Judge OKs moving ahead with Alabama sheriff’s $2M settlement of sexual harassment lawsuit
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge has granted permission for the Justice Department and an Alabama sheriff’s office to move forward with a $2 million settlement of a lawsuit claiming sheriff’s officials ignored female jailers who reported sexual harassment by male prisoners. The Justice Department sued the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office in 2021 saying […]
Jury selection for harassment cases in the #MeToo era
At a time when the #MeToo movement is dominating headlines, everyone is talking about sexual harassment — around the water cooler, around the family table, and online. Media coverage of harassment is pervasive, and #MeToo posts regularly go viral on social media. Often, the issue is intertwined with partisan and divisive political views. In […]
A year after Kozinski, what’s changed?
It’s been one year since 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Alex Kozinski retired in the face of allegations of improper sexual conduct and abusive practices toward colleagues and law clerks. Since then, much conversation has occurred in Congress and in the federal courts about how the federal judiciary can prevent similar issues from […]
Sexual harassment incidents increase in 2018
In early October, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released its preliminary findings examining sexual harassment in the workplace over the past year. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, no one should be surprised to see the figures rise dramatically. The numbers demonstrate that employers need to be more vigilant than ever when it […]
Restaurant pays $75K to settle sex harassment lawsuit
Two employees of an Applebee’s franchise located in North Myrtle Beach have agreed to settle claims that they were repeatedly sexually harassed by their assistant manager. They received $75,000 and a company promise to improve working conditions. The two victims, who were sisters, said that despite complaining to other managers, they were regularly subjected […]
County dropped from lawsuit involving South Carolina sheriff
GREENVILLE (AP) A woman who has sued a South Carolina sheriff has agreed to drop the county and county administrator from the claim. A former employee of now-suspended Greenville County Sheriff Will Lewis had sued the sheriff, the sheriff’s department, the county and the county administrator last year, claiming she was sexually harassed and assaulted […]
Sex with clients: Echoes of the “fee couch” audible in attorney’s reprimand
Once upon a time, the proclivity of male attorneys to make aggressive sexual advances against female clients was so pervasive that it garnered a name—the “fee couch,” implying that cash was not the only currency that such lawyers were willing to accept in exchange for legal services. Fortunately, those days are mostly in the past. […]
Columbia doctor accused of sexual harassment
Midlands Physical Medicine can be found on Hardscrabble Road in Columbia, which is a fitting location for the office, according to a sexual harassment lawsuit that describes a dysfunctional and inhospitable work environment. A 25-year-old single mother who worked as a receptionist at the office alleges in a complaint filed in Richland County in January […]
Labor & Employment – Sexual Harassment – Tort/Negligence – Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
LeBlanc v. Sunset Management, Inc. (Lawyers Weekly No. 002-081-17, 14 pp.) (Shiva Hodges, USMJ) 3:16-cv-00577; D.S.C. Holding: Because the parties did not address whether the behavior of plaintiffs’ supervisor (placing his hand on plaintiffs’ thighs and running his hand up their legs, pulling them close to him and kissing them on their cheeks, forcing plaintiffs […]
‘The Pence Policy’ : Male-female interaction rule may have pitfalls for employers
When The Washington Post published a profile of Karen Pence, wife of Vice President Mike Pence, in March, there was a brief anecdote near the story’s end that sent the internet into overdrive — a revelation that 15 years ago, the now-Veep told another interviewer that he never eats alone with a woman other than […]
Labor & Employment – Retaliation Claim – Sexual Harassment – Inadmissible Evidence – Pretext
Jones v. Eaton Corp. (Lawyers Weekly No. 002-118-17, 18 pp.) (J. Michelle Childs, J.) 3:15-cv-04236; D.S.C. Holding: Because the magistrate judge merely failed to consider the portions of plaintiff’s submissions that would be inadmissible or that were not made on personal knowledge, the magistrate judge did not improperly weigh plaintiff’s evidence. The court accepts the […]
Labor & Employment – Sexual Harassment – Continuing Wrong – Failure to Promote
Priest v. City of Abbeville (Lawyers Weekly No. 002-110-17, 23 pp.) (Timothy Cain, J.) 8:15-cv-02548; D.S.C. Holding: The continuing wrong doctrine does not save plaintiff’s sexual harassment claim because she did not timely file suit after receiving her first right-to-sue letter regarding her claims that former Police Chief Henderson had sexually harassed her, and the […]
Business Law
- Economy forces attorneys to get down to business
- Business Court judges trawl for customers
- Va. company's Web site did not subject business to personal jurisdiction in S.C., appeals panel rules
- Former running back from S.C. wins courtroom victory in contract dispute
- Contract – Government Contract – Qui Tam – False Claims Act
- Tort – Business Tort – Va. Computer Crimes Act – Trade Secrets
- Consumer Protection – FCRA – Auto Loan – Bank Accounting Errors
- Licenses & Permits – Beer & Wine Permit – Restrictive Covenant – Suitable Location
- Licenses & Permits – Veterinarian – Vaccine Maintenance
- State regulators look at car dealer accused of lying to customers
- Textile firm, railroad settle Graniteville train wreck lawsuit
- Subprime mortgage meltdown hits securities law
Commentary
- High court justices cross the line of propriety
- High court’s term was rough on big business
- The flip side of generative AI in law and how to address it
- The fight for equal educational opportunity continues
- Letter From The Editor – Working from Home
- NLRB joins FTC in taking aim at non-competes
- Supreme Court leaves key internet protection untouched
- US Supreme Court bites back at parody’s use of the First Amendment
- My goal: Provide the information that you need now
- Case study: North Carolina courts provide guidance on scope, limitations of attorney-client privilege
- A Different Ode to Pro Bono Work
- N.C. Bar Association embraces homophobia