RETALIATION

• Settled a case where a female employee complained about wage and hour violations and harassment for taking intermittent FMLA leave. Shortly thereafter, the company received two complaints of sexual harassment against the plaintiff from two co-workers. Plaintiff contended that the co-workers falsely complained to garner favor with the company. Plaintiff was fired shortly after the complaints against her were made.

• Resolved a case involving a female employee who was written up for speaking with co-workers about their salaries. In responding to the write up, the employee stated that it appeared that male employees were paid more than female employees. Within weeks, the plaintiff was written up three times for a variety of minor issues that never had warranted a write up in the past. The employee was later terminated for alleged performance issues.

• Settled a case for a manufacturing company employee who complained to human resources that his supervisor forced him to clock out for lunch, even though he worked through his meal period. The company investigated. Following an “inconclusive” investigation, the employee stated that his hours were cut, and he was not given the opportunities to work overtime that he had received in the past.

• Resolved a lawsuit wherein a commissioned salesperson complained that he was routinely shorted the wages he was due. The employee demanded to inspect detailed sales reports in an attempt to calculate his commission. The company refused to allow the employee to inspect these records asserting that they were confidential. Later, this long-time employee was transferred to a new territory, resulting in an approximate 50% reduction in his pay.