An investigator with the Maine Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has found that On the Edge Chipping in Phillips, Maine unlawfully fired Daniel Harnden, a skidder operator, because Mr. Harnden complained about charges the company put on his personal John Deere account. Mr. Harnden complained to On the Edge about the…
The former CFO for Proskauer Rose, a large law firm in New York, has sued it for disability discrimination. The former CFO, Elly Rosenthal, claims that the law firm demoted her and then fired her because she had breast cancer that required her to take medical leave. Ms. Rosenthal, who…
The Maine Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has found reasonable grounds to believe that Lank Machining discriminated against Ronald Vilandry because of his age. According to the report from the MHRC, Mr. Vilandry interviewed for a job with Lank Machining as a CNC Operator. Mr. Vilandry maintains that during his interview…
A group of lawmakers in Ohio have introduced a bill, HB 335, that would ban discrimination against LGBT employees. The lawmakers who introduced the bill include a Republican. The Republican party currently controls both houses of the Ohio state legislature. The last time a similar bill was voted on in…
The American Jobs Act, a bill that President Obama is urging Congress to pass, would prohibit certain employers from discriminating against unemployed applicants. Under the American Jobs Act, it would be an “unlawful employment practice” if a business with 15 or more employees refused to hire a person “because of…
Matthew Doucette, a 29 year-old Sysco warehouse worker, injured his back in April 2004. He was on light duty for two weeks but lost no earnings as a result of the injury. Sysco terminated his employment for reasons unrelated to his injury in May 2004 and Doucette had no further…
On September 16, 2011, federal judge D. Brock Hornby granted a motion for conditional certification of a collective action against FedEx Ground Package System, Inc. (Fed Ex) for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). A group of Fed Ex drivers brought this case against Fed Ex because they…
Today, the U.S. District Court in Portland, Maine denied Lincare, Inc.’s motion to dismiss a claim of retaliation under the False Claims Act (FCA). The anti-retaliation provisions of the FCA protect whistleblowers from retaliation when they “pursue, investigate, or contribute to an action exposing fraud against the [federal] government.” Former…
The Maine Employee Rights Group is currently pursuing a lawsuit which alleges that MaineGeneral unlawfully discriminated against Adela Blethen because of her race, national origin, color, and her complaints about racial harassment. Ms. Blethen, a Hispanic woman from Hallowell, Maine, worked for MaineGeneral as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) from…
On August 29, 2011, the Kennebec County Superior Court ruled in favor of the Maine State Nurses Association (MSNA) and affirmed an arbitration award in favor of MSNA member Krista McCormick. Ms. McCormick worked as a nurse at Down East Community Hospital (DECH) until she was terminated on September 11,…