John Wooden, one of the greatest coaches of all time, was famously quoted saying that “your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” Often times companies and individuals running those companies are obsessed with their “reputation.” They spend substantial amounts of money and time cultivating an… Read More
Common Types of Employment Discrimination Claims
Many Alabamians are suffering the consequences of having been terminated or repeatedly denied employment. While employers across the State of Alabama are given somewhat free reign to hire and fire employees in an “at will” employment system, the employers cannot rely upon discriminatory motives when making those decisions. On average, more than 80,000 employment discrimination… Read More
What Legal Protections do Employees Have despite Alabama’s At-Will Employment?
Most people understand that Alabama is an at-will employment state. Simply stated, that means that an employer can fire an employee for any reason, a bad reason or even without providing a reason. While the at will employment doctrine certainly limits legal protections for the Alabama workforce, there are still numerous law that an Alabama… Read More
Toyota Dealership Settles Harassment and Retaliation Claims with EEOC
A California Toyota dealership has agreed to pay $400,000 to five former Afghan-American employees who say a manager called them terrorists and threatened them. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the general manager of the dealership allegedly called four salesmen names and threatened to blow them up with a grenade in a 2007 staff… Read More
Fed Ex Pays $3 Million to Resolve Allegations of Discrimination in Hiring Practices
Fed Ex has agreed to pay $3 million to resolve allegations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs that the company’s hiring practices were discriminatory. The Department of Labor discovered the alleged discriminatory practices while performing a yearly audit of contractors who work with the Federal Government. The agency claimed… Read More
Trucking Company to Pay $11 Million to Settle Race Discrimination Cases
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently announced that trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc. will pay $11 million to settle charges of race discrimination at its former facility in Illinois. The EEOC accused a company subsidiary of subjecting black employees to a racially hostile work environment, including displays of hangman’s nooses and racist graffiti.… Read More
University of South Alabama Settles Lawsuit over Alleged Racial Slur
The University of South Alabama has settled a lawsuit with a former football program employee who accused the school’s strength and conditioning coach of using a racial slur against him. In the lawsuit, Barrett Parker claimed the university retaliated against him and fired him for sexual harassment allegations after he complained about a racial slur. http://blog.al.com/live/2012/06/university_of_south_alabama_se_3.html
What Federal Laws protect Alabama employees?
As an employment lawyer in Alabama, one of the questions I am most often asked by prospective clients is what laws protect an employee from illegal or improper treatment in the workplace. The answer to this question would take pages to answer completely, but I thought it would be worth addressing the basic framework of… Read More
So I have been discriminated against by my employer, what now?
Whether it be race, age, gender discrimination or sexual harassment, how an employee handles a discrimination issue from the beginning can make all the difference. It can impact not only your career but also the successfulness of a lawsuit should one become necessary. While there is no standard procedure that applies to all circumstances, there are a… Read More
Montgomery Jury Awards over $1 Million to Plaintiffs in Hostile Work Environment
On Friday, a federal jury returned a verdict of more than $1 million to three women who alleged they were racially and sexually harassed by a female administrator at Alabama State University. The jury found that the school had allowed an administrator to create a racially and sexually hostile work environment and that the women were then retaliated against after they… Read More