On December 19, 2014, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed House Bill 5 into law. The bill’s aim is to streamline municipal tax codes in order to make it easier for businesses to file local tax returns. In Ohio, municipalities that have adopted a charter are permitted to pass their own laws, and as a result, [...]
Two recent court rulings have provided further guidance on First Amendment protection for public employees. Both cases involve allegations from public employees that they were fired in violation of their First Amendment rights. In June of 2014, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in Lane v. Frank, which clarified free speech rights for [...]
Beginning January 1, 2015 the Affordable Care Act (ACA) imposes information reporting requirements on employers. The purpose of the employer reporting requirements is to provide verification to the IRS that health insurance with minimal essential coverage was offered to employees and to provide verification that the employee either accepted or denied the coverage. The IRS [...]
On December 3, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on issues related to the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. The issue the court will decide is: “Whether, and in what circumstances, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e(k), requires an employer that provides work accommodations to non-pregnant employees with work limitations to provide work [...]
On December, 9, 2014, the court issued its decision in Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc. v. Busk. The Court ruled that the employer need not compensate warehouse workers for time spent passing through security screenings at the end of their shifts. The employer required its warehouse workers who retrieved inventory and packaged it for shipment, to [...]
Colorado’s Supreme Court is considering whether employers may fire workers for using medical marijuana. Brandon Coats, the Plaintiff, was fired by Dish Network in 2010 from his job as a customer service representative. Coats is licensed by the state of Colorado to use medical marijuana which is legal in the state. Dish Network fired Coats [...]
When an employee is injured while traveling for both business and personal purposes some states recognize a dual-purpose or dual-intent doctrine. The Ohio Supreme Court recently addressed the issue of whether the dual-purpose doctrine is applicable when determining eligibility for workers’ compensation in Ohio. The Court held that the dual-purpose doctrine does not apply in [...]
Thousands of FedEx drivers all over the United States sued or are currently in the process of suing FedEx for classifying these drivers as “independent contractors”, as opposed to normal employees—and many are winning. Specifically, the FedEx Ground division offers small package pick-up and delivery services in the United States, through a network of nearly [...]