In a case that should send shivers through background check companies, particularly in Connecticut, a federal district court judge recently ruled that a job applicant could proceed to trial with her claims that two background check companies violated in the Fair Credit Reporting Act when they reported that she had been convicted of a crime
Quick Takes: Background Checks, Increased DOL Audits, ARRA’s Whistleblower Provisions, H1-B Visa Rules for TARP Recipients, Salary Basis Test
It’s FINALLY a nice spring day outside in Connecticut (see the picture of the Connecticut River taken this morning) so no need to spend a minute more than necessary to catch up on some other employment law-related items you might have missed during the week:
- A topic near and dear to my heart, background checks, had
Using Social Networking Sites for Employment Screening; Is there a Right Answer?
Over the last couple of days, an interesting debate has emerged about whether employers should use social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace to "screen" potential employees.
One corner, supported by the Delaware Employment Law Blog, argues that there are some real and tangible benefits to using the sites, as long as they are
Background Checks as Big Business, But How Accurate are They?
BusinessWeek has an in-depth article this week on business checks and the accuracy of those records. Its a thought-provoking article that suggests that background checks are a "Wild Wild West" where nothing is regulated. Moreover, despite the headline that question the accuracy of background checks, the article itself doesn’t contain any statistics or studies to
Quick Hits: GINA, Background Checks, Work-Life Studies, Telecommuting with High Gas Prices
Lots of interesting posts and articles and so little time. So just quick hits today on some new and interesting developments.
- The Genetic Discrimination Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) became law on Wednesday. I highlighted the bill a few weeks ago and opined that it’s not going to have a big impact on Connecticut in light of
Background Checks – Connecticut’s Criminal Conviction Records Now Available Online and Free
Without much fanfare, the Connecticut Judicial Branch is now posting criminal conviction records with free access to the public. You can view these records at this link here. It is easy to search and easy to use.
The possibilities in the employment context are deep 
and wide as employers may now seek to review this database
Background Checks and the Hiring Process
George Lenard, who runs the popular "Employment Blawg", has an interesting post this week about how current job seekers will have to undergo different scrutiny than perhaps the last time that they engaged in a job search. As George notes, the biggest change is the prevalent use of background checks by employers. George provides some
Supreme Court Creates New Qualified Privilege for Job References by Employers
In an important decision to be officially released next week, the Connecticut Supreme Court has found that a qualified privilege exists to employers giving job references.
Specifically, in an issue of first impression, the court has now "recognized a qualified privilege for the employment
references of current or former employers that were solicited with the