Last week, I discussed the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”)’s new regulations regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) which discuss the newly broadened scope of the ADA, and the terms “major life activity” and “substantially limited.” In this article, I will focus on ADAAA regulations that cover…
Articles Posted in Discrimination
EEOC Issues New Americans with Disabilities Act Regulations
As I previously discussed, protection for disabled employees was vastly expanded on January 1, 2009, when the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), a law expanding the scope of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), went into effect. On March 25, 2011, the United States Equal Employment Commission (EEOC) established…
Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Gives Bayer a Headache
A group of six female employees of Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals recently filed a class action lawsuit claiming the company discriminated against them because of their gender. The case, which was filed in the United States District Court in Newark, New Jersey on March 21, 2011, seeks $100 million in damages.…
Appellate Court Reduces $10 Million Punitive Damages Award For Age Discrimination to $2,465,000
Earlier this month, New Jersey’s Appellate Division reduced a punitive damages award in an age discrimination case in which the jury had awarded $10 million, to slightly less than $2.5 million. Punitive damages are awarded to punish a defendant when its actions are especially egregious. The Evidence of Age Discrimination…
New Jersey Appellate Division Reinstates Retaliation Claim Against Department of Corrections
On February 28, 2011, New Jersey’s Appellate Division issued an unpublished opinion ruling that a jury should decide whether the New Jersey Department of Corrections (“DOC”) retaliated against one of its employees, Bienvenido Montalvo. Mr. Montalvo Filed a National Origin Discrimination Complaint With the EEOC Mr. Montalvo worked for DOC…
U.S. Supreme Court Adopts “Cat’s Paw” Discrimination Theory
Yesterday, the United Supreme Court decided an important employment law case. Specifically, in Staub v. Proctor Hospital, the Supreme Court ruled that companies can be held liable for an adverse employment decision, even if the employee who actually made the decision did not discriminate, when another supervisor’s discriminatory actions or…
New Jersey Court Reinstates Employee’s Failure to Accommodate Religious Belief Claim
The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to allow employees to observe their sincerely held religious practices and observances, unless the company cannot accommodate the employee without causing an undue hardship to its business. Last month, New Jersey’s Appellate Division reversed a trial court’s decision…
“Discovery Rule” Can Extend Statute of Limitations Under New Jersey Law Against Discrimination
The statute of limitations under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (“LAD”) is two years. Ordinarily, that means you must file your lawsuit within two years after (1) a “discrete act” of discrimination such as being fired, demoted, or suspended, or (2) the last act of a pattern of harassment.…
Each Discriminatory Paycheck is Separate Violation of New Jersey Law Against Discrimination
Last week, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that each day an employee is paid a lower salary based on a past unlawful discriminatory decision is a separate violation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD). As a result, three tenured Seton Hall University professors can proceed with their…
EEOC Sues Port Authority of NY & NJ for Sex and Age Discrimination
The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently sued the Port Authority of NY & NJ, claiming the Port Authority violated the Equal Pay Act (“EPA”) by paying non-supervisory female lawyers less than their male counterparts. The EPA is a federal law that prohibits employers from considering gender as…