http://www.elinfonet.com/fedindex/23 Articles discussing verdicts in employment law and discrimination lawsuits. Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:10:21 EST en-us http://www.elinfonet.com/newscount.php?popID=5422 Article: 5422 Fri, 28 Jul 2006 00:00:00 EST elin@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) In Lubke v. Arlington, 2006 WL 1793268 (5th Cir), a city fire fighter, Kim Lubke (“Lubke”), sued the City of Arlington, Texas (“Arlington”) alleging that he was discharged in violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) as a result of missing work to care for his ill wife. Lubke was a twenty-two year veteran of Arlington’s fire department, and was a Battalion Chief in charge of eight fire stations and forty to fifty employees. http://www.elinfonet.com/newscount.php?popID=5268 Article: 5268 Mon, 12 Jun 2006 00:00:00 EST elin@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) The June 2, 2006 state jury award of $61 million to two Federal Express drivers in their racial and ethnic harassment lawsuit demonstrates how costly it can be for employers who do not properly investigate complaints of illegal harassment and discrimination. http://www.elinfonet.com/newscount.php?popID=5217 Article: 5217 Mon, 22 May 2006 00:00:00 EST elin@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) Last March, Cracker Barrel restaurants, a well-known chain known for folksy charm, agreed to pay $2 million to settle a class action workplace discrimination lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of 51 individuals. All are current or former employees of three Cracker Barrel restaurants in Illinois. Some claimed that they were sexually or racially harassed, others that they were retaliated against after they complained to management about the harassment. EEOC v. Cracker Barrel. http://www.elinfonet.com/newscount.php?popID=5165 Article: 5165 Wed, 10 May 2006 00:00:00 EST elin@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) A thorny problem in settling employment cases often arises when an employee has a change of heart after accepting a settlement offer and either refuses to sign a written agreement or attempts to set aside the agreement by claiming that it was a mistake, was based on bad advice from his or her counsel, or was never authorized. A recent federal appellate court decision demonstrates that the employee has a very heavy burden of proof in such situations, and employers usually will be able to hold the employee to the agreement. http://www.elinfonet.com/newscount.php?popID=4541 Article: 4541 Wed, 24 Aug 2005 00:00:00 EST elin@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) In a case with significant consequences to the financial industry, Merrill Lynch has agreed to pay up to $37 million to approximately 3,250 of its California stock brokers to settle claims that it failed to pay overtime wages. The settlement may spur interest in overtime pay claims under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and perhaps state wage and hour laws by other stock brokers, as well as inside salespersons in other segments of the financial industry. http://www.elinfonet.com/newscount.php?popID=4472 Article: 4472 Fri, 29 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EST elin@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) On June 16, 2005, a U.S. District Court judge approved a settlement agreement between Ford Motor Company and 3,400 black employees alleging race discrimination. The employees alleged that Ford was accepting white employees into the apprenticeship program at a far higher rate than black employees. http://www.elinfonet.com/newscount.php?popID=4396 Article: 4396 Fri, 24 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EST elin@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) Anyone who has walked through a department store has experienced the pungent odors coming from the cosmetics department. Customers test a myriad of perfumes, creams, and lotions that release floral and fruit scents intended to tempt the individual to buy the cosmetic. The cornucopia of smells permeating from the cosmetics department causes many of us to either sneeze, breathe a little heavier, or simply walk a little more quickly towards the mall entrance. Though a minor nuisance for our shopping experience, a former Detroit disc jockey’s severe allergy to a colleague’s perfume and her employer’s failure to accommodate the allergy resulted in a $10.6 million judgment against the radio station and its owner. http://www.elinfonet.com/newscount.php?popID=3982 Article: 3982 Fri, 14 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST elin@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) A Florida District Court of Appeals recently reinstated a verdict of $1,516,000 as damages for sexual harassment based on a hostile work environment and retaliatory discharge. http://www.elinfonet.com/newscount.php?popID=3830 Article: 3830 Fri, 29 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST elin@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) After challenging the authority of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to bring a discrimination suit on behalf of male employees nationwide and contesting the EEOC's efforts at conciliation, the Jillian's restaurant chain entered into a consent agreement to resolve the suit. http://www.elinfonet.com/newscount.php?popID=3771 Article: 3771 Tue, 05 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EST elin@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) After almost a decade of litigation, Farmers Insurance Exchange has agreed to pay $210 million to settle a class-action overtime lawsuit brought under California law.