In employment discrimination, the phrase “Cat’s Paw” refers to a situation “in which a biased subordinate, who lacks decisionmaker power, uses the formal decisionmaker as a dupe in a deliberate scheme to trigger a discriminatory employment action.” In Marshall v. The Rawlings Co., LLC, (2016), the Sixth Circuit recently...
In McNeil-Marks v. Mid-Michigan Medical Center-Gratiot, the Michigan Court of Appeals held that attorneys qualify as members of a “public body” under the Michigan Whistleblower’s Protection Act (WPA). Specifically, any licensed attorney in good standing with the Michigan Bar Association qualifies as a member of a...
Arbitration clauses are becoming increasingly more prevalent, especially in the context of employment. So too, is their scope. While it is clear that the language of the agreement generally determines whether a certain dispute is covered by a given arbitration agreement, what remains less clear...
Issues involving workplace accommodation of religious practices often involve complicated fact patterns and require significant analysis. Under a recent Supreme Court case, these matters have become even more complicated and a sure-fire pitfall for the unwary employer. In EEOC v Abercrombie & Fitch, 135 S. Ct. 2028 (2015), the...
Most governmental regulation means one thing to employers – more red tape and hoops to jump through. However, a new law recently passed by Congress can provide the informed employer with significant protection. Under the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016, an employer has the right...
The Family and Medical Leave Act requires covered employers to provide eligible employees with leaves of absence for a number of qualifying reasons. A leave can be up to 12 weeks and in some cases involving military service members the leave can be longer. The question is can...
MASUD LABOR LAW GROUP By: Kraig Schutter It is generally understood that the Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of one’s “sex.” What constitutes sex, however, has been contested over the years. This is especially true when hot-button issues such as sexual...
MASUD LABOR LAW GROUP By: David Bryce On September 7, 2018, Gov. Rick Snyder signed an executive order instructing all state departments and agencies to remove from their job applications a question asking job-applicants to check a box if they have been convicted of a felony. Gov. Snyder’s executive...
MASUD LABOR LAW GROUP By: Brian Boyd The application of Title VII’s sex stereotyping prohibition has been a major point of controversy in recent years, especially as it relates to transgender employees. This issue becomes especially polarized when the employer bases its reasoning on a sincerely held...
MASUD LABOR LAW GROUP By: Brian Boyd It has long been the case that the United States Supreme Court generally waits to hand down its most controversial decisions until the end of its yearly session (which usually ends in June). In a split opinion authored by Justice Gorsuch,...