Laura Lawless

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U.S. Supreme Court Clarifies Employers’ Religious Accommodation Obligations

On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its unanimous opinion in Groff v. DeJoy, No. 22-174, 600 U.S. __ (2023), a long-awaited decision explaining employers’ obligations under Title VII to reasonably accommodate employees’ religious beliefs, observances and practices. Groff, the first Supreme Court decision in nearly 50 years to consider what employers must … Continue Reading

Recent Spate of Cases Clarifies Arbitrability of Sexual Harassment Claims (US)

We previously reported on the enactment of the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 (“EFAA”), a law that amended the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) to preclude mandatory arbitration of sexual harassment and sexual assault cases. After the EFAA, employers utilizing mandatory arbitration programs must carve out sexual harassment and … Continue Reading

Ninth Circuit Forces Employer to Face the Music, Finds Sexist/Racist Music-Blasting Hits a Sour Note (US)

Squire Patton Boggs Labor & Employment Partner Laura Lawless and Summer Associate Esther Gold cover a recent opinion from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit addressing the extent to which sexually offensive music played in the workplace may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “These tunes are … Continue Reading

A Deep-Dive Analysis of Lion Elastomers – the NLRB’s Recent Pronouncement on Offensive Workplace Conduct (US)

Here’s the situation: You own a small business that employs 15 employees. You do your best to provide good pay and benefits, but, like many companies, your business has been adversely impacted by lingering effects of the pandemic and the overall sluggishness of the economy. You call an all-hands meeting and reluctantly inform your employees … Continue Reading

NLRB’s General Counsel Issues A Memorandum In Light Of The McLaren Macomb Decision Addressing Severance Agreements Containing Broad Confidentiality and Non-Disparagement Terms (US)

As we previously reported, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB,” or “the Board”) decided last month in McLaren Macomb, 372 NLRB No. 58, that an employer commits an unfair labor practice (“ULP”) when it presents a non-supervisory employee with a severance agreement containing broad confidentiality and/or non-disparagement provisions. The Board reasoned that even proffering an … Continue Reading

Don’t Say We Didn’t WARN You: New Jersey Mini-WARN Act Amendments Go Into Effect On April 10, 2023 (US)

The global economic downturn means that we are likely to see more restructuring and reorganization measures during 2023. Employers need to be aware of compliance with the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (the federal “WARN” Act), which requires advance notification in the case of plant closings and mass layoffs. Some states have also … Continue Reading

Third Circuit OKs Deductions From FLSA Exempt Employee PTO Banks (US)

In a first of its kind opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (which hears appeals from the federal district courts in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) ruled that an employer does not violate the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) when it deducts time from FLSA-exempt employees’ paid time off (PTO) banks … Continue Reading

US Supreme Court Clarifies Employers’ Overtime Wage Payment Duty (US)

On February 22, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision clarifying employers’ obligation to pay overtime under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The decision, Helix Energy Solutions Grp., Inc. v. Hewitt, No. 21-984, — S.Ct. — (Feb. 22, 2023), affirmed the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ interpretation of the FLSA’s overtime pay … Continue Reading

Department of Labor Reminds Employers of Duties Owed to Teleworking Employees (US)

On February 9, 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a Field Assistance Bulletin addressing several vexing questions pertaining to compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) when a business employs teleworkers. Field Assistance Bulletins do not have the effect of law, but nonetheless are important … Continue Reading

Congress Passes Speak Out Act, Banning Certain Prospective Non-Disclosure Agreements (US)

Earlier this year, we reported that Congress amended the Federal Arbitration Act to preclude compulsory binding arbitration of sexual assault and sexual harassment claims. This past week, Congress went a step further, passing the Speak Out Act, S. 4524, which is aimed at prohibiting prospective, pre-dispute non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements that prevent employees from discussing … Continue Reading

Federal Trade Commission Announces Enforcement Priority to Protect Gig Workers (US)

An estimated 16% of American workers derive at least some of their annual income from “gig” work – “side hustles” whereby they (purportedly) choose from available, on-demand work opportunities, usually through internet-based platforms or apps, working when, where, and for as long as they want. However, the practical reality for many gig workers is that … Continue Reading

