In this case, a Massachusetts federal court denied a motion to dismiss a wrongful termination claim, relying on indirect evidence that made the termination look suspicious.
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On February 1, 2022, Judge Mastroianni of the US District Court in Springfield denied an employer’s motion for summary judgment as to all but one of our client’s seven claims.
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On March 4, 2021, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts provided helpful guidance for those struggling to understand the difference between direct evidence and indirect evidence in employment discrimination claims.
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The First Circuit Court of Appeals recently reinstated a workplace racial discrimination case where an employer terminated an employee after a customer complained about the employee and in doing so referred to the employees height, race, and Jamaican accent.
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A recent Massachusetts court ruling provides guidance on whether an employer’s denial of a request for a schedule change as a reasonable accommodation violated the ADA and Massachusetts anti-discrimination laws.
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Can an employer can force an employee to get a vaccine or can an employer force an employee to wear a face mask? To answer these questions, one must resort to an analysis of state and federal laws prohibiting disability discrimination and religious discrimination.
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An analysis of whether there are any First Amendment or anti-retaliation protections for employees regarding their social media posts on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
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Two recent cases expanded the scope of evidence Massachusetts employees may utilize to prove hostile work environment and workplace harassment claims.
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The COVID-19 outbreak has changed many employment-related rules, including those that relate to what types of questions an employer may ask their employee or prospective employee regarding potential exposure to COVID-19.
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Our Junior Associate, Flo, was caught possibly abusing medical leave. We walk you through Steffans Legal’s subsequent workplace investigation and decision making as to whether or not we could discipline or terminate her employment for the alleged abuse of medical leave.
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The Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as its Massachusetts state law equivalent, prohibit employers from discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Those laws, unlike other anti-discrimination laws, also require employers to provide disabled employees with reasonable accommodations so that they may perform their job duties.
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The First Circuit, in the case of Miceli v. JetBlue Airways Corp. et al. recently provided helpful guidance to employers and employees when it comes to one of the most difficult areas of employment law: leaves of absence resulting from mental impairments.
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By now, most of you have probably read about the bill signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker, colloquially referred to as the Grand Bargain. By any measure, this bill is surely “grand” in that it dramatically changes three important areas of employment law.
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The workplace can be a breeding ground for flu-related illnesses. A 2018 survey estimated the cost to employers of the 2017-2018 flu season to be around $9.42 billion. Employees who come to work sick, get others sick. Sick employees are less productive employees. To address this, can an employer require employees to get flu shots? Not surprisingly, the answer is not simple.
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According to a 2016 Society of Human Resources Management report, 7% of employers allow dogs in the workplace. Many of our employer clients have begun to allow their employees to bring dogs to work. We think that’s a pretty good idea for the very same reasons we have two in our workplace.
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Employers who have not taken steps to comply with the Equal Pay Act are incurring unnecessary risk. Thankfully, the Massachusetts Attorney General recently released a guidance for employers on how to ensure compliance with this new law. Based on this information Steffans Legal has come up with the following 9 recommendations for employers:
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Prior to July 17, 2017, most employers in Massachusetts assumed that they could terminate an employee who tested positive for marijuana, even if they were licensed to use marijuana for medicinal purposes.
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The Massachusetts Equal Pay Act, known as MEPA, is set to go into effect and will apply to employers across Massachusetts, in Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester, Lowell, Fall River, New Bedford, and the Cape.
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The employee in this matter suffered from a rare neurological condition that caused her to suffer from periodic and unpredictable episodes that, occassionally, caused her to be late to work. She always notified her manager when she was going to be late and provided as much notice as possible.
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The employee in this matter brought claims of racial harassment, racial discrimination, and retaliation against her employer, based in Worcester. The employee is of Puerto Rican descent and felt she was being treated differently than her caucasian counterparts.
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