Employment Law Commentary

July 09, 2021 - Discrimination, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Coronavirus (COVID-19)
A Return to Normalcy? Check Your Local Rules – An Update on Mask Litigation and Guidelines
By: Michael G. Ahern
Nine months ago, we discussed several issues that had been raised by COVID-19 face mask-related litigation. [1] Soon after, COVID-19 infection rates spiked to unprecedented levels. But with the emergency use authorization of three COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, the state of the
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June 24, 2021 - Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Standards Relax Workplace Restrictions
By: Andrew R. Turnbull
On June 17, 2021, Cal/OSHA adopted revised COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards, relaxing many of the previous COVID-19 requirements for employers in light of the growing number of vaccinated individuals in the state. The new standards go into effect immediately and apply to most
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December 24, 2020 - Discrimination, EEOC, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Coronavirus (COVID-19), Paid Sick Leave
What Employers Need to Know: EEOC Serves Up COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance
By: Prabhjyot K. Singh
In the wake of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s first grant of Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for a COVID-19 vaccine, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its pandemic guidance to address the legal issues surrounding the intersection of the COVID-19 vaccine and
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September 30, 2020 - Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Are You Covered? Warnings From Recent Face Mask Litigation
While the use of masks to combat the spread of COVID-19 has become a politicized issue in the United States, the scientific community largely agrees that wearing face coverings is one of the most effective ways to slow infections. State and local governments have
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May 02, 2019 - Discrimination, Leaves of Absence, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Paid Sick Leave
Navigating the Seas of Federal, State, and Local Leave of Absence Laws
FMLA, CFRA, NPLA, ADA, FEHA, NYPFL, SFPPLO. The alphabet soup of leave laws with which employers must comply is enough to make the heads of even the most seasoned HR professionals and in-house counsel spin. With an increasing number of municipalities jumping into the
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July 06, 2017 - Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
When One Person's Scent Is Another Person's Disability
A California jury recently awarded a $3.3 million verdict to a California Department of Transportation (“CALTRANS”) employee who alleged a variety of disability-related claims involving CALTRANS’s failure to properly accommodate his allergy to certain scents and his supervisor’s and co-workers’ retaliatory actions in light
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