Employment Law in the Metaverse (US)

The metaverse is poised to reshape the way we live and work. Employment law in real life is vexing enough, with US employers required to navigate the complex federal, state and local laws and regulations that impact the employment relationship. Now some employers and businesses are making the leap into the virtual world, where employment … Continue Reading

Employers Can’t Escape WARN Act Liability Because of COVID-19 (US)

The word “unprecedented” has been applied often (and exhaustingly) throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but when it comes to the impact the pandemic had on the U.S. employment law landscape, the term fits. This was never truer than in the earliest days of the COVID-19 outbreak when companies, facing sudden and abrupt business closures, dramatically reduced … Continue Reading

Seventh Circuit Reminds Employers Words and Actions Both Count in FMLA Cases (US)

Most employers know that under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), employees who have worked at least one year (and at least 1,250 hours in that year) have the right to take leave for their own or a close family member’s serious health condition, among other reasons. And most employers that are subject to … Continue Reading

EEOC Issues Reminder That Caregiver Duties Continue Even As COVID Surge Wanes (US)

On March 14, 2022, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a new technical assistance document, “The COVID-19 Pandemic and Caregiver Discrimination Under Federal Employment Discrimination Law,” reminding employers that caregiver obligations continue notwithstanding our gradual return to normal. The 10-page document warns that, even as pandemic conditions change, many employers, schools, and daycare … Continue Reading

President Biden Signs Into Law Ban on Mandatory Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Claims (US)

On February 11, 2022, we reported on Congress’ enactment of legislation barring the use of mandatory arbitration provisions in cases of sexual assault or sexual harassment. On March 3, 2022, President Biden signed the bill into law, as expected, making it illegal to compel an employee to arbitrate a claim of sexual assault or sexual … Continue Reading

Congress Bars Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Claims (US)

On February 7, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed, and on February 10, the U.S. Senate approved, a bill (the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (Act)) that would amend the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) so as to invalidate clauses in employment agreements requiring employees to arbitrate claims of sexual … Continue Reading

OSHA’s “Vax-or-Test” ETS: Where Do We Go From Here? (US)

By now, employers know that on January 13, the United States Supreme Court stayed the controversial “Emergency Temporary Standard” (ETS) issued by the U.S. Occupational Safety Administration (OSHA). (See our post discussing the Court’s ruling here). Now that the dust has settled somewhat, employers that would have been subject to the ETS had the Supreme … Continue Reading

Supreme Court Halts Implementation of OSHA Vaccine-or-Test Rule (US)

In a per curiam majority decision issued on January 13, 2022, the United States Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”) Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) that would have obligated employers with 100 or more U.S. employees to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or weekly COVID-19 testing, plus imposed … Continue Reading

DOL Extends ETS Compliance Deadline to January 10, 2022 (US)

As we reported previously, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the stay of enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard, which requires employers with 100 or more U.S. employees to ensure by January 4, 2022 that their workforces are fully vaccinated or ensure they test negative at least weekly … Continue Reading

Sixth Circuit Lifts Stay of OSHA Vaccine Mandate – ETS In Effect Starting January 4, 2022 (For Now) (US)

In the latest chapter in the dizzying fight over private employer vaccine mandates, on December 17, 2021, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a sister appellate court’s stay of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) requirement that employers with 100 or more U.S. employees require vaccination or weekly testing and face coverings as … Continue Reading

EEOC Opines Long-Haul COVID-19 Consequences May Constitute ADA Disability (US)

This past summer, we reported that President Biden expressed in a speech commemorating the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that his administration believes “long-haul” COVID may constitute a disability. Unlike mild cases of COVID-19 that resolve in days or weeks, long-haul COVID is marked by chronic symptoms that continue weeks or months … Continue Reading

Nationwide Halt on Implementation of Federal Contractor Vaccine Rule Issued (US)

On December 1, we discussed a decision issued by the Eastern District of Kentucky enjoining implementation of President Biden’s Executive Order 14042 in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee, querying whether similar challenges would likewise result in injunctive relief. As we portended, on December 7, a federal judge in the Southern District of Georgia issued a broader … Continue Reading
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