In a recent decision, the Fifth Circuit addressed the difficult question regarding what level of reprisal is enough to constitute retaliation? In Cabral v. Brennan, 853 F.3d 763 (5th Cir. 2017), Javier Cabral worked for the U.S. Postal Service. He complained about discrimination several times. He was then placed on a two day suspension
Mary Ellen Johnson worked at Southwest Research Institute for many years before she was fired. Some time before her termination, she complained about possible discrimination against her due to her gender. She filed an internal complaint with SWRI in June, 2012. She then filed a complaint with the EEOC on Aug. 3, 2012. Several days
In the world of jobs, anything is possible. In the employment world, we deal with human behavior in all its manifestations. We see a crazy case in Fisher v. Lufkin Industries, Inc., No. 15-40428 (5th Cir. 2/10/2017). William Fisher had worked for Lufkin Industries off and on for some 20 years when he was
Sometimes, employers who are sued for discrimination in turn file their own lawsuit against an employee. I wrote about Wayne Wright and Schlumberger doing this here and here. In Wayne Wright’s case, the employer sued the former employee after she filed with the EEOC. The law firm sued for a declaration that it was
Coach Bev Kearney was placed on suspension in 2012 when it was discovered she had a long-term relationship with a student. Even though she had won six national track titles at the University of Texas, she was disciplined when the administration learned of the affair. She was then fired. See my prior posts here and
The Fifth Circuit is a risky place to do business. Sometimes, it just reaches some strange conclusions. The case of Allen v. Radio One of Texas II, LLC, No. 11-20781, 2013 WL 703832 (5th Cir. 2/26/2013) illustrates the lack of predictability at the Fifth Circuit. In that case, Corina Allen worked at a radio
Gretchen Carlson has filed suit against Fox News and Roger Ailes for sex discrimination. Ms. Carlson was Miss America in 1989 and is attractive. In her lawsuit, she accuses Mr. Ailes of ogling her, repeatedly commenting about her legs, and once told her she was sexy but “too much hard work.” Nine months ago, he
Monica Hague filed suit against the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 2011. Judge Garcia of the Western District granted summary judgment against her in 2013. The Plaintiff appealed to the Fifth Circuit. The higher court reversed summary judgment regarding Ms. Hague’s retaliation claim and affirmed summary judgment regarding her sexual
The point of summary judgment is to dismiss cases that have no genuine chance of winning in front of a jury, or cases that a jury should not even hear. Summary judgment should result in dismissal of cases that lack any real issue of fact. Why have a trial if there is no genuine issue?
Wayne Wright, LLP, whose motto is the law firm demands “respect and justice” for its clients, was sued for pregnancy based discrimination in 2015. The EEOC filed suit after Kendra Taylor-Andrews filed a complaint with the EEOC. Ms. Taylor-Andrews had been employed by Wayne Wright in Houston since 2004. She received favorable performance reviews during