employer liability News

New York Gov. Cuomo Eased Path for Harassment Suits That May Now Target Him

Sexual harassment suits against Andrew Cuomo will face an easier path under changes to state law the governor signed two years ago, though New York taxpayers could be on the hook for the damages. Cuomo has been facing a political …

Insurers Expect COVID-19 Liability Claims Against Employers as Employees Return

Liability insurers on both sides of the Atlantic are scaling back the cover they offer companies ahead of an expected wave of discrimination claims as employers call staff back to their desks after 18 months of pandemic-induced home working. There …

States Braced for a Wave of COVID Lawsuits. It Never Arrived.

In a legislative flurry, 30 states instituted liability protections in late 2020 and early 2021 designed to protect businesses from COVID-19 lawsuits, out of fear that companies would be sued for exposing workers, clients or vendors to the swiftly spreading, …

Employers, Employees Navigate Back to Office, Work from Home Plans

Last year, companies around the U.S. scrambled to figure out how to shut down their offices and set up their employees for remote work as the COVID-19 virus suddenly bore down on the world. Now, in a mirror image, they …

Judge Rejects Spouse’s Wrongful Death Suit Against Airline Over Lax Covid Safety

Citing a concern over “opening the floodgates” to litigation, a federal judge has dismissed a flight attendant’s negligence lawsuit against her employer, Southwest Airlines, which she blamed for her husband’s death from Covid-19. The flight attendant, Carol Madden, claimed that …

Court Orders IKEA to Pay $1.2M Fine for Spying on French Employees

PARIS – A French court on Tuesday ordered IKEA to pay a 1 million euro ($1.2 million) fine for spying on its French staff, after the world’s biggest furniture retailer was found guilty of improperly gathering and storing data on …

Alabama Woman Acquitted of Theft Sues Former Boss Over False Claim for $4M

An Alabama woman who was cleared of theft charges after a former employer accused her of stealing from his wedding venue business is now suing her one-time boss for $4 million. Gayla White, a former member of the city planning …

Alabama Beverage Firm Pays $800K to Settle Racial Discrimination Claims

A beverage distributor that operates across Alabama and played a role in the state’s craft beer craze agreed to pay more than $800,000 to settle claims that it discriminated against Black employees for years by denying them jobs and promotions …

Fired North Carolina Deputy Sues County Sheriff Over Vaccine Mandate

A former North Carolina deputy is suing a sheriff over his requirement for employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Christopher Neve, the former Durham County deputy, is asking a court to force Sheriff Clarence Birkhead to reinstate him with back …

Judge OKs Class Action Status for Suit by Women Employees Suing Google

Alphabet Inc.’s Google failed to persuade a judge to block class-action status for a gender-pay disparity lawsuit brought on behalf of almost 11,000 women. A San Francisco state judge certified the class action Thursday, allowing the four lead plaintiffs to …