First Circuit Rejects Argument that Discrete Incidents of Harassment Were Part of a “Continuing Violation” Discrimination on the basis of disability in the workplace is illegal under both Federal and State law in Massachusetts. Employers are required to make...
Retaliation
SJC Determines Unpaid Commissions Due to Retaliatory Firing “[M]ust Be Trebled,” per the Wage Act
Recently in Parker v. EnerNOC, Inc., the Supreme Judicial Court held that, per the Massachusetts Wage Act, G.L. c. 149, §§ 148A, 150, an employee, who was deprived of a commission as a result of a retaliatory termination by her employer prior to the commission coming...
Viable Retaliation Claim For An Employee Terminated Several Months After He Complained About Discrimination By His Supervisor
In a recent unpublished decision, Bakhtiar v. Infineon Technologies Americas Corp., the Superior Court in Worcester County (Yarashus, J.) found that an employee could establish a prima facie case of retaliation under Massachusetts law (G.L.c. 151B, § 1) even though...
Court Grants Summary Judgment to Employer on Former Employee’s Claim of Gender-Based Associational Discrimination and Retaliation
In Baer v. Montachusett Regional Technical School District (D. Mass. May 17, 2019), the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted summary judgment to an employer on a former employee's claim that he was discriminated and retaliated against...
Whistleblower Act: Allegations of Retaliation Fail Where the Conduct for Which the Retaliation is Alleged Was Committed by Co-Workers, Not Employer
The Whistle Blower Act, Mass. General Laws Ch. 149 § 185(b), provides that a public employer may not retaliate against a public employee who has (1) "blown the whistle" or, in other words, disclosed an activity, policy or practice of the employer that the employee...
CEO’s Indirect Statements Can Give Rise to Retaliation Lawsuit
The First Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision last week allowing a retaliation lawsuit to proceed because the company's CEO told others that he wanted to "get rid of" an employee, even though there was no evidence that the CEO made those statements directly to...