New England Biz Law Update

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit against a utilities service company alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The suit claims that the company denied reasonable accommodations to an employee who had suffered ...

An employee’s retention bonus, which he earned by remaining in good standing through a certain date, does not constitute a “wage” under the Wage Act, a panel of the Massachusetts District Court’s Appellate Division has found, answering a question that ...

In a significant push to enforce the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has recently taken legal action against multiple employers for alleged violations of the new law. The PWFA, which went into ...

As the United States gears up for the 2024 presidential election, human resources professionals are bracing for potential shifts in labor and employment laws. When presidential administrations change, employment laws tend to shift too, as each administration brings its own ...

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has revived a religious discrimination lawsuit against Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, overturning a lower court’s dismissal. The case involves Amanda Bazinet, a former executive office manager who was fired after refusing the COVID-19 ...

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the Department of Labor’s (DOL) authority to use salary levels as a criterion for determining overtime pay eligibility. The decision upholds the DOL’s 2019 rule that raised the minimum salary threshold ...

Health care workers, long recognized as facing unique occupational hazards, may soon see new protections as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) prepares to address one of their most pressing concerns: workplace violence. OSHA is preparing to release a ...

ResourceOne, a Tulsa-based printing and marketing company, has agreed to pay $47,500 to settle a harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The lawsuit alleged that a supervisor repeatedly used racial slurs and engaged in harassment ...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has agreed to pay $45 million to resolve a class action lawsuit alleging widespread pregnancy discrimination. The case highlights the need to provide equal opportunities and accommodations for pregnant employees, as well as the ...

A U.S. District Court judge in Massachusetts has reduced a jury’s award of $150,000 in “nominal” damages to just $1. The case, Lawless v. Town of Freetown, involved a wrongful discharge suit brought by a municipal employee against her former ...