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• Florida Supreme Court Issues Ruling Removing Two Options For Employers to Obtain Dismissal of Claims Under the Florida Civil Rights Act ( April 2006 )
  

  In Woodham v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield, 829 So. 2d 891 (Fla. 2002), the Florida Supreme Court made two determinations which will have a significant impact upon suits brought under the Florida Civil Rights Act ("FCRA"). First, the Florida Supreme Court held that the standard language in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") Dismissal and Notice of Rights form that the EEOC is "unable to conclude that the information obtained establishes a violation of the statutes" is not the equivalent of a determination there is not reasonable cause to believe discrimination has occurred as required by the FCRA to trigger certain administrative prerequisites to filing suit.

• EEOC Challenges "Partner" Status - Argues Partners are Really "Employees" ( March 2005 )
  

  The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") has filed suit in the Northern District of Illinois against one of the country's biggest and most well-known law firms, Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood ("Sidley Austin"). The EEOC alleges that the law firm, which maintains an age-based retirement policy, discriminated against its own partners by engaging in a campaign of illegal age discrimination. The lawsuit seeks reinstatement of the partners, injunctive relief, and monetary damages that could exceed over $30 million.

• EEOC Revises its Compliance Manual Regarding Charge Filing Deadlines ( September 2005 )
  

  The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") has, recently, revised its Compliance Manual—the agency’s internal investigation manual—to reflect current law regarding charge-filing time limitations.

• Recent District Court Decision May Hamper Employers’ Ability to Reduce Retiree Health Care Programs for Medicare-Eligible Retirees ( May 2005 )
  

  In AARP v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania blocked the EEOC from issuing a final rule that would permit employers to provide lesser retiree health benefits to retirees who are eligible for Medicare than to retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare.

• Out With the Old and In With the New: TWC Takes Over Administration of the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act ( February 2005 )
  

  On March 1, 2004, the Texas Workforce Commission formally assumed the functions of the now-defunct Texas Commission on Human Rights. The transfer of responsibilities, mandated by recent legislation, was finalized upon certification of the move by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

• Amendments To Delaware's Discrimination In Employment Act Establish New Administrative Procedures And Create A New Right To Sue In State Court ( September 2004 )
  

  While changes in the Delaware Discrimination Act are of note to all employers, the recent changes in the Act are of special significance to small employers who employ fewer than fifteen (15) people. The revised Delaware statute, which applies to employers of four (4) or more individuals, provides a new cause of action in the Delaware Superior Court for protected employees.

• National Origin Discrimination ( May 2003 )
  

  Claims of employment discrimination on the basis of religion and national origin have been - relatively speaking - uncommon. That is changing. The United States' Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reports that in 2002, claims of national origin discrimination rose 13%, and claims of religious discrimination rose 21%, over the just previous year.

• Employees Gain Legal Ground: US Supreme Court Authorizes Recovery for Untimely Discriminatory Acts ( September 2002 )
  

  The US Supreme Court recently resolved a hotly contested legal issue that had spurred numerous conflicting viewpoints nationwide-whether an employee can recover damages for discriminatory/harassing acts that occurred outside of the statutory time limits for filing a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ("Title VII").

• Handling EEOC Discrimination Charges ( June 2001 )
  

  This article is the first in a two-part series and provides an overview of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) administrative process.