A federal jury awarded over $13 million in damages to a single plaintiff in a sexual harassment/hostile work environment case brought under Title VII and New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL). The award, however, is likely to be reduced since the jury awarded more than $11 million for punitive damages under Title VII. Under … Continued
Despite significant gains made by women and minorities across corporate America, a stubborn glass ceiling prevents them from advancing to the most powerful and highest paying positions in the workplace. For example, a recent study found that in 2017, the number of female Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) among Fortune 500 companies dwindled to just 5.4% … Continued
Given the soaring numbers of people working as independent contractors (gig workers) rather than traditional employees, an important question has emerged about what protections these gig workers have against discrimination. The most familiar federal anti-discrimination law is Title VII. But this important law protects only “employees,” not “independent contractors” and others working in the gig … Continued
A new case in California explores the ongoing legal debate about whether law firm partners should be considered “employees” versus “employers.” Why does this matter? In the California case, it is the key distinction that dictates whether the law firm partner must forego a discrimination lawsuit in court and instead arbitrate her legal claims, which … Continued
A new survey by the Pew Research Center illuminates the ongoing glass ceiling faced by female employees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The survey results are consistent with an earlier study regarding female scientists about which the Glass Ceiling Discrimination Blog previously posted. Key findings of the survey According to the survey’s findings, … Continued
Law 360 spoke with Eric Bachman and other employment attorneys about key steps that corporate and other employers should take to help prevent sexual harassment in 2018. Here are five important takeaways: Tone at the top is vital To institute a truly effective anti-harassment policy, the senior executives and managers at the company must buy … Continued
This past week, a federal jury in South Dakota awarded $1.2 million in damages to a former Special Agent with the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). The jury’s verdict found that DCI had retaliated against and sexually harassed former Special Agent Laura Kaiser. The case Kaiser filed her complaint in federal court in … Continued
Eric Bachman recently caught up with Lifehacker to explore the various options to effectively report sex harassment at work. Why harassment is often not reported According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), only about 30% of employees who are harassed at work actually report it to someone at work. “In other words, based on … Continued
Eric Bachman recently had an in-depth interview about sexual harassment issues at work with Stella Grizont of Woopah, who is an executive coach to Fortune 500 leaders. The topics covered included: how to differentiate between simply obnoxious behavior and illegal sexual harassment; what can you do to nip harassment in the bud or formally complain … Continued
The proportion of African-American managers in financial services companies has actually decreased from 2007 to 20015, according to a Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) report released in November 2017. The report also outlines best practices to help combat the glass ceiling through changes to companies’ recruitment and retention efforts. HT to Joe Davidson of the Washington Post who covered … Continued
