A plaintiff could not maintain a sexual harassment complaint because the defendant was not her employer under state or federal law, according to a recent appellate court ruling. Plaso v. IJKG, LLC, No. 13-2565, slip op. (3rd Cir., Jan. 21, 2014). The plaintiff worked at the defendant’s business location, and…
Three employees of the King County Sheriff’s Office will reportedly receive $1 million as part of a workplace sexual harassment settlement. In their lawsuit, three female Sheriff’s Office workers claim two of their male supervisors in the Special Assault Unit made lewd comments and exhibited other inappropriate behavior towards them.…
New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman recently announced that his office has settled a sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination lawsuit filed against a Syracuse mortuary school and its president in 2011. As part of the settlement, the Simmons Institute of Funeral Services and Maurice Wightman agreed to pay restitution…
A bill that was recently introduced in the New York Legislature would provide unpaid interns with many of the same statutory protections that employees across the state currently enjoy. S05951 would make it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against interns who are members of a protected class. If the…
In early August, an arbitrator awarded a former Long Branch School District worker $4.5 million. In a 2011 civil complaint filed against the school district and prior Superintendent Joseph Ferraina, the former secretary alleged that she was sexually assaulted by and forced to perform sex acts for Ferraina beginning in…
In August, an undisclosed settlement was reached in a highly publicized sexual harassment and race discrimination case. According to a document filed in a Savannah, Georgia federal court, both sides agreed to settle a lawsuit that was filed against celebrity television cook Paula Deen and her brother, Bubba Hiers. The…
The New Jersey Division of Civil Rights has reportedly reached a settlement agreement with a party company that stood accused of ignoring the alleged sexual harassment of a Paramus teenager. According to the Division, the teen endured unwelcome sexual advances and inappropriate comments from a male supervisor for about eight…
A Long Island church and diocese recently agreed to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint that was filed against it by the nation’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). According to the EEOC, a male Interim Rector at the Grace Episcopal Church of Whitestone, Inc. touched, grabbed, and kissed a…
A supervisor’s sexual advances drove a New York police officer to take his own life, according to a lawsuit filed by the officer’s widow. The lawsuit names the City of New York, the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and the supervisor as defendants, and alleges that an ongoing pattern…
The holidays should be a time to enjoy one another’s company and have fun. Many employers allow their workers an opportunity to unwind at least once a year at office holiday parties. The office holiday party has become, in some part of the public consciousness, synonymous with debauchery and excess.…