judgment” by engaging in a consensual relationship with an employee. The company’s...
The Response to Ken Fisher’s Derogatory Comments about Women Show the Costs of Maintaining a Sexist Culture
October 24, 2019
Billionaire investment analyst Ken Fisher, founder and chairman of Fisher Investments, recently became the latest executive whose offensive views of women were made public. His comments at the Tiburon CEO Summit revealed a loathsome but common attitude toward women in the workplace, particularly in the finance industry....
Amendments to New York State Human Rights Law Increase Protections against Sexual Harassment
September 26, 2019
On August 12, 2019, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law the state’s latest changes to its civil rights statutes: amendments to the New York State Human Rights Law (“NYSHRL”) that increase protections against sexual harassment in the workplace, especially in the context of harassment by a supervisor. In the...
Injunctive Relief in Sexual Harassment Cases: Remedies Beyond Money
September 11, 2019
In sexual harassment cases, in addition to monetary damages, victims often seek “injunctive relief” – in other words, an order from the court that their employer or harasser either take or stop some action. Courts have frequently granted injunctive relief in harassment cases, and a recent decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals...
Tech Companies Settle Age Bias Suits
August 26, 2019
Recent settlements of age discrimination suits filed against major tech companies highlight a growing effort in the last few years to combat age discrimination in the technology sector.
Last month, Google agreed to pay $11 million to settle a class-action age discrimination lawsuit brought by over 200 job applicants over the...
Jones Day Attorneys File Sex Discrimination Suit but Cannot Remain Anonymous
August 22, 2019
On May 3, 2019, in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, a group of former female associates of the large law firm Jones Day brought a $200 million nationwide class action lawsuit alleging pervasive sex discrimination at the firm. Over the past few months, the parties have repeatedly argued over whether...
Can In-House Counsel Use Client Information to Support her Discrimination Claims against her Employer?
August 12, 2019
Judge Jesse M. Furman of the Southern District of New York ruled on July 11, 2019, that Jennifer Fischman, former Acting General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Mitsubishi Holdings America, Inc. (“Mitsubishi”), did not rely on privileged and/or confidential client information in asserting claims of sex discrimination...
Employee-Friendly Changes to Maryland Law to go into Effect on October 1, 2019
July 16, 2019
At the end of its most recent legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed a suite of bills aimed at promoting gender diversity and equal pay in the workplace and strengthening protections against workplace harassment under the state’s existing antidiscrimination law, the Maryland Fair Employment Practices Act (...
