Legal Alerts
June 15, 2020
The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and transgender status – a major victory for LGBTQ people, allies, and advocates.
The key provision of the landmark civil rights law prohibits employment discrimination on...
September 27, 2019
In an important win for employees, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held on September 25 that an employment contract may not shorten the statute of limitations to sue under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
The plaintiff, Barbrie Logan, began working for MGM Grand Detroit Casino (MGM) in Michigan in 2007. As...
May 1, 2019
In a 5 to 4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled April 24th that workers do not have a right to class arbitration unless their employment agreements specifically guarantee it.
In 2016, California-based company Lamps Plus mistakenly disclosed the tax information of about 1,300 employees to a hacker. Lamps Plus employee Frank Varela...
April 22, 2019
The Supreme Court agreed to hear three cases later this year which could challenge a crucial legal principle that protects workers against discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. Two of the cases include a transgender funeral home director and gay skydiving instructor who successfully challenged their...
December 13, 2018
Over a year since a number of sexual harassment scandals shook Congress, lawmakers in the House and Senate appear to have agreed on legislation that updates the old Congressional Accountability Act, by streamlining the reporting process, expanding coverage, and holding harassers personally and financially accountable.
The new...
July 20, 2018
City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart released a report this week outlining several recommendations to the city’s current sexual harassment policy. Among the suggested changes are reforms for training and altering the way that complaints are handled.
The report concluded that the city too often has handed the reins of an...
July 13, 2018
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) approved its fifth, and to date largest, whistleblower award on Thursday when it awarded $30 million to a former JPMorgan employee. This is the last step in a process that began publicly in 2015, when the bank settled with the CFTC for $367 million for suggesting certain...
June 28, 2018
On Thursday, the Securities and Exchange Commission voted on proposed amendments to rules governing its whistleblower award program. The program was established in 2010 by the Dodd-Frank Act and allows for individuals who provide information about fraud and securities violations to receive an award equal to 10-30% of the...
May 24, 2018
President Donald Trump signed into law a bill which will roll back and loosen significant portions of the Dodd Frank Act of 2010. Mainly, the threshold for tighter federal oversight of U.S. banks is raised from $50 billion to $250 billion in assets.
Unaffected are the Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Programs, which reward ...
May 21, 2018
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) does not bar employers from subjecting employees to mandatory arbitration agreements that prohibit employees from bringing collective actions. As many as 60 million American workers may be subject to such mandatory arbitration agreements. ...
