Many employees know that their employer cannot fire them to avoid paying them their earned wages. What many employees may not know is that stock—whether vested or not—qualifies as wages under the right conditions. This means that if your employer fires you shortly before or after a vesting event...
To give yourself the best chance to adequately resolve workplace sexual harassment, you need to notify your employer in writing as soon as possible. If you don’t know how to write a sexual harassment complaint letter to your boss, an experienced attorney can help you. For an example of...
Nurses are the backbone of the American healthcare system. They work on the front lines of patient care daily. Unfortunately, this also puts nurses on the front lines of demotion, harassment, or other consequences for reporting wrongdoing, blowing the whistle on unsafe conditions, and standing up for patients. As...
Your employer needs to ensure your safety at work in specific ways. This includes making sure that your workplace is free from unlawful discrimination. If your employer has failed to protect you from discrimination, you can easily feel lost and vulnerable. Fortunately, federal and state laws give you the...
You have a legal right to a workplace free of sexual harassment. Workplace sexual harassment is illegal under both federal and state law. If you experienced sexual harassment in the workplace in California, you might be entitled to compensation under the state’s Fair Employment and House Act (FEHA). Read...
Is sexual harassment a form of discrimination? Yes, and it is illegal. Sexual harassment is a nefarious and pervasive form of sex discrimination that has plagued this nation for decades. And since the #metoo movement took off in 2018, the federal government has seen a spike in workplace sexual...
In general, it is illegal for employers to agree not to compete for employees. This means that employers cannot agree not to solicit another employer’s employees. These agreements are called “no-poach” or “no-hire” agreements and they are illegal. In addition, employers cannot agree not pay their employees the same...
Sexual harassment is still an alarming problem in workplaces across the country. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reports that from 2018 to 2021, it received 27,291 charges alleging sexual harassment. Employers need to be held accountable for this illegal behavior, and harmed employees should receive relief for...
In a qui tam lawsuit, a private individual brings an action on the government’s behalf. The False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. §3729-3733) authorizes qui tam actions against parties who have defrauded the federal government. The whistleblower bringing the action, also called a relator, must inform the United States of...
Qui tam laws originated in 14th century England and enabled private citizens to enforce the king’s legislative priorities. The king paid them a bounty if they won. During the Civil War years, President Lincoln encouraged Congress to codify whistleblower bounty, or “qui tam,” laws to help prevent fraud by...