They are perhaps our most vulnerable citizens. We refer to them as developmentally disabled, today. We used to refer to them as mentally retarded. Whatever the name, they deserve better. Trial over the so-called fight club at Corpus Christi State School has started. Developmentally disabled function at many different levels. Some can live quite
General
Time for a Vacation
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
I’ll be gone this week and next. No. 1 son, No. 2 son and I will travel to Yellowstone National Park. We have been to a couple of national parks and they have all been just excellent places to visit. If you don’t vacation sometime, I recommend that you do so. Even the smallest budget…
Public Employees can Make *Some* Comments about Their Job
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
You love your job. You love your job so much that you like to blog about it when you get home. But, what if your employer does not like your comments? A recent federal appeals court decision applies some limits to what you can say in your post. See Richerson v. Beckon.
The only reason…
Latest Unemployment Numbers Not Good
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
Unemployment rate is up to 9.5%. The average work week is now down to 33 hours per week, the lowest since 1964. This is not good nationally. Fortunately, we are in Texas and are somewhat insulated from the bleak picture.
Passwords to a Personal Email Account are Protected
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
In a recent decision, a federal court in California found it unlawful for an employer to monitor an employee’s key strokes in order to obtain his password to a personal email account. The U.S. district court found this action violated the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, passed in 1986. The decision, Brahmana v. Lembo…
Judge Kent resigns
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
Judge Kent decided to resign, after all. Apparently, he decided resignation was safer than impeachment. Judge Kent, you will recall, was essentially found guilty of sexually harassing his court staff. I discussed his case a couple of times before.
Do not Take Things That Do not Belong to You
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
The better clients come to see me with documents in hand, sometimes boxes and boxes of documents. This is the client who wants to be prepared, who seeks to have some control over the outcome of a potential lawsuit. Some, some very few, will come see me with documents they obtained from their employer. Is…
Judge Gets too “Friendly” on Facebook
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
Hard to believe, but a judge ‘"friended" a lawyer on Facebook. The lawyer was appearing before the judge in a case. The judge in North Carolina would respond to comments from the lawyer about the case. See story as reported by Delaware Employment Law Blog. Yea, I would call that "ex parte" communication with…
Court Rules Tips Should be Shared
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
You’re a waiter. Do you split your tips with the bussers? How about with shift supervisors? In a recent decision, the California appeals court found that the public expects the tips collected in a tip jar at Starbucks would be split with the shift supervisors. I don’t know what I expect when I leave…
Its Never Too Early to Start Looking for a Lawyer
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in Discrimination, General
Aaron Ramirez in Dallas discusses the issues in finding a plaintiff employment lawyer. Aaron is a plaintiff employment lawyer in Dallas. He adds to what I said previously. He presents some very helpful information. This info is just as true for San Antonio and South Texas as it is for Dallas and North…