Court Clarifies Punitive Damages Guidelines

October 19, 2009 By

In a ruling that may be useful to Massachusetts employers, the Supreme Judicial Court in October made clear that puntive damages can only be awarded to discrimination plaintiffs when their employer’s conduct is “outrageous or egregious.” Punitive damages are, after all, available only to punish bad actors, not to permit windfall awards to discrimination victims who are generally entitled only to recover what they lost in wages and what they suffered from proven emotional injuries.

Apparently recognizing the subjective natures of the terms “outrageous” and “egregious” — who, after all can define either with more than a modicum of confidence — the court did what it often does. It created a list of factors that should be considered by judges and juries when evaluating whether to issue punitive damage awards. As always, the list is intended as a guideline only. Other factors that are relevant in particular cases can always be considered. The five punitive damages factors created by the SJC are: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Discrimination, Employee - Employment Law, Employer - Employment Law, Massachusetts Employment Law, Wrongful Termination

SJC Makes Arbitration of Discrimination Lawsuits Tougher

August 14, 2009 By

In a surprising decision, Massachusetts’ highest court ruled in July that not all arbitration agreements are created equally and, consequently, only some of them are enforceable by employers. When it comes to suits under the state’s anti-discrimination law (Chapter 151B), the language in a workplace arbitration clause must be clear and unequivocal. Unless it demonstrates that an employee specifically bargained away the right to sue at the Commission Against Discrimination or in state court, the worker’s lawsuit for sexual harassment, age or race bias, failure to reasonably accommodate, or other discrimination issues may escape arbitration. That means employers will face the far more difficult and expensive task of defending themselves in front of a jury or at the MCAD or its federal counterpart, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The message for employers is clear: review any and all arbitration agreements you entered with your employees and, if you still believe arbitration of discrimination claims is in the company’s best interest, make sure Chapter 151B is specifically referenced. For many employers, [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Discrimination, Employee - Employment Law, Employer - Employment Law, Massachusetts Employment Law, Wrongful Termination

Wrongful Termination Law in Massachusetts

July 10, 2009 By

Wrongful termination is a phrase frequently used by employers and employees alike to cover the whole rubric of potential causes of action that an individual could have against the company when he or she is fired.

Wrongful termination means, simply, that there is some kind of legal action that the an employee may take after being let go by an employer.

There are several discrete categories of wrongful termination in Massachusetts. Under the local law, all employees, unless they have a specific contract that they have negotiated with their employer, either in writing or orally, are At-Will employees.  This means they can leave whenever they choose to, or be let go whenever the employer chooses to let them go.  There are a couple of very narrow exceptions to the At-Will rule in Massachusetts that would constitute Wrongful Termination under the States Law. The exceptions are:

  1. A violation of Good Faith and Fair Dealing, meaning an employer, in a typical case, lets an employee go to avoid paying an employee a commission or large sum of compensation that would normally be due.
  2. Another way to violate the At-Will law is if an employer lets someone go in violation of something called the Public Policy Exception. There are very few Public Policy Exceptions. However, if an employee is serving on a jury, testifying in court, or performing some other act that the government wants to protect, the employer can not fire the employee for those actions.
  3. An employer also cannot fire or discharge someone in Massachusetts if they have a contract that provides otherwise. Sometimes employees have an employment contract that says,  for example,  they can only be fired for specific reasons, such as stealing from the employer, insubordination, or committing a crime. Where a company violates those terms, a breach of contract claim can arise in Massachusetts and that would be Wrongful Termination.
  4. The final category for Wrongful Termination involves discrimination cases. In Massachusetts, and under Federal Law, you can not let an employee go or treat them less favorably because of their race, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, handicap status, or genetic disposition.

If any of these factors are in play in your situation when you are let go from work, call me for a consultation.

If you have questions about Massachusetts employment law, consult an qualified Massachusetts employment lawyer before you take action.

Boston employment lawyer, Attorney Jack Merrill provides legal services to employees and employers throughout the Boston metro and Worcester County region including Ashland, Dedham, Framingham, Franklin, Hopkinton, Maynard, Marlborough, Milford, Natick, Needham, Newton, Shrewsbury, Sudbury, Waltham, and Worcester, Massachusetts.

Filed Under: Articles, Employee - Employment Law, Massachusetts Employment Law, Uncategorized, Wrongful Termination

Massachusetts Employment Law: How To Let Your Workers Go

June 9, 2009 By

One thing Massachusetts employers must understand is that you are free to do as you see fit with your employees. You can let them go for any reason, at any time, with or without cause. An employer does not need to be concerned about lawsuits as long as they have covered these three basic areas:

  1. Be sure your employees do not have contracts.
  2. Make sure you don’t discriminate against your employees. You need to look at how a worker was treated and whether or not he or she has made prior claims of discrimination. If they have made claimes, be careful,  retaliation is a viable cause for action.
  3. Pay them all wages they have earned and all money owed to them immediately.

For more discussion about “How To Let Your Workers Go“, watch my video:

If you have questions about an employee or any issue regarding Massachusetts employment law, consult an qualified Massachusetts employment lawyer before you take action.

Boston employment lawyer, Attorney Jack Merrill provides legal services to employees and employers throughout the Boston metro and Worcester County region including Ashland, Dedham, Framingham, Franklin, Hopkinton, Maynard, Marlborough, Milford, Natick, Needham, Newton, Shrewsbury, Sudbury, Waltham, and Worcester, Massachusetts.

Filed Under: Employer - Employment Law, Employment Law Videos, Massachusetts Employment Law, Video on Employment Law, Wages and Commissions, Wrongful Termination

Supreme Court Tackles Reverse Discrimination

April 24, 2009 By

The political bent of the U.S. Supreme Court is once again on display in Washington. This time, the issue is reverse discrimination, a term generally used to challenge the effects that affirmative action may have on white men.

In a case argued April 22, 2009, white and Hispanic firefighters from New Haven, Connecticut are challenging a city decision to ignore promotional exam results. The 2003 test was created to determine who’d be promoted to captain or lieutenant. When no African Americans scored high enough, New Haven officials worried they’d be sued by minorities and so decided to disregard the test. Instead of avoiding trouble, however, New Haven brought it on themselves. Non-minority firefighters who passed the test now claim they worked hard on what they thought was a fair process only to be denied promotion because of their race.

The Supreme Court will decide whether New Haven’s conduct was discriminatory or not. As usual, the supposedly apolitical Court is split along partisan lines. Discrimination laws are not popular among [Read more...]

Filed Under: Affirmative Action, Articles, Employee - Employment Law, Employer - Employment Law, Massachusetts Employment Law