News & Analysis as of

Public Policy Employer Liability Issues Employment Litigation

Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC

Fourth Circuit Determines that Internal Complaint May Support Claim for Wrongful Discharge in Violation of North Carolina Public...

On August 14, 2024, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion reversing a prior decision of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina regarding wrongful discharge under North Carolina law....more

Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC

SuperVision - Labor and Employment Law Insights, Issue 3, September 2024

Welcome to the fall issue of SuperVision, our labor and employment e-newsletter. In this edition, we cover the current status of the FTC’s attempts to ban noncompetes, OSHA’s proposed heat standard, how to handle political...more

Mandelbaum Barrett PC

New Jersey Supreme Court Invalidates Non-Disparagement Provision Against Alleged Victim of Discrimination and Harassment

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In Savage v. Township of Neptune, et al., (A-2-23, decided May 7, 2024), the New Jersey Supreme Court analyzed and invalidated a non-disparagement provision included in a settlement agreement against a plaintiff alleging...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Fourth Circuit Finds Internal Complaint About Care Recommendations Supports Wrongful Discharge Claim

North Carolina is an at-will employment state, but recognizes a limited exception from that rule for terminations that violate the state’s public policy. Courts have wrestled for years over the meaning of public policy and...more

Saiber LLC

New Jersey Supreme Court Holds That Non-Disparagement Provisions Seeking to Preclude Discussion About Claims of Discrimination,...

Saiber LLC on

In a recent unanimous decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court held that non-disparagement provisions in settlement agreements or employment agreements are against public policy and unenforceable if they seek to bar speech...more

Harris Beach PLLC

California Holds Employers Have No Duty to Protect Employees’ Households from COVID-19

Harris Beach PLLC on

The California Supreme Court has answered in the negative the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ certified question regarding “take-home” COVID-19 exposure (see Federal Appeals Court Asks California If Covid-19 “Take Home” Suits...more

Pullman & Comley - Labor, Employment and...

The Doctrine of “Wrongful Discharge in Violation of Public Policy” Takes Flight Again in Decision of the Connecticut Supreme Court

On Tuesday, March 21, 2023, the Connecticut Supreme Court announced a significant new decision concerning lawsuits by employees alleging “wrongful discharge in violation of public policy.”  Most employers in Connecticut are...more

Bodman

Employers Beware! Michigan Supreme Court Clarifies and Expands Public-Policy Exception to At-Will Employment Presumption

Bodman on

On July 15, 2022, the Michigan Supreme Court clarified and, arguably, expanded the public-policy exception to the well-established at-will employment presumption in Michigan. Although the case may conclude differently after...more

McAfee & Taft

Home Depot employee’s wrongful discharge claim hammered

McAfee & Taft on

Under some circumstances, Oklahoma law recognizes that terminated employees may pursue a public policy wrongful discharge claim against a former employer. These claims allow a narrow exception to the employment at-will status...more

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Adds New Personnel Records Wrinkle to Public Policy Exception to Termination of At-Will...

A recent decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (the “SJC”) significantly expanded the Massachusetts common-law public policy exception to termination of at-will employees.  This decision, Meehan v. Med. Info....more

Morgan, Brown & Joy, LLP

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Finds that Employees Cannot be Terminated Merely for Filing a Rebuttal to a Personnel Record

On December 17, 2021, Meehan v. Medical Information Technology, Inc., the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts (“SJC”) held that an employee’s filing a rebuttal to information placed in their personnel file that could...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rules in Favor of Worker Fired for Rebutting Negative Performance Improvement Plan

On December 17, 2021, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled that an employee discharged for submitting a written rebuttal to his employer in response to the placement of negative information in his personnel...more

Littler

Pennsylvania Appeals Court Determines State’s Medical Marijuana Act Includes a Private Right of Action for Employees

Littler on

In a case of first impression, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania has determined that employees can sue their employers for claims under the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act (MMA).  Palmiter v. Commonwealth Health Sys.,...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Pennsylvania Court Holds Medical Marijuana Act Allows Employees to Sue for Discrimination

On August 5, 2021, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania held for the first time that Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act (MMA) allows an employee to sue his or her employer for taking an adverse employment action based on the...more

Miller Canfield

6th Circuit Clarifies Opposition Clause of Title VII - Performance of Regular Job Duties as Protected Activity

Miller Canfield on

Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits retaliation against employees because they either oppose discriminatory actions (the "Opposition Clause") or because of their participation in an investigation, proceeding, or...more

ArentFox Schiff

Enforcing Non-Compete and Non-Solicitation Provisions in Virginia: Three Recent Takeaways From a Virginia Trial Court

ArentFox Schiff on

In a recent opinion, the Fairfax Circuit Court deemed unenforceable the non-compete and employee non-solicitation provisions of two doctors who had performed work for the United States Army on behalf of a government...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Pennsylvania Court Allows Medical Pot User To Proceed With Wrongful Termination Suit

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In a recent decision, Palmiter v. Commonwealth Health Systems, the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas held that: (a) the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act (“MMA”) creates a private right of action for wrongful termination;...more

Littler

EEOC Rescinds Policy Statement Disfavoring Arbitration Agreements

Littler on

As part of its efforts to rescind outdated guidance on a rolling basis, the EEOC recently dispensed with a 22-year-old policy statement that disfavored mandatory arbitration agreements between employers and employees....more

McDermott Will & Emery

Global Employment Contracts: The Modern Tower of Babel

McDermott Will & Emery on

Although multi-jurisdictional compliance is a challenge in relation to every aspect of employment law, the structure of employment contracts and the enforcement of global policies require particularly careful consideration. ...more

Polsinelli

Supreme Court of Kentucky Reaffirms Public Policy Claim Must Have “Employment Related Nexus” to Support Wrongful Discharge Suit

Polsinelli on

In a recent decision, Marshall v. Montaplast of North America, Inc., the Supreme Court of Kentucky reaffirmed that a cause of action for wrongful termination based on a violation of public policy may proceed only if the...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Bag the Gag Provision: New Jersey Is the Latest State to Restrict Non-disclosure Agreements in Settlements

You finally settled that tough discrimination or harassment claim. Now you just need to ink the settlement agreement, and obviously it will include a standard non-disclosure clause to prevent your claimant from ever talking...more

Tucker Arensberg, P.C.

Pennsylvania Superior Court Finds Contractual No-Hire Agreements Between Businesses Void Against Public Policy

The hiring of your key employees by another business that you have a relationship with — either individually or en masse — can be devastating. It is therefore not uncommon for businesses to insert provisions in contracts...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

South Carolina Court of Appeals Weighs in on South Carolina’s Political Opinions Statute, Approves Discharge of Employee for...

In Owens v. Crabtree, Opinion No. 5616 (January 16, 2019), the South Carolina Court of Appeals held that a company’s termination of an employee for using company devices, on company time, to oppose a local building project...more

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