By Steve Kardell | Published May 2, 2023 | Posted in Employee Rights, New Legislation, Sexual Harassment | Tagged Tags: employment contracts, severance agreements, Speak Out Act |
President Joe Biden signed the Speak Out Act into law in December 2022. This law renders unenforceable nondisclosure and non-disparagement clauses in employment contracts and severance agreements, regarding allegations of sexual harassment or assault. Here’s what that means for employees. How the Speak Out Act affects your workplace agreements If you’ve signed a nondisclosure or Read More
Read MoreFormer Santa Fe High School assistant principal Kelly Rinaldi was awarded nearly $800,000 in a whistleblower lawsuit against the school district. Rinaldi alerted colleagues of allegations of sexual misconduct against high school student athletes in 2017. Case background In 2017, Rinaldi spoke up about the sexual misconduct allegations and asked the district to investigate the Read More
Read MoreSignet Jewelers, responsible for brands like Sterling Jewerlers, Kay Jewelers and Jared, has settled gender bias litigation representing 68,000 female employees. The female employees alleged that Signet Jewelers promoted women less often, and paid them less than men. Case background While Signet and Sterling denied wrongdoing, the cases settled before the company’s classwide September 5 Read More
Read MoreWorkers are protected against sexual harassment by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In sexual harassment cases, cases often hinge on whether an employer has an affirmative defense. Sometimes, employers will argue that the plaintiff never reported the claim or followed company sexual harassment procedures. Here’s what you should know about reporting Read More
Read MoreSeptember 1 marked the day on which changes to the Texas Labor Code regarding sexual harassment officially went into effect. The rules affect smaller employers who had been excluded from being officially classified as “employers” in previous iterations of the Texas Labor Code. Here are the key changes employers should be aware of: “Employer” definitions: Read More
Read MoreThe Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority recently settled a sexual harassment lawsuit for $575,000. The plaintiff was a former employee, Shyanne Lord, who worked as a bus maintenance worker for the agency. Lord experienced relentless sexual harassment by a male coworker while on the job to such a degree that at one point, she looked Read More
Read More