The Employment Brief

A case current pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois demonstrates the continuously evolving nature of social media in the workplace, and presents a warning to keep your employee’s social media accounts separate from the company’s.  In Maremont v. Susan Fredman Design Group, LTD., 1:10-cv-07811, the Director of Marketing, Public Relations and E-Commerce for an interior design company created a blog...

In an interesting decision this week from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the court held that an Indiana manufacturer was not required to pay an employee for pre-shift overtime work done before the start of her shift, even though she was clocking in early on her timecards.  The appellate court held that the employer “neither knew nor should have known” that the employee was performing overtime work for the company despite recording her...

A woman was hired to work as a nurse, but before she could start, a doctor the surgery center wanted to hire found out that she was going to work there.  Without saying why, the doctor said he would not work in the same office with her.  The center, wanting the doctor badly, fired the nurse before she could start. The nurse, apparently, had testified against the doctor in a sexual harassment case at another facility.  She alleged that this...

The Sonic drive-in restaurant in Winter Haven, Florida, was robbed four times during the course of a year.  On at least two occasions, a robber showed up at closing time, with a handgun, and ordered employees to open the safe or suffer the consequences.  Despite the threats, no employee was hurt. The Sonic employees working the late shift, naturally, were rattled by these events.  Several employees submitted a letter to Sonic management...

The Poindexter brothers – Edward and Bobby – work as journeymen linemen for the Electric Department of the City of Sallisaw, Oklahoma.  In March 2010, the brothers both requested paid leave to care for their mother who was scheduled for hip surgery.  Pursuant to City policy, the brothers each were entitled to up to 10 days of paid sick leave for the care of an immediate family member.  The paid leave runs concurrently with unpaid FMLA leave,...

It doesn't happen very often, but sometimes courts find that the EEOC has overreached so greatly in its prosecution of a claim that a win for the employer is not enough - the EEOC is required to pay the company's legal fees too.  This just happened in EEOC v. TriCore Reference Labs., No. 09-CV-956 (D. New Mexico Oct. 26, 2011), where the court found that the EEOC's decision to continue pursuing an ADA reasonable accommodation case was  "frivolous,...

In United States v. Weaver, 2011 U.S. LEXIS 21485 (4th Cir. Oct. 24 2011), the Fourth Circuit held that the Federal law prohibiting a person "employed for" a convicted felon from carrying a firearm applies to gang members.  Floyd Moore was the national vice president of the Pagans Motorcycle Club (PMC) and a convicted felon.  Weaver and others were PMC members and took orders from Moore.  As a convicted felon, Moore was prohibited from carrying a...

Last month the Seventh Circuit - the most active appellate court interpreting the FMLA - dismissed a claim by an employee who claimed that his supervisor's conduct exacerbated his pre-existing serious health condition.  Breneisen v. Motorola Inc., 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 18301 (7th Cir. Sept. 2, 2011).  This was a case of first impression for the court, but it followed the Sixth Circuit's reasoning in Edgar v. JAC Prods. Inc., 443 F.3d 501 (6th Cir....

On October 17, 2011, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari to decide whether the Civil Service Reform Act (“CSRA”) is the exclusive remedy for a former federal employee contending that his constitutionally rights were violated.  (Elgin v. Dep't of the Treasury, U.S., No. 11-45, cert. granted 10/17/11).  Four former federal employees, who were employed by the Treasury Department, FDIC and Department of Interior, filed a suit for...

The common law doctrine of "employment at will" permits either an employer or employee to terminate the employment relationship at any time or for any reason.   Maryland courts are reluctant to diminish employers' decision-making discretion, but the a tort claim of "wrongful discharge" has been recognized in limited circumstances.  The seminal case in Maryland is Adler v. Am. Standard Corp., 291 Md. 31 (1981).  In Adler, an employee filed a...