What is a “religious belief”? Can an employer question the sincerity of an employee’s alleged religious beliefs? The U.S. Supreme Court previously defined "religious belief" as a belief that is "religious" in the employee’s own scheme of things […]
Read Director Joseph Coleman's article in CRF New on setoffs. Setoffs- Cutting Your Losses Both Inside And Outside Bankruptcy
The Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) entitles eligible employees unpaid, job-protected leave to care for a child, parent, or spouse. In light of recent Supreme Court decisions addressing same-sex marriages, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) […]
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) governs federal minimum wage and overtime pay. Currently, employees covered by the FLSA must be paid at least the federal minimum wage, and in most cases, overtime for all hours worked in excess of 40 in any work […]
Today, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in favor of Samantha Elauf, a Muslim woman who was 17 years old when she was turned down for a job at Abercrombie & Fitch because she wore a hijab. Ms. Elauf was not hired because her headscarf violated […]
After an employee submits a charge complaining of discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) investigates the matter and gathers evidence regarding the claims in question. If the EEOC determines that “reasonable cause” […]
Loans are renewed for a number of reasons. But when a borrower has an outstanding judgment lien, lenders must be sure that any renewal does not constitute an advance under the Texas Business & Commerce Code that will subordinate the lender's security […]
On May 26, 2015, continuing a springtime ritual for bankruptcy lawyers, the Supreme Court issued its latest "progeny of Stern" ruling on the adjudicative authority of the bankruptcy courts. In a 6-3 decision the Court held that "Our precedents make […]
Funding employee cell phones costs companies thousands of dollars each year. As a result, a company may decide that the cost is too great. However, before making the decision of whether to provide cell phones to employees, a company should take into […]
In Kaymark v. Bank of America, No. 14-1816 (3d Cir. April 7, 2015), the Third Circuit held that a borrower can state a claim for violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ("FDCPA") when a foreclosing lender alleges incorrect fees as part of […]
On May 6th, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") announced the launch of a pilot program called ACT Digital in 11 of its 53 offices, which allows for the digital transmission of documents between the EEOC and employers regarding […]
As previously reported in an earlier blog post, retailers are under attack in a wave of class actions alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The allegations are essentially the same in all of these suits: that the employer failed to […]