Lawyers should be upstanding people who not only know the law but also follow it. We may represent clients who break the law, but we ourselves would like to be seen as law-abiding, good citizens, just like everyone else (if not better). It doesn’t always work that way, though. There are law firms that have […]
Do Law Firms Discriminate Against Female Attorneys? Read More »
The law is not settled as to whether LGBTQ employees can legally be discriminated against due to their sexual orientation, though most courts have ruled that such discrimination is not covered by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Recently, a federal district court in Pennsylvania ruled that discrimination based on sexual preference
Does Federal Employment Law Forbid Sexual Orientation Discrimination? Read More »
Employers, especially those whose employees are exposed to dangerous situations or toxic chemicals, may fear being sued if workplace conditions result in birth defects, premature birth, or miscarriage of a fetus carried by a pregnant employee. These employers, if they act on those fears, also risk being sued for pregnancy discrimination. That is the case
Can an Employer Fire a Pregnant Employee Due to Concerns About Fetal Health? Read More »
Any employee, in any position, may face discrimination in the workplace. Generally, however, the more people there are “above” you who make decisions affecting you, the greater the chance that someone will perceive you as an outsider or treat you differently simply because of who you are. Sometimes discrimination can also be the luck of
Can Women Escape Discrimination by Advancing Their Careers? Read More »
There are legal protections for transgender employees. The main federal law banning employment discrimination, Title VII, has been interpreted as prohibiting employers from discriminating against transgender workers (though the statute does not have explicit language stating that). Maryland and District of Columbia law also protect transgender employees (prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and expression),
Can Transgender Employees Be Discriminated Against? Read More »
Depending on the facts of the case and the applicable law, a sexual orientation case can be successful for employees. An example is one of the first lawsuits the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed claiming that an ex-employee suffered sex discrimination due to her sexual orientation as well as retaliation for reporting the discrimination.
Can a Case Claiming Sexual Orientation Discrimination Be Successful? Read More »
The legal rights of the LGBTQ community have expanded over the years, most notably in the realm of marriage equality. Those expanded rights have not extended to federal laws covering employment rights, though other legal protections may provide some help. Equal employment laws ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation in 26 states including Maryland
Are LGBTQ Employees Protected From Discrimination Under Title VII? Read More »
As the law now stands, an employee could be fired for being too attractive—for being too much of a temptation to an employer or supervisor—as ridiculous as that sounds. A recent New York case where that was the finding is currently being appealed. In Edwards v. Nicolai, the trial court judge dismissed the plaintiff’s sex
Can I Be Fired for Being Too Attractive? Read More »
July 28, 2016 Our nation passed a historic milestone when Hillary Clinton formally accepted the nomination of the Democratic Party for president. Americans disagree about how much her gender has helped or hurt her so far in this campaign and we will continue to debate this very important topic through November and beyond. But there
Can a discrimination case be based on required clothes? This is the main issue in a sex and age discrimination case pending in New York state court. The plaintiff, a 65-year-old bankruptcy attorney who moonlights as a lifeguard (or a lifeguard who moonlights as a bankruptcy attorney), claimed that to pass mandatory evaluations to work
Swimsuit Key to Age and Sex Discrimination Lawsuit Filed by Lawyer/Lifeguard Read More »
