Do we really care about the soldiers, asks a First Lieutenant in Afghanistan? See report. Do we support pay raises for the troops? Have we petitioned Congress? Have we sent letters to our Congressmen? He adds if we want them to stay overseas, tell our representatives. If we want them to leave, tell our
Shifting Reasons Still Help Show Pretext
Many times, an employee comes to see me and asks me how strong his/her case is. Often, i do not know. It is hard to gauge the strength of a case until we know the reasons used by an employer for a questionable adverse personnel action. Indeed, sometimes those reasons change over time. 
In
Ex-USDA Official Will File Suit over Blog Post
Shirley Sherrod, the former Department of Agriculture official, will sue the blogger who posted her comments out of context. See report. Good for her. The report does not explain what the suit will be based on. But, I would expect she could sue him for defamation or "false light" defemation. The blogger, Andrew Breitbart, is
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Settles Class Action Lawsuit
Novartis Pharmaceuticals settled the class action case against them for $175 million. See report. The case was based on gender discrimination. I discussed this case earlier. See post here and here. You will recall this was the case where a jury came back with a verdict for $250 million in punitive damages for
Former Lawyer Still Looking for Work
It is always harder to find a job when you reach a certain age. A female lawyer, almost 60, has submitted 1,000 applications and has yet to find a job. According to the ABA Journal report, she has applied for everything from day care worker to clerk. The former shopping center lawyer was laid
How an Employer Can Mess Up an Employment Case
Minnesota Labor & Employment Law Blog discusses how an employer can mess up an employment case. In Hamm v. Minnesota, the state eventually agreed to pay Hamm $250,000 to settle her claims. The law firm at Minnseota Labor & Employment Law discusses the things the employer did wrong: accusing Hamm of transgressions that by their
USDA Employee Fired After Discussing Racism
Racism is often just below the surface in our society. A black woman admits that she felt some antipathy toward a white farmer. She learned from her own racism and grew from it. Yet, her story is used to fan the flames of white fear. See story. Shirley Sherrod discussed her first case working
Judge Keller Issued a Public Reprimand
Judge Sharon Keller has been issued a public reprimand for her conduct involving the attempted appeal of death row inmate Michael Richard. See San Antonio Express News report. Judge Keller sits on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state’s highest court for criminal cases. As readers will
recall, Judge Keller refused Richard’s lawyer’s
Dallas Jury Awards $17 Million in Age Case
A Dallas jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff in US district court. In an age discrimination case, the jury awarded the plaintiff employee lost pay and benefits of $500,000, liquidated damages of $500,000, mental anguish damages of $1,000,000, punitive damages of $15,00,000, front pay and attorney’s fees to be determined later by
Leadership Always Applies
I live in a military town. We have more retired service members here in San Antonio (aka "Military
City, USA") than you can shake a stick at. So, in civilian jobs, we regularly work with former military members. Some excel, some do not. The perception of military persons out side of Military City, USA is