It's unlikely that east Texas residents will soon forget the effect that Hurricane Katrina had on New Orleans. Lingering problems resulting from the deadly storm may have gone unnoticed in Texas, however. For example, many teachers have been fighting legal battles for...
Wrongful Termination
Company moves forward with wrongful termination suit
San Antonio readers might be interested to know that wrongful termination doesn't only happen to individuals. According to recent news reports, the wrongful termination of a Maryland company from a Louisiana-based $200-million Medicaid contract has caused a stir. The...
Jury: Plano Kroger illegally terminated man with special needs
A federal jury has just awarded more than $450,000 in damages to a man with learning disabilities who was harassed, demoted and ultimately fired because of disability discrimination at a Kroger store in Plano and by Kroger executives. The 25-year-old man had graduated...
Ex-finance VP for Lamar University sues for wrongful termination
When your job is to assess a situation and make recommendations for the future, you expect your superiors to at least be open-minded to what you present to them -- even if it is critical of how things have been handled in the past. Unfortunately, some employers only...
Bill limiting access to sensitive employee data fails in Texas
Many people have social media or email accounts where they converse with friends and family. They generally exclude their employers from these conversations, because they are about personal and private matters. Some of the information could prove to be both...
Supreme Court justices seem split on Texas discrimination case
Back in January we discussed a Texas employment law case that was going to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court heard the case this week, and it appears that they--like the lower courts here in Texas--will have a difficult time making a decision. They...
Restaurant fired worker who complained about racist customers
Most people in San Antonio know that it is illegal for their employers to discriminate against them or harass them. But, what about when a customer or client harasses you at work? Is your employer obligated to do anything about that? Under Title VII of the Civil...
Supreme Court will review Texas retaliation, discrimination case
Here in Texas, a central rule of employment law is that employment is at-will. This means that either the employer or the employee can terminate employment at any time for any reason, with exceptions. The exceptions other than contractual agreements are things that...
Texas Walmart workers fight retaliation with Black Friday strike
If you are going to be one of San Antonio's Black Friday shoppers next week you may want to think twice about heading to Walmart--that is, unless you won't mind crossing a picket line. Walmart workers across the country, including here in Texas, are planning a walkout...
In Texas, can you be fired for Facebook posts?
The digital age has rapidly ushered in a complicated array of employment law questions. Do hiring managers have a right to judge job applicants based on their Facebook profiles? Can they go so far as to ask applicants for their social media passwords? Can workers be...