Discrimination / Harassment

Same-Sex Unions in N.J.: Responsibilities and Restrictions of the New Law

01/01/2007

Same-sex unions are now a reality in New Jersey, and employers will have to change the way they deal with employees as a result. It’s too early to tell exactly what steps employers will need to take, but it’s important to understand what led to the decision and legislation …

To prevent promotion bias, seek co-workers’ input

01/01/2007

Sometimes, all the candidates for a promotion are equally qualified, making the selection difficult. It becomes a legally prickly issue when one or more of the candidates is in a protected category (race, age, gender, etc.). But you don’t have to resort to drawing straws …

Professor sues Georgia College for discrimination, retaliation

01/01/2007

A former professor recently filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against Georgia College & State University, claiming he was denied tenure because of his age, gender and disability …

EEOC sues modeling school over firing of pregnant director

01/01/2007

The EEOC recently filed a lawsuit against Barbizon School of Modeling of Atlanta for firing a director five days after she gave birth. The former director, who worked at its Macon location, claims Barbizon terminated her because of her pregnancy …

School superintendent sued for discriminating against whites

01/01/2007

A white administrator at Westside High School recently filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against the Richmond County school superintendent, claiming she was denied a job as adult education director because of her race …

Use Applicant-Tracking Policy to Prevent Hiring-Bias Claims

01/01/2007

To ward off any hint of hiring bias, develop a tracking system that allows you to easily show who applied for jobs and where you routed their applications …

‘Sexist attitude’ isn’t direct evidence of discrimination

01/01/2007

To support sex discrimination lawsuits, employees must do more than claim their supervisor had a “sexist attitude.” Without more proof of job-related impact, complaints about supervisors with attitude aren’t enough direct evidence …

Employees’ hostile pranks spell setback for Fort Lauderdale

01/01/2007

Dogged for over a decade by lawsuits alleging racial and sexual discrimination, the city of Fort Lauderdale has been working to change that atmosphere. But two recent instances of hostile employee pranks marked a major setback for the city’s effort …

Homeland Security’s Miami office to pay $2.5 million in bias lawsuit

01/01/2007

When it comes to discrimination laws, you’d think the federal government would know the rules. Yet a jury recently ordered the U.S. Homeland Security Department to pay $2.5 million to a former employee in a bias lawsuit …

Tallahassee college learns a hard lesson in $34,000 payout

01/01/2007

Tallahassee Community College recently settled a discrimination lawsuit with the U.S. Justice Department, agreeing to pay more than $34,000 in back pay and interest to a job applicant …