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Police officer’s lawsuit divides town, settles for $1.2 million 

By: Dan McDonald
Published: May 22, 2012

Tags: civil rights violation, emotional distress, Massachusetts, retaliation

At first, attorney Michael Sacco thought he was handling a routine disability claim.

A sole practitioner in Westfield, Mass. who typically represents retirement boards, Sacco quickly found himself knee-deep in a civil rights lawsuit that offered a glimpse into the inner political machinations of a sleepy town and its police department, revealing a sordid mess.

Partner can sue partnership for retaliation 

Published: May 18, 2012

Tags: retaliation, sexual harassment

A partner in a professional medical practice could sue the partnership for retaliating against her based on her opposing the sexual harassment of employees, the California Court of Appeal has ruled in reversing judgment.

Jury awards $1 million to police sergeant for retaliation 

Published: May 17, 2012

Tags: California, police, police misconduct, retaliation

A jury awarded $1 million to a Los Angeles police sergeant who claimed he faced retaliation for reporting misconduct by a superior officer.

Jury awards $5.1M in case involving employee’s hijab 

By: Scott Pummell
Published: May 14, 2012

Tags: hostile work environment, Missouri, Muslim veil, religious discrimination, retaliation

A Missouri jury has returned a $5 million verdict in a case alleging workplace discrimination against a Muslim woman.

HR director can’t sue for Title VII retaliation 

Published: May 11, 2012

Tags: Faragher/Ellerth, retaliation, sexual harassment, Title VII

A human resources director could not sue for Title VII retaliation based on an allegation that she was fired for participating in an internal investigation into sexual harassment, the 2nd Circuit has ruled in affirming a dismissal.

Termination for disability fraud didn’t violate FMLA 

Published: May 10, 2012

Tags: disability benefits, Family and Medical Leave Act, FMLA, fraud, retaliation

An employer didn’t violate federal medical leave law when it fired an employee after concluding that he was fraudulently receiving disability benefits, the 6th Circuit has ruled in affirming a summary judgment.

Employer waived arbitration rights 

Published: April 2, 2012

Tags: arbitration, disability discrimination, retaliation

An employer waived its right to enforce an arbitration clause in its employee’s contract when sued for retaliatory discharge and disability discrimination, the New Jersey Appellate Division has ruled in reversing judgment.

Grad student can sue for Title IX retaliation 

Published: March 23, 2012

Tags: civil rights, gender discrimination, retaliation, Title IX, Title VII

A graduate student could sue a state university for retaliating against her for complaining about gender discrimination in her doctoral program, the 9th Circuit has ruled in reversing a summary judgment.

Jurors award record $167.7 million employment verdict 

By: Correy Stephenson
Published: March 7, 2012

Tags: defamation, retaliation, sex harassment, Title VII, wrongful termination

In the largest verdict to an individual employment plaintiff in United States history, a California jury has awarded $167.7 million to a cardiac surgery physician assistant who suffered sexual harassment and wrongful termination.

Of the total verdict, $125 million was for punitive damages.

Unemployment fuels rise in whistleblower claims 

By: Sylvia Hsieh
Published: February 2, 2012

Tags: Dodd-Frank, retaliation, Sarbanes-Oxley, whistleblower

With more attention being given to corporate rule-breaking and stronger laws supporting those who report it, employment lawyers are seeing more workers claiming that they lost their jobs because they complained about wrongdoing in the workplace.