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Read More »Justices slam EEOC practices in discrimination ‘charge’ case
During a recent oral argument over whether an “intake questionnaire” submitted to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission constitutes a “charge” of discrimination, justices of the U.S. Supreme Court blasted the agency for inconsistent practices that seem to leave both employers ...
Read More »Admissibility of ‘me too’ evidence in employment cases considered
The U. S. Supreme Court will soon decide whether an employee suing for alleged age discrimination can introduce evidence of discriminatory conduct by company managers who supervised other employees, but not the plaintiff. The case, Sprint/United Management Co. v. Mendelsohn, ...
Read More »High court weighs FDA preemption
The U.S. Supreme Court will weigh in on an issue that Congress, pharmaceutical companies and plaintiffs’ lawyers have been watching closely: Whether the approval of a medical device by the Food and Drug Administration precludes state tort claims arising from ...
Read More »Employee handbook binding despite unilateral changes by employer
Employee handbooks, policies and guides are a double-edged sword for employers. They are important vehicles for employee relations. They are also effective in communicating corporate expectations and culture. However, if not carefully written and presented, such communications can also form ...
Read More »The future is now: XBRL is coming your way
XBRL is coming. It is not expensive. It will improve governance. It will increase transparency. It is endorsed by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Is there anything familiar about this picture? Does this sound something like the original take on ...
Read More »Requiem for the employment-at-will doctrine?
Even though employment-at-will may be the dominant legal paradigm, any employer who discharges an employee today risks exposure to significant defense costs and potentially large jury verdicts. Perhaps the time is ripe for a comprehensive legislative wrongful discharge statute, the author argues.
Read More »‘Common interest agreements’ in patent cases: Clear or cloudy?
If privileged information is disclosed to a third party who shares a “common legal interest” with the client and that person agrees to keep the information confidential, the privilege might not be waived. Agreements to share privileged information with persons ...
Read More »Licensing and infringement in a virtual world
Virtual intellectual property owners are facing increasing licensing and infringement issues – the same issues, in fact, that are faced by intellectual property owners in the real world. The virtual world has recently become a popular place for business transactions. ...
Read More »Retaining privilege despite losing control of your subsidiary
In corporate families, the legal department of the parent often provides advice to the subsidiaries. That arrangement can lead to headaches if later there is a change in control of the subsidiary. Consider the following example. The scenario You are ...
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