A 59-year-old breast cancer patient has settled her age, gender, and disability-related discrimination lawsuit filed against law firm Proskauer Rose in New York State Court in 2011. The woman, who acted as the firm’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) until she was terminated in March 2011, claims the law firm began…
Articles Posted in Employment Discrimination
American Medical Association’s Decision to Label Obesity a Disease May Affect Disability Claims in in New York and Nationwide
In mid-June, the American Medical Association (AMA) voted to recognize obesity as a disease at the organization’s annual meeting in Chicago. The measure was approved by AMA delegates despite that the group’s Council on Science and Public Health reportedly recommended against it. Although the AMA’s decision has no binding legal…
Supreme Court Refuses to Review Decision That States Employers in New York and Nationwide Must Provide Disabled Workers With Reasonable Accommodations
The United States Supreme Court has reportedly declined to review a challenge to a federal law that states an employer must accommodate a worker who becomes disabled. In United Airlines v. EEOC, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued United Airlines over a company policy that allowed a disabled worker…
Former Law Firm Shareholder Settles Proposed Class-Action Gender Discrimination Case Filed in New York
Last week, a proposed class-action lawsuit for alleged gender discrimination that was filed last year in a New York federal court by a female former Greenberg Traurig shareholder was reportedly settled. The shareholder purportedly worked in the law firm’s Philadelphia office for about three years between 2007 and 2010. According…
New Jersey Company Settles With New York Attorney General’s Office Over Alleged Discrimination Against Applicants With a Criminal History
One of the world’s largest medical and diagnostic testing companies in the world, Quest Diagnostics, has reportedly settled with regulators from the State of New York over allegations that the company engaged in employment discrimination. According to the New York State Attorney General’s Office, Quest violated state law by automatically…
Jury Award Demonstrates Why Disabled Workers in New Jersey and Nationwide Must be Defended Against Unlawful Discrimination
On May 1st, a federal jury in Iowa awarded $240 million to 32 mentally-disabled workers who were allegedly abused and controlled by their now-defunct employer. According to the nation’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the disabled workers were paid 41 cents per hour, housed in unsanitary conditions, denied basic medical…
NYPD Takes a Stand on Hair Color Discrimination, but What Does the Law Say?
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) issued an anti-bias message alert that warned sergeants and lieutenants about harassment or discrimination against red-haired officers. The story, reported in the New York Post, has met with mostly bemused responses from people who do not feel that redheads are a particularly disadvantaged…
New Jersey Legislature Passes Bill Protecting Employees’ Social Media Accounts from Employer Scrutiny
The New Jersey Legislature passed a bill in March 2013 that, if signed by the Governor, will be one of the strongest laws in the country protecting employees against online snooping by employers. Some employers have taken to requesting passwords or other access to social media accounts like Facebook from…
Professor Sues College for Gender and Race Discrimination, Saying It Promoted Less-Qualified Professors Ahead of Her
A college professor is suing the college where she teaches for gender and race discrimination, alleging that the administration prevented her from advancing on the tenure track at the same rate as her colleagues. Wang v. Macalester College, No. 62-CV-12-9750 (Minn. Civ. Ct. – Ramsey Co., Dec. 21, 2012). She…
Restaurant Settles Pregnancy Discrimination Lawsuit with EEOC
A restaurant has agreed to pay $20,000 to a former employee, along with other relief, to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). EEOC v. Reed Pierce’s, No. 3:10-cv-00541, consent decree (S.D. Miss., Feb. 5, 2013). The lawsuit alleged that the restaurant unlawfully terminated…