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Terminations

Jury awards $150,000 to worker in Tarrant County retaliation case

03/01/2007

A Tarrant County jury has awarded more than $150,000 in damages to a former animal control officer who sued the city of Burleson for wrongful discharge …

Baker Axed for Deserting Bagels Still Has a Wrongful-Firing Case

03/01/2007

A bagel baker at a BP Connect store will proceed with an HIV-discrimination and wrongful-firing suit even though he admitted his firing was justified …

The Dirty Dozen: Manager mistakes that spark lawsuits

03/01/2007

Lawsuits by employees against their employers have grown tremendously in the past decade. Sometimes those lawsuits have merit, sometimes they don’t. Here are 12 of the biggest manager mistakes that harm an organization’s credibility in court. Use these points as a checklist to shore up your personal employment-law defense.

Cutting jobs? You may be able to consider FMLA leave

03/01/2007

You’ve heard it over and over again: Don’t take FMLA leave into consideration when making employment decisions. But you don’t have to take that caveat to extremes …

Seniority is a valid reason to retain one race over another

03/01/2007

When you need to downsize your organization, you may worry if a disproportionate number of the employees that are terminated are members of a protected class. But, as a new ruling shows, you can justify your decision by having clear documentation that shows you had a seniority rule in place and followed it …

Before reorganization, draw up a staff contingency plan

03/01/2007

Are you planning to use an early-retirement incentive to help reduce the size of your work force? If so, it’s wise to prepare contingency plans for the remaining open positions and carefully document them …

HR director arrested for handing out Xanax at work

03/01/2007

Here’s a classic study of HR run amok: A bitter feud at the Brooksville Police Department has prompted the city manager to resign and led to the suspension of the police chief, a lieutenant and the HR director …

Target learns cost of ignoring an abusive manager: $775,000

03/01/2007

Retail giant Target recently shelled out $775,000 to settle an EEOC lawsuit over the treatment of 13 black workers at its Springfield store …

FMLA: When You Can Refuse to Reinstate a Worker

02/12/2007

HR Law 101: The FMLA allows employers to refuse to reinstate workers returning from FMLA leave under limited circumstances. For example, if you have experienced a reduction in force due to the economy or a companywide reorganization, you may be able to eliminate a returning worker’s job …

Draft severance packages to comply with age-Bias law

02/01/2007

When employers offer severance packages to employees age 40 or older, those packages must comply with the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act …