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Usher's former nanny sues for wrongful termination and unpaid overtime

On behalf of Bohrer Law Firm, L.L.C. posted in Employee Rights on Tuesday, May 21, 2013.

The loss of a job can be a devastating event in a person's life. Financially, job loss can be incredibly stressful and create uncertainty. While there are many reasons for losing a job, a person should never lose their job for illegal reasons, or be wrongfully terminated. In such cases, a lawsuit may be brought in order to be properly compensated.

Recently, Usher's former nanny has filed a lawsuit claiming that the R&B music artist did not pay her overtime prior to firing her. The nanny further claims that Usher did not treat her properly, which included caring for Usher's two children aged four and five years old. Usher has full custody of both children. The employee claims she was hired initially as a part time nanny, but would frequently work over 40 hours a week in violation of her employee rights. Additionally, the woman claims that while she often worked overtime, she was not compensated. As a result, the former nanny brought both a wrongful termination suit and failure to pay wages suit for a six figure amount. A source connected to Usher has called the lawsuit frivolous.

Louisiana security guard claims violation of employee rights

On behalf of Bohrer Law Firm, L.L.C. posted in Workplace Discrimination on Friday, May 17, 2013.

In Louisiana, it is illegal for an employer to discriminate against an employee because of his or her age. Moreover, it is also against federal and state employment law to retaliate against a worker who complains that his or her employee rights under other provisions of the law have been violated.

Recently, a former Louisiana security guard filed suit against a security company. Allegedly, her former supervisor told the woman that she was "too old" to perform her duties as a private guard. She further alleges that when she reported what her immediate supervisor had said, the company took no corrective action. Instead, she got fired a short time after she reported the incident.

Jury awards doctor $1 million for wrongful termination

On behalf of Bohrer Law Firm, L.L.C. posted in Employee Rights on Monday, May 6, 2013.

Louisiana employees have all had bad days. Sometimes, the cause of the bad day can be the loss of a job. Employees can lose a job for numerous reasons. However, being let go for illegal reasons is against the law and not acceptable. In such cases, bringing a wrongful termination suit may be necessary in order to be compensated for the employer's illegal behavior.

A federal jury recently awarded a former gynecologist over $1 million for the employee's wrongful termination and violation of the man's employee rights by a medical group. The doctor claimed that the medical group fired him in retaliation for his part in reporting an incident of medical negligence to the board of medicine. Public policy protects the doctor's responsibility to report or bring attention to any negligence or violations. The doctor's attorney asked for $6 million, however the $1,051,814 award was calculated as damages for the doctor's past lost earnings. The jury believed that he was fired as a result of reporting the wrongful conduct.

Former UPS employee sues over pregnancy discrimination

On behalf of Bohrer Law Firm, L.L.C. posted in Workplace Discrimination on Thursday, May 2, 2013.

Louisiana employees who have recently had a baby, or are currently pregnant know how difficult it can be to juggle working, pregnancy and planning for the upcoming arrival of your bundle of joy. Work can add to stress and exhaustion levels, but can also be critical in order to make enough money. Being pregnant in the workplace is not always the easiest of tasks and sometimes discrimination can rear its ugly head.

Recently, a former UPS worker alleged that her employee rights were violated when she was fired because she was pregnant. The worker visited UPS' company nurse, who told the woman to procure a doctor's note that listed physical restrictions during the woman's pregnancy. The employee did so, and her doctor recommended that the woman not lift packages or parcels that weighed more than 20 pounds. As a result of the doctor's note, the employee claims that UPS told her to go home and that they had no work for her to do. She alleges she was told that as a pregnant woman, she was a liability. While the employee wanted to continue working, UPS would not allow her to, and as a result, she lost her health insurance, source of income and could not receive unemployment.

Rep. Seabaugh seeks to legalize LGBT workplace discrimination

On behalf of Bohrer Law Firm, L.L.C. posted in Workplace Discrimination on Tuesday, April 23, 2013.

Louisiana employees who have been discriminated against at work understand how emotionally frustration and demeaning the experience can be. While an employee is attempting to make a living, they undergo discrimination and are made to feel uncomfortable, harassed, or treated differently based upon their race, gender, sexual orientation, disability or for other reasons. Both state and federal laws are in place to ensure employee rights and to protect employees, and to prevent workplace discrimination from occurring.

Federal laws are currently in place to protect against discrimination in the workplace that is based upon the categories of race, sex, national origin, age, religion, pregnancy status, and disability. While federal government employees are protected from sexual orientation workplace discrimination, there is no current federal law to prevent private employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation. Similarly, Louisiana does not have any state law that protects employees from sexual orientation discrimination.

Louisiana State University settles wrongful termination case

On behalf of Bohrer Law Firm, L.L.C. posted in Wrongful Termination on Wednesday, April 17, 2013.

Free speech can cost lots of money. Just ask the untenured ex-employee of Louisiana State University who lost his job and the college that spent one million dollars fighting his wrongful termination claim. Even without an employment contract, there are still certain employee rights that are available to protect Baton Rouge employees from a case of wrongful termination.

