employer liability News

Nooses Found at Construction Site Lead to Lawsuit Against Amazon, Contractors

Five Black and Hispanic electricians who felt threatened when several nooses were found at an Amazon warehouse construction site in Connecticut have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the company and two contractors, accusing them of inaction, retaliation and …

OSHA Orders Vermont Firm to Rehire Environmental Whistleblower, Pay Damages

In early June 2022, an employee of a Vermont agricultural equipment company observed the company pumping wastewater from the facility’s service bays onto the ground bordering the Winooski River in Berlin and was concerned about the environmental implications. According to …

Swiss Re Ordered to Pay Former Underwriter $1.6M for Sexism, Unfair Dismissal

A former Swiss Re underwriter has been awarded nearly 1.3 million pounds ($1.6 million) by a London employment tribunal for sexual discrimination and unfair dismissal. Julia Sommer joined Zurich-based Swiss Re in 2017 as a political risk underwriter in London …

Employer Hosting Golf Outing Not Liable for Drunk Driver, Pennsylvania High Court Says

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has declined to extend the state’s liquor liability law to social hosts. The high court cited a half-century of precedent in upholding lower courts in a case where an employer hosting a golf outing for employees …

New York Technology Firm Sued for Not Hiring Engineer Who Is Deaf

A Rochester, New York technology firm has been charged with allegedly violating federal law by ending its interview with and failing to hire a qualified applicant for an engineering role because he is deaf. According to a lawsuit by the …

Actor Sues, Claiming She Was Sexually Harassed by Rhode Island Resort Owner

An actor and model who had roles in the soap opera “Guiding Light” and movies including “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” says in a lawsuit that she was sexually harassed by the owner of a Rhode Island resort where she …

Workers’ Compensation Undercuts Employer Liability Exclusion, U.S. Appeals Court Rules

Since workers’ compensation shields an employer from liability, an insurer may not be able to rely on an employer liability exclusion in a commercial general liability policy to avoid claims. That’s the potentially costly message a federal appeals court has …

New York Law Protecting Warehouse Workers From ‘Unreasonable Quotas’ Goes Into Effect

Legislation aimed at protecting New York warehouse workers from “unreasonably demanding work quotas” is now in effect. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the Warehouse Worker Protection Act includes new requirements for distribution centers to disclose work speed data to …

Jury Awards Ex-Starbucks Manager $25.6 Million Over Firing After Arrests of 2 Black Men

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) – Jurors in federal court have awarded $25.6 million to a former Starbucks regional manager who alleged that she and other white employees were unfairly punished after the high-profile arrests of two Black men at a Philadelphia …

Jury Should Decide ‘Borrowed Employee’ Liability, New Jersey High Court Affirms

The New Jersey Supreme Court has affirmed that whether an employer is vicariously liable under the borrowed-employee doctrine is a question of fact that should be decided by the jury, not the judge, unless the evidence is obviously one-sided. The …