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| Small-business owners are not immune from sexual harassment lawsuits. More often, small-business owners unknowingly violate federal and state employment laws, because they don't have an in-house human-resources department or legal counsel to advise them on best practices, and the risks for small-business owners are so great, because one lawsuit can make such a huge dent in your overall financial picture. |
| (Source: The Orange County Register, 2007-10-22) |
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| Only one out of five employees of major global corporations is engaged in his or her work, and top managers may be to blame, according to a study released by a global professional services firm. A survey of 90,000 workers in 18 countries found that only 21 percent of employees are engaged in their work -- defined as being willing to do more than is required to help their employers succeed and measured it by their responses to questions about their feelings about work, as well as their behavior. |
| (Source: Reuters, 2007-10-22) |
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| Illegal immigrants who are victims of violent crimes in the U.S. can now apply for special visas, seven years after Congress offered protection against deportation to those who cooperate with law enforcement agencies. The U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services is finally starting to process the visas, agency spokeswoman Marilu Cabrera said. |
| (Source: ABC News, 2007-10-19) |
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| More than a decade after employers began cracking down on those who view online pornography at work, porn is continuing to create tension in offices across the nation -- in part because laptop computers, cellphones and other portable devices have made it easier for risk-takers to visit such websites undetected. Devices providing wireless access to the Internet appear to be giving the porn-at-work phenomenon a boost even as employers are getting more aggressive about using software to block workers' access to inappropriate websites. |
| (Source: USA Today (free reg. req'd), 2007-10-18) |
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| As fashions go, casual Friday at workplaces has had a good run for more than a decade, popular perhaps because employees could dress for the weekend a day ahead of time. But there are signs that companies, and many of their employees, are tiring of the informality that casual Friday inspired and getting back to serious dressing. |
| (Source: The New York Times (free reg. req'd), 2007-10-23) |
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| Willis Group Holdings Ltd said a Manhattan federal court has given preliminary approval to an $8.5 million settlement of a lawsuit accusing the third-largest U.S. insurance brokerage of discriminating against women in pay and promotions. |
| (Source: Reuters, 2007-10-22) |
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| A federal judge has approved class-action status for a lawsuit filed on behalf of about 14,000 FedEx Ground delivery drivers. The drivers claim their status as independent contractors with FedEx Ground is illegal and that they have been deprived of their rights. |
| (Source: BusinessWeek, 2007-10-18) |
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| Proposed legislation to give investors an advisory vote on executive pay, if passed, would lead to the unintended consequences of messy litigation and more lawmaking from Congress, according to Michael Oxley, vice chairman of Nasdaq and a former Republican representative from Ohio. Addressing an audience at the annual National Association of Corporate Directors conference in Washington, Oxley said that the so-called say-on-pay proposal currently floated by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts and chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services, "will not stop at a nonbinding vote" because there are so many unanswered questions as to how the process would actually work. |
| (Source: Workforce Management, 2007-10-18) |
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| In 1979, women working full time made only 63 percent as much pay as men, according to data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now working women make 81 percent as much as men. |
| (Source: The New York Times (free reg. req'd), 2007-10-21) |
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| The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is ramping up its inquiry into sexual harassment accusations made by a former junior trader at SAC Capital, who says his boss, star trader Ping Jiang, forced him to take female hormones and then sexually assaulted him. The case, brought by former SAC trader Andrew Tong against Jiang and SAC, is drawing a lot of attention on Wall Street, both for the sensational accusations being made and for the high profile of the players involved. |
| (Source: CNBC, 2007-10-17) |
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| New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has started a major political fight over immigration by ordering state officials to issue driver's licenses to illegal aliens, prompting at least one county legislature to defy the executive order and pushing toward a showdown in court. The embattled governor's order has drawn some acerbic commentary, including a cartoon showing Osama bin Laden as a New York City taxi driver. |
| (Source: The Washington Times, 2007-10-19) |
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Mark Ford
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By all accounts, Beverly Stevenson was a model employee prior to February 9, 2004. It was on this date, however, that a stray puppy climbed through the open window of her ground floor office and ran around her cubicle. Ms. Stevenson's reaction to this unusual event was to scream, swear, and spray room deodorizer all around. Once her tantrum subsided, she informed her employer that she was ill and went home for the remainder of the day. Stevenson called in "sick" on February 10. On February 11 she returned to the workplace and confronted the company president. An "explosive encounter" ensued as Ms. Stevenson charged into his office yelling and proceeded to berate the president for not doing more to keep a dog out of her office area. Later in the day, Stevenson checked into a hospital emergency room where she was examined by a physician. Her stay in ER was a brief one. She was discharged from ER with a diagnosis of stress and anxiety.
Read the entire article about this FMLA case.
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David Carr
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David Carr doesn't know how to do things half-way. When he commits to something, watch out! Need some examples? When David was 13 years old he participated in a mock trial. From that day on he knew he wanted to be an attorney. He's now a partner in one of the largest law firms in Indianapolis. When he started practicing law, David was concerned about staying in shape. What did he do? He started running. He's run in 16 of the last 20 Indianapolis Mini-Marathons. That will help keep you in shape! Need even more proof? David loves politics. Despite his busy schedule as an attorney, he serves on the Zionsville Town Council, successfully winning re-election three times. David's level of commitment has served his clients well; both keeping them out of the courtroom or in the courtroom when necessary, whether in an informal arbitration or federal court jury trial.
David is a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group of Ice Miller, focusing his practice in the areas of personnel policies, employment discrimination, sports law, and employment contracts involving trade secrets, confidential information and covenants against competition.
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