Last month, a state court in New Jersey ruled that a casino’s policy of requiring waitresses to stay below a certain weight was not sex discrimination. The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa had a policy which prohibited waitresses, called “Borgata Babes,” from gaining more than 7 percent of the amount…
Last month, the Iowa Supreme Court held that a dentist could discriminate against his dental assistant because he found her irresistibly attractive. The dentist, James Knight, decided to fire his dental assistant, Melissa Nelson, because he was concerned that his attraction for her would lead him to try to have…
The former Human Resources Director for Sunbury Medical Associates, in Bangor, claims that the CEO of the firm told her that she should only hire “young women with big boobs.” Afterwards, the CEO allegedly continued to express this desire and make hiring decisions designed to fulfill it. The former HR…
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from Merrill Lynch over a race discrimination class action that a class of black stockbrokers filed against it. We previously reported on this case on February 24, 2012 when the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Merrill Lynch. Now…
Yesterday, Senators Snowe and Collins voted with other Republicans in the U.S. Senate to prevent an up-or-down vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act, effectively blocking it for now. The Paycheck Fairness Act would make it more difficult for employers to pay women less than men for the same work. It…
The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) has found that Robert Mulligan, the state’s chief justice for administration and management, refused to promote Jane McSweeney to the position of operations and maintenance supervisor with the Plymouth District Court because of her sex. MCAD believed that Mulligan made the decision based on…
The Maine Employee Rights Group is currently representing two whistleblowers in a lawsuit against Alutiiq, LLC and some related companies (collectively referred to here as Alutiiq). Alutiiq entered into a contract with the Navy and began to provide security services at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) in 2009. Shortly after,…
Maine Human Rights Commission et al. v. Coffee Couple LLC et al. U.S. District for the District Court of Maine Chief Judge John A. Woodcock recently affirmed Magistrate Judge Margaret J. Kravchuk’s decision recommending that judgment be entered against the company, Coffee Couple LLC, as well as against the owners…
On June 20, 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court ended a class action gender discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of over 1.5 million current and former female Wal-Mart employees. The representatives of the women of Wal-Mart alleged that Wal-Mart discriminated against women when it made pay…
A federal judge in Washington has approved a settlement that will require Wells Fargo to pay $32 million and reform its employment policies because of a sex discrimination class action lawsuit. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of about 3,000 female financial advisors. The lawsuit alleged that Wells Fargo, and…