On May 2, a three-judge panel overturned a lower court’s decision in an Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) class action case in a 2-1 decision. The case, Sweda et al., v. University of Pennsylvania et al., centered on a group of University of Pennsylvania employees who felt that the school was not meeting its fiduciary burden when managing their retirement funds.
Category Archives: Cases of Note
Local Case of Note: DDOL Wins Summary Judgment
The Case
The Third Circuit recently had the opportunity to rule on a case brought against the Delaware Department of Labor’s Office of Anti-Discrimination (“OAD”), by its former Acting Administrator. The OAD was awarded summary judgment, and the Third Circuit confirmed the award, holding that even accepting all of the employee’s allegations as true, there was no legal basis to conclude that OAD had violated the federal Equal Pay Act. Continue reading
New York Sexual Harassment Guidelines
New York State released final, state-wide Sexual Harassment Guidelines on October 1. Employers must adopt the model policy—or publish their own that complies with the model—on or before October 9, 2018. Continue reading
Why the Next Supreme Court Nomination Is Important for Employment Law
The 2018 Supreme Court spring rulings were undeniably victorious for employers. Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis ruled that workers have to abide by arbitration agreements, and that such provisions do not violate the collective bargain rights of the National Labor Relations Act. A second, Janus v. AFSCME, ruled that public-sector unions cannot require fair share fees from workers who do not wish to join the union. The impact of these decisions has been significant for public- and private-sector employers, nationwide. Continue reading
Life after Epic Systems: Almost 3000 Workers Are Dropped from Chipotle’s Wage Suit
When the Supreme Court ruled on Epic Systems v. Lewis on May 21, 2018, they altered how cases involving collective action would play out. We are currently seeing the results of the Court’s decision in the case of Turner et al v. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. Continue reading
Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back in the Water…
The Third Circuit has updated its decision on transgender bathroom policies, which we discussed previously here. The precedential opinion, which was filed on June 18, was revised on July 26 to take a softer stance on whether the decision to require transgender students to use separate, single-stall bathrooms violates federal law. The same panel that issued the original decision issued the revised decision and denied allowing the case to be reheard with a full court. The attorneys for the students have two weeks to renew their request. The attorneys argue that the first ruling—among other things—conflated gender and sex, and ignored long-standing precedent regarding sexual harassment and bodily privacy. This case is a contentious one, with Circuit Judge Kent A. Jordan, joined by Judges Michael Chagares, Thomas Hardiman, and Stephanos Bibas, writing a strongly worded dissent recommending that the Third Circuit rehear the case en banc, meaning that every judge sitting on the appellate court would be asked to hear and rule on the matter. We will monitor the situation and keep you apprised of any updates to this case.
What Now? Public Employer Obligations After Janus
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Janus vs. AFSCME. The opinion prohibits public employers from collecting fair share fees from employees who have refused to join a union. In the aftermath of Janus, public employers need to be taking immediate steps to stop any such deductions. They also need to prepare for current union members who may seek to revoke any authorization that they had previously provided. Continue reading
Supreme Court Update: Janus v. AFSCME
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that public sector employees cannot be forced to pay “fair share” fees if they refuse to join a union. This decision impacts all Delaware public sector employers, employees, and unions. Continue reading
Third Circuit Ruling Regarding ADA, FMLA
From the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, we have a reminder that employees who request reasonable accommodations are not immune from disciplinary action, including termination. Stanley Kieffer was an employee of CPR LLC from 2003 to 2008, and again from 2010 to 2013. He began working at CPR LLC’s sister company, CPR Inc., in January 2014, and left in June of that same year. While he was employed at CPR LLC, Kieffer worked supervising disaster cleaning projects, and it was in this capacity that he injured his shoulder. From there, his troubles only continued. Continue reading
This Takes the Cake: The Supreme Court Sides with Colorado Baker Who Refused to Make a Cake for a Gay Couple
One of the most anticipated rulings of the Spring Term was issued by the Supreme Court on June 4, 2018. In a 7-2 decision, the Court ruled that baker Jack Phillips was treated with hostility for his religious views by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission when they ruled that he could not refuse to make a gay couple a wedding cake. Continue reading
