August 11, 2020

New York State Human Rights Law Invoked in Sexual Harassment Arbitration Case

A split has appeared in how to handle sexual harassment cases with a New York trial judge ruling recently that the state’s Human Rights Law prevents companies and employees from entering arbitration over sexual harassment. This contradicts an earlier ruling in New York’s Southern District where a judge ruled that arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) supersedes New York’s statutory prohibition against arbitration. 

There is a useful summary of the most recent decision at Mintz, but the quick takeaways are that when statutory law changed in 2018, which allowed plaintiffs to seek relief in court rather than through arbitration, employers, even those who had previous employment agreements that stipulated arbitration, were arguably no longer able to seek arbitration under the FAA laws; furthermore, the judge argued that any mandatory arbitration clauses were invalidated by the new state law. 

Confounding matters further, in February another trial judge in New York ruled that changes in the law do not invalidate previous arbitration agreements. At the moment, it remains unclear whether employers’ mandatory arbitration clauses regarding sexual harassment complaints are valid any longer. As there are sure to be appeals, this is a case we will be watching.

New Report Adds Further Evidence We Need Universal Child Care

May 24, 2022
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The results of the survey, which polled 1,000 workers, showed that an overwhelming majority (69%) of women looking for work could be swayed to work for a company that offered childcare benefits.

New Studies Indicate Women Have Mostly Kept Working During Pandemic

May 17, 2022
Gender Discrimination
Although more women were laid off at the beginning of the pandemic, and many more who were parents saw a significant uptick in their non-work commitments, two new analyses indicate that, despite concerns to the contrary, most women have remained at work and, for some cohorts, have become more likely to work.

Formula Shortage Has Parents Scrambling

May 16, 2022
Gender Discrimination
The shortage, a result of supply chain disruptions coupled with a major recall, has parents scrambling to find formula, with some resorting to more drastic measures.

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