A recent decision from the New Jersey Appellate Division affirms a trial court’s order requiring Gerber Products Company to bring a witness from Switzerland to New Jersey, at Gerber’s expense, to testify at a deposition in a discrimination lawsuit. A deposition is a formal interview under oath used to obtain…
New Jersey Employment Lawyer Blog
Court Analyzes Prospective Tenant’s Sexual Harassment Claim
In a recent ruling, New Jersey’s Appellate Division recognized that the same basic legal principles that apply to sexual harassment claims in employment under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (“LAD”) also apply to sexual harassment claims involving housing discrimination under the LAD. The LAD is a law that prohibits…
Are Non-Compete Agreements Enforceable Against New Jersey Psychotherapists?
A non-compete agreement is a contract that prevents an employee for working for a competitor for a period of time after his or her employment relationship ends. As a general rule, New Jersey Courts enforce non-compete agreements if the employer has a legitimate interest to protect such as confidential information…
Jonathan Nirenberg Named One of Bergen County’s Top Lawyers
Included on BERGEN Magazine’s 2023 Top Lawyers List Jonathan I. Nirenberg is honored to have been selected by BERGEN magazine to be included on its 2023 list of Bergen County’s Top Lawyers, in the category Labor & Employment law. The entire list is included in the November 2023 edition of…
Court Reinstates Employee’s Retaliation Lawsuit, Finding Employer Could Have Identified Her as Anonymous Whistleblower
A new decision from New Jersey’s Appellate Division recognizes that an employer can be liable for retaliating against an employee who filed an anonymous whistleblower complaint if the evidence supports the inference that it could have realized she was the one who filed the complaint. For 14 years, Carol Smith…
New Jersey Court Analyzes Time Off as Reasonable Accommodation for Disability
Under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (“LAD”), time off can be a reasonable accommodation for a disability as long as the time off sought is reasonable. A recent decision from the District of New Jersey provides a good example of how Courts analyze this issue at the early stage…
Sexual Assault of Student Can be Sexual Harassment in Violation of New Jersey Law Against Discrimination
Yesterday, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that a sexual assault against a student can constitute sexual harassment in violation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (“LAD”). In addition to prohibiting discrimination in the workplace, the LAD also prohibits it in places of public accommodation, including public schools and…
Catholic School Did Not Violate Law Against Discrimination by Firing Unmarried Employee When She Got Pregnant
The New Jersey Supreme Court recently ruled that religious institutions can fire an employee for failing to follow the tenets of their religions, such as a Catholic school firing an employee because she had premarital sex. Victoria Crisitello worked for the St. Theresa School as an art teacher and toddler…
Resigning to Avoid Participating in Illegal Activity Can Be Protected Under CEPA
A recent decision from the New Jersey Appellate Division decision recognizes that, under the right circumstances an employee can be protected by the Conscientious Employee Protection Act (“CEPA”) when she resigns because she is not willing to participate in her employer’s illegal conduct. CEPA is New Jersey’s whistleblower law, which…
New Federal Protections for Pregnant Employees
Reasonable Accommodations for Pregnancy and Childbirth On June 27, 2023, a new federal employment law, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, went into effect. The Act prohibits employers from: Denying an employee a reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions unless the employer can show the accommodation would impose…