I have often said that getting summary judgment in an employment discrimination case in Connecticut state court is hard.
State judges are typically reluctant to grant such motions, and the conventional wisdom among practitioners is that it takes extraordinary facts to get there.
Which is what makes a recent decision worth noting. The court granted
I’ve been writing this blog long enough that, let’s just say, that retirement is closer than it was when I started. Heck, I’ve even had friends retire early recently.
But here’s a question that I sometimes hear: is an employer’s reference to retirement enough to satisfy a claim of age discrimination?
Not always but maybe
In a classic Seinfeld episode, George Costanza once built a bed under his desk at Yankee Stadium so he could nap during the workday.
But note to future employees: Sleeping on the job can (and probably will) get you fired on the job and the courts can (and likely will) dismiss a lawsuit against the
The Second Circuit issued a decision yesterday that reinforces a principle employers sometimes forget in the accommodation process: doing something is not the same as doing enough.
In Raymond v. 1199SEIU National Benefit Fund, the court vacated summary judgment for the employer on an ADA failure-to-accommodate claim. The employee had a vein condition that
My colleagues and I published a detailed breakdown this week over on the Employment Law Letter of the Second Circuit’s new framework for religious accommodation claims under Title VII. The short version: the court has replaced the familiar “notice plus adverse action” prima facie test with a motive-based inquiry drawn from the Supreme Court’s 2015
Can a company that uses progressive discipline for some employees be forced to use it for all employees? A new decision from the District of Connecticut says no, and the reasoning provides a useful roadmap for employers who want to preserve their at-will flexibility. It also reinforces a notion that employment law attorneys often stress
A federal magistrate judge in Connecticut just broke new ground for litigation involving artificial intelligence. It’s not an employment case, but it’s going to have big implications for employers in Connecticut and beyond.
In Conservation Law Foundation v. Shell Oil Co. (D. Conn. May 18, 2026), Magistrate Judge Thomas Farrish granted a motion to compel
A new decision out of the District of Connecticut is a timely reminder for employers that clear, consistently applied attendance policies can carry the day—even when a supervisor has made awkward comments that later become part of the lawsuit.
In Ward v. Amazon.com Services, LLC, Judge Victor A. Bolden granted summary judgment to Amazon
The Connecticut Appellate Court officially released a decision this week that provides some useful (if straightforward) guidance for HR professionals and employment lawyers in the state. In Hanke v. Electric Boat Corp. (officially released April 7, 2026), the court affirmed summary judgment in favor of the employer on all three counts — disability discrimination
As I mentioned on Monday, I had the opportunity to recently attend the ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law’s ERR conference in Nashville. One program that stood out was a panel titled “AI in Action: Discovery and Motion Practice in Employment Law.”
If you’ve been reading this blog over the years, you know I’ve