The ex-employee was hired as deputy director for LSU's Hurricane Center. Two years before Hurricane Katrina, the ex-employee warned about the dangers of flooding in the city of New Orleans. When Hurricane Katrina made his warning a reality two years later, the ex-employee spoke out about the Corps of Engineers' faulty work on the levees that contributed to the flooding and loss of lives. The ex-employee was not shy about publicly blaming the Corps of Engineers for the catastrophic damages. However, his employer allegedly asked the ex-employee to stop talking out of fear that the government might retaliate and deny them future grants. After 15 years at LSU, the untenured ex-employee was suddenly terminated for budget reasons as it was claimed. The ex-employee brought a wrongful termination claim against the employer that was eventually settled for $435,000.

Frontier defeats wrongful termination suit

On behalf of Bohrer Law Firm, L.L.C. posted in Wrongful Termination on Thursday, April 11, 2013.

The loss of a job can be both financially and emotionally distressing. Louisiana employees who have recently found themselves out of a job know the pressure that unemployment can bring. The reasons for losing a job can range greatly. However, sometimes a termination can be wrongful. If an employee has been improperly fired by an employer, the employee may be able to bring a wrongful termination lawsuit.

Recently, a verdict was reached in an employee rights case where a man claimed he was wrongfully terminated from Frontier Communications. The employee claimed that he was terminated after 14 months of working for the company. The man claimed that he was fired as a form of retaliation, and because of the employee's disability. The man further alleged that Frontier failured to properly accommodate the man's disability. The man was seeking close to $3.6 million of back pay, lost wages, benefits and damages. The trial lasted six days, and the jury reached a verdict in favor of the defense.

Wage-and-hour lawsuit settled against Doubletree Hotel

On behalf of Bohrer Law Firm, L.L.C. posted in Wage and Hour Laws on Monday, April 1, 2013.

Louisiana employees work long and hard hours at their jobs. Given the current economy, some must juggle more than one job in order to pay their bills. As a result of an employee's hard work, they should be properly compensated. Employers however, intentionally or by mistake, do not always pay proper wages for the hours an employee works.

Recently, the Doubletree Hotel agreed to settle a dispute and pay 112 of their employees a total of $102,592. After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, the hotel was found to have violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. The investigation uncovered that the hotel had failed to properly compensate its employees for work performed prior to or after schedule shifts. Additionally, the hotel deducted wages from employees for their lunch breaks and rather than properly compensate workers for overtime, the hotel would pay for regular time. Moreover, the hotel did not keep record of its employee's wages and hours, or pay earned bonuses.

NFL's sexual orientation questions potentially discriminatory

On behalf of Bohrer Law Firm, L.L.C. posted in Workplace Discrimination on Monday, March 25, 2013.

Louisiana football fans may have recently kept an eye on the National Football League's combine that was held last month, as it could impact scouting and potential drafts decisions for the New Orleans Saints. While it may be easy to forget, football players are employees too. As employees, they are protected by state and federal anti-discrimination laws.

Recently, questions posed to college players at the combine regarding their sexual orientation have caused a stir. Players Nick Kasa, Denard Robinson and Le'veon Bell allege they were asked if they were married, "liked girls," or if they had girlfriends. NFL headquarters are located in New York, and the state's attorney general recently issued a letter stating that inquires about a potential employee's sexual orientation is a form of workplace discrimination and is illegal. However, the combine was held in Indianapolis, and Indiana law does not have sexual orientation discrimination protections for employees. Currently, Louisiana legislators are debating a bill that would make discrimination based upon sexual orientation in the workplace illegal. In total, 20 of the 32 NFL teams are located in jurisdictions that prohibit employment discrimination based upon sexual orientation.

Sharon Stone's former maid files wrongful termination suit

On behalf of Bohrer Law Firm, L.L.C. posted in Wrongful Termination on Wednesday, March 20, 2013.

Louisiana employees know that the loss of a job can be a tough pill to swallow. There are many reasons that it can happen, such as the economy, the company moving in a different direction, the need for cutbacks or just as a necessity. However, when the firing is wrongful, a lawsuit against your former employer may be necessary.

Recently, a maid has filed a wrongful termination and retaliation suit against her former employer, Sharon Stone as a result of her violated employee rights. The maid claims that the actress fired the maid as a result of an injury she sustained while carrying groceries in 2012. The maid injured her back and sought treatment from doctors who cautioned her to take it easy. Allegedly, Stone would not give the maid lighter duties and made her continue working her normal chores, despite the injury. In addition, the maid alleges that Sharon Stone called her stupid and crazy and then fired her. The maid then filed a complaint with the Fair Employment and Housing Department of California, and filed suit shortly thereafter. Stone's attorney claims that the suit is ridiculous, and furthermore alleges that the maid was not fired and is still covered by the health insurance Stone gives her employees.

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