Apple Allegedly Mishandled Sex Misconduct Complaints

According to a Financial Times report published Thursday, more than a dozen women accused Apple of mishandling sexual misconduct claims they filed while working for the iPhone maker. The 15 current and former employees of the Silicon Valley behemoth reported retaliation or a disappointing or counterproductive response from the company. Apple did not respond immediately… Continue reading Apple Allegedly Mishandled Sex Misconduct Complaints

Google Workers Protest Harassment Response

Google to purge billions of files

Hundreds of workers at Google parent Alphabet signed a letter Friday demanding the company do more to protect victims of workplace harassment, after a former engineer wrote about her experience with harassment while at the company. More than 200 workers affixed their names to the letter, which said more than 520 had signed on. “Alphabet… Continue reading Google Workers Protest Harassment Response

U.S. Insurers Dig Into Corporate Diversity Practices As Lawsuits Pile Up

DEI pushback

U.S. insurers are taking a closer look at the recruiting and succession practices of corporate customers, worried about mounting lawsuits over a lack of diversity among top executives and directors, industry sources said. Insurers are meeting company officials to examine diversity practices before renewing or signing new so-called D&O policies to cover lawsuits against directors… Continue reading U.S. Insurers Dig Into Corporate Diversity Practices As Lawsuits Pile Up

Parents Claim Discrimination as Employers Fire them During Pandemic

Young modern mother with a baby using laptop at home

Parents who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are driving a surge of litigation, alleging their employers discriminated against them for taking care of their kids when schools closed. Since March, working parents have filed at least 40 lawsuits accusing employers of illegally denying parental leave or subjecting them to other forms of discrimination, according… Continue reading Parents Claim Discrimination as Employers Fire them During Pandemic

McDonald’s Is Paying Out $26MM to Thousands of Workers After Settling a Wage-Theft Lawsuit

McDonalds lawsuit

McDonald’s is paying out $26 million to workers after settling a wage-theft lawsuit. On Wednesday, a California Supreme Court judge approved a $26 million settlement, ending a year long battle over wage theft allegations. Roughly 34,000 McDonald’s employees at corporate-owned locations across California will receive checks as part of the settlement. Workers will receive checks… Continue reading McDonald’s Is Paying Out $26MM to Thousands of Workers After Settling a Wage-Theft Lawsuit

The Coming Surge of Workplace Class Actions in the Wake of COVID-19

Nuclear verdicts continue

As employers begin laying the groundwork for reopening and returning their businesses to “normal,” a large threat of a different form looms on the horizon. The Plaintiffs’ bar is poised for – and has been discussing preparation of – class actions over denied wage, discrimination during furloughs and lay-offs, and exposure to unsafe working conditions.… Continue reading The Coming Surge of Workplace Class Actions in the Wake of COVID-19

Wells Fargo Ends Mandatory Arbitration in Sexual Harassment Cases

Wells Fargo shareholder suit

Wells Fargo announced that it will no longer require employees who allege workplace sexual harassment to go to arbitration rather than court. The $1.9 trillion-asset bank changed its policy after an investment firm that advocates for progressive causes wrote a shareholder proposal focusing on the use of mandatory arbitration in sexual harassment cases. That proposal,… Continue reading Wells Fargo Ends Mandatory Arbitration in Sexual Harassment Cases

New Joint Employer Liability Rule to Curb Lawsuits by Franchise Workers

Workers could have more difficulty suing large companies for wrongdoing by contractors or franchisees under a rule announced on Sunday by the Labor Department. Under the rule, which will take effect in March, employees of a fast-food franchise like a McDonald’s restaurant, for example, may struggle to win a legal claim against the parent company… Continue reading New Joint Employer Liability Rule to Curb Lawsuits by Franchise Workers

Harvey Weinstein on Trial: A #MeToo Reckoning Two Years in the Making

Close up of Courthouse building with pillars and columns .

More than two years and a lifetime ago, Hollywood’s open secrets about Harvey Weinstein finally spilled into public view. Few back then could have predicted all that would follow or where the #MeToo movement would go. Now, for Weinstein, a reckoning is at hand: His criminal trial, on five felony counts, including predatory sexual assault… Continue reading Harvey Weinstein on Trial: A #MeToo Reckoning Two Years in the Making

McDonald’s Wins Backing of Labor Board

McDonalds lawsuit

The National Labor Relations Board instructed a federal judge to approve a settlement in a case pertaining to McDonald’s Corp.’s status as a joint employer, helping shield the company from liability from the employment practices of its hundreds of U.S. franchisees. The decision is a victory for the world’s largest fast-food chain as it faces… Continue reading McDonald’s Wins Backing of Labor Board