The 5th nominee for the Worst Employer of 2024 is … the abhorrent optometrist "The only thing that changed from when I left for maternity leave to when I was terminated was the fact that I had a baby. It sent a clear message they didn't value me as a person, as a new mom. It was shocking." Those are the words of Dr. Alana Curatola, who is now suing her former employer, Northwest Eye Surgeons, for discrimination. Written by Jon Hyman, a partner in the Employment & Labor practice at For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or Do you like what you read? Receive updates two differen ..read more

I will officially have a college student in a little over four months. The "if" was never in doubt, but there "where" definitely was … at least until a couple of weeks ago. — OWU, or, as it's affectionately called, OH-WOOO. She'll be a Battling Bishop. "Fit" might be a four-letter word in the employment law space, as employers often use it as a pretext for discrimination. But for Norah's college choice, it was all about fit. ✅ Within a shortish drive from home ✅ The ability to double major in early childhood education and French ✅ A cute campus with off-campus amenities within walking distance ..read more

Must you accommodation an employee's religion not to attend DEI training? Believe it or not, it might depend on the training. "Your respectful workplace training is against my religion; count me out." That's what one employee told his employer when it tried to compel him to attend its mandatory training about treating all with courtesy and respect. When the employee learned that one module of the training would include LGBTQI+ issues, he explained to his employer, "This subject matter contradicts my sincerely held religious beliefs." He advised that he would excuse himself during that portion ..read more

Don't be an ostrich with harassment "If I ignore harassment, it will go away" … is the 100% incorrect response to harassment happening in your workplace. It's also a non-refundable first-class ticket to a nasty lawsuit. An employer CANNOT ostrich workplace protected class harassment. "Employer" includes managers and supervisors. If someone in a position of authority witnesses or otherwise learns of protected class harassment in the workplace, the business has the same legal obligations as if the victim had complained. Written by Jon Hyman, a partner in the Employment & Labor practice at Fo ..read more

WIRTW #713: the ‘lounging around' edition Next week I'll be at the  at the Venetian in Las Vegas — a four-day gathering presented by the of all things craft brewers and craft beer. There are loads of speakers spread across eight educational tracks, a massive trade show, and too many networking opportunities to count. On the educational front, I'm speaking on Sunday as part of the On the networking front, my firm is sponsoring the lounge. Start A Brewery is a community of craft beer industry veterans who share our knowledge and experience in support of the craft beer community by help ..read more

If your company just agreed to pay $2 million to settle a lawsuit alleging horrific workplace sexual abuse and other sexual harassment, maybe it's not the best idea to trash the plaintiff on social media. National Raisin for the Worst Employe of 2024, based on the allegations of a lawsuit it just settled with the EEOC. Those allegations consisted of widespread sexual abuse perpetrated by a male supervisor. To make matters worse, the lawsuit also alleged that HR did nothing when employees complained. Written by Jon Hyman, a partner in the Employment & Labor practice at For more information ..read more

On April 8, Cleveland will be in the path of totality for a solar eclipse. Written by Jon Hyman, a partner in the Employment & Labor practice at People are losing their minds. Businesses and schools will be closed. Hotels have been fully booked for a year or more. Festivals are occurring. Bars and restaurants are holding special events. Traffic is predicted to be a mess for miles and miles around. All for a few minutes of the moon blocking out the sun, which you can't see without special glasses to keep you from going blind. You know what? I couldn't care less. It's a hassle, not a celebra ..read more

If you have a child applying for college this year, you know the pain that we are currently feeling. This year, Congress decided to change the process to apply for federal financial aid. The changes to the FAFSA ("Free Application for Federal Student Aid") were supposed to make applying for financial aid easier. Instead, it has caused delays, uncertainty, and stress.  Written by Jon Hyman, a partner in the Employment & Labor practice at For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or Congress, we know how dysfunctional you have become. You can barely agree on what should b ..read more

The Fair Labor Standard Act is not a good law because employers have zero hope in complying with it. Written by Jon Hyman, a partner in the Employment & Labor practice at . In that case, the 6th Circuit rejected both the employer's and the plaintiffs' interpretation of the FLSA and punted the case back to the district court to interpret the statute instead. For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or Do you like what you read? Receive updates two different ways: Please connect with me on ..read more

Boston Beer Co., the brewer of Sam Adams and other craft beverages, is taking heat for its overuse of noncompete agreements. In a recent article, the cites examples of several former lower-level Boston Beer employees forced out of the industry they love because of the noncompete agreements their former employer forced them to sign at their time of hire. Legally speaking, to be enforceable a post-employment restrictive covenant must be narrowly tailored by time, geography, and a reasonable business interest worthy of protection. Yet, like the Boston Beer example, all too often employers require ..read more