Monthly Archives: June 2013

Severance Agreements And Retaliation (Part II)

Posted on June 21, 2013 by

In our post yesterday we discussed the pro-employee case of EEOC v. Lockheed Martin, 444 F. Supp. 2d 414 (D. Md. 2006). The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a more employer-favorable decision on the issue in EEOC v. Sundance … Continue reading →

Posted in Houston Employment Law, Houston Retaliation Law, Retaliation, Separation Agreements | Tagged ,

Severance Agreements And Retaliation (Part I)

Posted on June 20, 2013 by

Employers must be careful with how their severance and release agreements are drafted, both to ensure they are effective, and that they do not stimulate retaliation claims. An extreme example is EEOC v. Lockheed Martin, 444 F. Supp. 2d 414 … Continue reading →

Posted in Houston Employment Law, Houston Retaliation Law, Retaliation, Separation Agreements | Tagged ,

If An Employee Engages In More Protected Activity After An Employer Takes Some Action Against Him or Her, Is The Employer’s Action Materially Adverse?

Posted on June 19, 2013 by

Our paper addresses this interesting question. An employer’s actions are “materially adverse” – and thus actionable as retaliation – if they are “harmful to the point that they could well dissuade a reasonable worker from making or supporting a charge … Continue reading →

Posted in Houston Employment Law, Houston Retaliation Law, Retaliation | Tagged ,

FLSA Retaliation – Can A Plaintiff Obtain Punitive Damages?

Posted on June 18, 2013 by

Federal appellate courts that have considered the issue are split on whether a plaintiff can recover punitive damages in a FLSA retaliation claim. Compare Travis, 921 F.2d at 111–12 (punitive damages are available in an FLSA retaliation claim), with Snapp … Continue reading →

Posted in Damages, FLSA, Houston Employment Law, Houston Retaliation Law, Overtime, Retaliation | Tagged , ,

FLSA Retaliation – Can A Plaintiff Obtain Emotional Distress Damages?

Posted on June 17, 2013 by

The damages provision of the anti-retaliation section of the FLSA states in relevant part: Any employer who violates the provisions of section 215(a)(3) of this title shall be liable for such legal or equitable relief as may be appropriate to … Continue reading →

Posted in Damages, FLSA, Houston Employment Law, Houston Retaliation Law, Overtime | Tagged , ,

Retaliatory Harassment Is Actionable Under Title VII

Posted on June 14, 2013 by

One issue our paper discusses is whether retaliatory harassment is actionable under Title VII. In Gowski v. Peake, 682 F.3d 1299 (11th Cir. 2012), a case decided in June 2012, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals recognized a cause of … Continue reading →

Posted in Harassment, Houston Employment Law, Houston Retaliation Law, Retaliation | Tagged , ,

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act

Posted on June 13, 2013 by

Our paper on retaliation has a section on the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act On January 4, 2011, President Obama signed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which seeks to promote food safety by enacting strict safety standards in … Continue reading →

Posted in Houston Employment Law, Houston Retaliation Law | Tagged ,

Other Non-Sox Anti-Retaliation Laws Created Or Strengthened By Dodd Frank (Part III)

Posted on June 12, 2013 by

Amendment Of The False Claims Act The False Claims Act (“FCA”) is a whistleblower law that allows a private individual with knowledge of past or present fraud committed on the federal government to sue on the government’s behalf and recover … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodd Frank, Houston Employment Law, Houston Retaliation Law, Whistleblower | Tagged , , ,

Other Non-Sox Anti-Retaliation Laws Created Or Strengthened By Dodd Frank (Part II)

Posted on June 11, 2013 by

Amendment Of The Commodity Exchange Act Section 748 amends the Commodity Exchange Act to create a whistleblower incentive program and whistleblower protection provision that are substantially similar to the SEC reward program and anti-retaliation provision contained in section 922. Under … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodd Frank, Houston Employment Law, Houston Retaliation Law, Whistleblower | Tagged , , ,

Other Non-Sox Anti-Retaliation Laws Created Or Strengthened By Dodd Frank (Part I)

Posted on June 10, 2013 by

Private Cause Of Action For Retaliation Under Dodd-Frank Section 1057, Relating To The Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 Dodd-Frank prohibits retaliation against “any individual performing tasks related to the offering or provision of a consumer financial product or service” … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodd Frank, Houston Employment Law, Houston Retaliation Law, Whistleblower | Tagged , , ,