UPDATED
There are no statistics out there to prove this point, but the traditional office holiday party has to be among the top places where claims of sexual harassment and hostile work environment start.
Indeed, just a cursory look at some federal employment cases shows a common thread that run through each of them: alcohol-induced
For most people, Halloween is a fun and silly holiday.
Yet the holiday has a distinct place in employment law history. Indeed, for some employers, the holiday has brought more tricks than treats.
If you’re an employer with an appeal to the Second Circuit, having the EEOC write a brief on behalf of the Plaintiff-employee is not one of those things that portends well for the case.
So, when the Second Circuit issued its decision in Pucino v. Verizon Communications (download here), perhaps the writing was already on
On Friday, the Second Circuit held that a company’s failure to investigate an in-house race discrimination complaint is not an "adverse employment action" that.jpg)
can subject. (H/T Wait a Second).
The case, Fincher v. Depository Trust (download here), provides some much needed guidance on what rises to the level of an action that an
"Progressive Discipline" is a policy or practice that, over the years, has fallen out of favor with some employers.
What is it? It’s a practice — found also in some collective bargaining agreements — that typically provides a multi-step disciplinary process for many employment policy violations: a verbal warning, a written warning, a suspension, and
In a decision that will be officially released on Tuesday, November 24th, the Connecticut Appellate Court has ruled that wrongful termination and breach of implied contract claims cannot be brought against the State of Connecticut due to the protections of sovereign i.jpg)
mmunity.
The case Ware v. State of Connecticut (download here), will be
Last week, I discussed the basics of some of the claims of discrimination and harassment filed by Fox 61 reporter Shelly Sindland. Today, I’ll discuss some more specifics of the claim and some of the possible defenses by the employer, to provide additional context. The case provides an excellent starting point to discuss several different
During some of the seminars that I teach on sexual harassment prevention, one of the topics that 
is covered is describing the difference between quid pro quo harassment and hostile work environment harassment.
On Wednesday, the Connecticut Appellate Court taught that same lesson in reviewing a case in which an employee (who lost a trial)
Is putting a toilet training book, such as one allegedly called "The Book of Poop", on a disabled co-worker’s desk sufficient to create a Hostile Work Environment?
Not according to a decision this week by Judge Dominic Squatrito in federal court in Connecticut (download here).
Thus begins another fine chapter in American Jurisprudence.
I thought about