On August 14, 2020, the Department of Education’s final regulations regarding sexual harassment under Title IX went into effect. This marks the final step in a controversial process that began in November 2018, when President Trump’s Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos submitted a proposal to drastically overhaul many aspects of the Title IX guidelines instituted under the Obama administration. Title…
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) recently voted to accept long-anticipated revisions to the rules governing its whistleblower program. While not all of the changes present a boon to whistleblowers, one modification clearly does—because under revised Rule 21-F6, there is now a presumption that, for many awards, the SEC will pay a whistleblower the statutory maximum award of 30 percent…
On September 22, 2020, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 13950, “Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping,” which, contrary to its title, seeks to undercut workplace equity and inclusion. The Executive Order—ostensibly targeting the anti-racism training that proliferated in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent national reckoning with systemic racism—prohibits federal contractors and federal grant recipients…
The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently issued a guidance document explaining that 401(k) plans are permitted to invest in private equity funds, albeit only indirectly.[1] The DOL touts its new guidance as a policy that “level[s] the playing field for ordinary investors” and helps “ensure that ordinary people investing for retirement have the opportunities they need for a secure retirement.”[2] However,…
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act is an amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It states that it is illegal to discriminate against a woman who is pregnant. This means that as long as a pregnant woman can handle the major functions of her job, an employer cannot fire or refuse to hire her on the basis of…
First, how could the Church keep these “secret files” hidden for so long despite hundreds of lawsuits seeking to uncover the records? The Church, its lawyers, and all those involved in efforts to keep this information silent have blood on their hands and should be ashamed of their conduct in unabashedly protecting pedophiles. This is all the more shocking on the heels…
According to the terms of the Settlement as ordered by the Court, the monetary awards for back pay (or lost wages) were subject to all applicable tax withholdings. Monetary awards for compensatory damages were not treated as lost wages and therefore were subject to reporting on IRS Form 1099. We cannot provide tax advice regarding Class Members’ settlement awards or…
On June 29, 2018, secured final approval of a $4 million class settlement reached in April 2017 for female sales force members of Forest Laboratories and Forest Pharmaceuticals (“Forest”). Judge Ronnie Abrams’ order in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York was the capstone of six years of litigation in Barrett et al v. Forest Laboratories, Inc., et…
We three, Anna McNeil, Ry Walker, and Ellie Singer are all current undergraduate students at Yale University, and we have all experienced sexual assault and harassment at Yale’s all-male fraternities. We are not alone. We believe many female and non-binary students have been sexually assaulted, groped, grabbed, grinded up against, verbally harassed, leered at, and denied admission based on their…
One of the most common forms of gender discrimination is sexual harassment. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, sexual harassment occurs when an employee receives unwelcome sexual behavior on the job. This type of behavior may involve the employee’s job – for instance when a manager demands sexual favors in exchange for a promotion. Sexual harassment is illegal under Title VII of the…