Insights

On June 22, 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an important decision that substantially enhances the legal protection for employees who complain about discrimination or harassment in the workplace.  Burlington Northern...

The Supreme Court’s Decision On April 20, 2006, the California Supreme Court issued its long-anticipated ruling in Lyle v. Warner Bros., known as “the Friends case.”  In a unanimous decision, the high court found...

On March 31, 2006, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued a decision making it more difficult for transsexuals to pursue sex discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964...

Employers who are federal contractors and subcontractors are required to take affirmative action to ensure equal employment opportunity in their employment processes.  As part of that process, government contractors are...

On August 11, 2005, the California Supreme Court ruled that an employee could state a claim for retaliation under the Fair Employment Housing Act (“FEHA”) based on the employee’s refusal to comply with a supervisor’s...

On July 18, 2005, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that supervisors’ sexual relationships with subordinates may create a hostile work environment for co-workers, even if those co-workers were not directly...

On March 31, 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that an individual protected by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (“ADEA”) (i.e., an employee, former employee, or job applicant who is age forty or older)...

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently decided that a good-grooming rule issued by Harrah’s Casino to its employees, which requires female bartenders to wear makeup, does not violate Title VII’s...

Employers frequently have been able to mount a successful defense to hostile work environment sexual harassment claims by demonstrating that both male and female workers were exposed to the same conduct underlying the claim....

An individual is considered to be “disabled,” and therefore protected under the Americans With Disabilities Act (the “ADA”), if he or she suffers from a physical or mental impairment that substantially...