Most employers understand that it is illegal to discriminate against someone due to their race, gender, or age in employment decisions. Recent news is now questioning whether it is acceptable to discriminate against existing or potential employees based on their …
With increasing frequency, employers are using criminal background checks as one tool in screening potential candidates for employment. Employers should understand, however, that the use of such background checks come with some complexity relating to Title VII racial discrimination prohibitions.…
The Supreme Court of Virginia found that an individual supervisor can be sued for wrongful discharge in VanBuren v. Grubb (click here for opinion). The Court held that Virginia law recognizes a common law tort claim of wrongful discharge …
For many college students, summer is a time for them to build skills through summer internships. Employers are also frequently attracted to the use of unpaid interns, especially in this era of budget tightening. Many employers, however, are not aware …
In Western Industries-North, LLP v. Lessard, et al., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 33683, United States District Judge James Cacheris, a U.S. District Court Judge in Alexandria, Virginia, recently granted a plaintiff’s motion for a temporary restraining order based on …
One of the questions employers frequently have is whether it is good policy to distribute and employee handbooks to employees. The answer I most readily give employers is yes, as long as the handbook is carefully drafted as it might …
It came out in the news this week that Dakota Meyer, the only living Marine to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War, recently filed a lawsuit against his former employer, the defense contractor BAE Systems. Meyer …
On November 4, 2011, the Virginia Supreme Court struck an entire non-compete provision in an employment agreement for containing language that was too broad. Although many states will simply “blue pencil” the non-compete by striking only those overly broad portions, …
Earlier this week, perhaps the largest Title VII employee class action case ever contemplated was considered by the Supreme Court. Around 1.5 million female Wal-Mart employees claimed discrimination and a class action was initiated. The focus of their claim was …