Chief: Lafayette police recruit fired for ties to neo-Nazis
A police recruit in northwestern Indiana was fired less than 24 hours after the department was notified that the officer was involved in a neo-Nazi online chat forum.
Employment Law
Articles
Fighting words: Pro se’s 20-year legal battle morphs into crusade over perceived unfairness
Peter Prostyakov, a native of Moscow who’s now a U.S. Citizen living in Carmel, details what he concedes is his convoluted journey into the federal judicial system, where he believes courts act unfairly toward him and other self-represented litigants.
Special judge steps down in fired Cathedral teacher case
Asserting the Archdiocese of Indianapolis made claims that are “irrelevant, inaccurate, misleading or make incorrect inferences,” the Marion Superior Court denied the church’s attempt to remove the special judge appointed to preside over the case involving the firing of a gay teacher at Cathedral High School. The judge did step aside, however, citing personal reasons.
Dozens file court support for gay teacher in fight with Archdiocese of Indianapolis
The fight over a teacher at Cathedral High School who was fired for being in a same-sex marriage is highlighting a split between conservative and progressive members of the Catholic faith with several members of the Indiana legal community — including a former 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge and an Indiana attorney prominent in Republican politics — now adding their voices in opposition to the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
Appeals court rules against Journey guitarist’s wife in Fort Wayne concert injury dispute
The wife of Journey guitarist Neal Schon could not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals on Friday that she was deprived of an opportunity to conduct additional discovery against the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum after a security guard there allegedly injured her during a concert by the rock band.
DOJ, AG Hill side with archdiocese in same-sex marriage fight
Claiming the judiciary cannot interfere with church matters, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Indiana Attorney General have entered the fight between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis and a teacher who was dismissed from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis for being in a same-sex marriage.
7th Circuit rejects sexual orientation claim of DOC worker fired for harassment
After working for the Indiana Department of Correction for more than 20 years, Robbie Marshall was terminated from his position after a co-worker brought sexual harassment allegations against him.
Former IU athletic director Glass joining Taft law firm
Former Indiana University Director of Athletics Fred Glass plans to resume his law career in October, joining the Indianapolis office of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP as a partner.
COA rules for general contractor in injured worker’s dispute
A general contractor does not owe a duty of care to a construction worker injured on the job, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled in a Monday interlocutory appeal, reversing a grant of summary judgment to the worker as to that issue.
Attorney juror at center of Supreme Court murder appeal also suing state
As the Indiana Supreme Court takes up the question of whether a man convicted of murder should get a new trial because of misconduct by an attorney who served as jury forewoman at his trial, that attorney also is suing the state over her firing related to her conduct in the case.
Indiana expects to begin offering $300 unemployment bonuses next month
Indiana has applied for the federal government’s Lost Wages Assistance program and hopes to begin delivering the $300 supplemental weekly payments to most people receiving unemployment benefits in the next month or so.
Giving and taking: Landmark high court LGBTQ employment ruling clouded by ministerial exception expansion
Just as celebrations were starting over the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that Title VII protections cover transgender workers, another opinion from the nine justices shielded religious organizations from lawsuits by expanding the ministerial exception legal doctrine and injected more energy into potential religious liberty challenges to anti-discrimination laws.
States look to ‘salary history bans’ to increase pay equity
Using what’s known as “salary history bans,” governments at the state and local level are limiting employers’ ability to consider a candidate’s previous wages when making an employment decision. The breadth of these bans varies by jurisdiction, but the concept remains the same: under a salary history ban, an employer cannot explicitly ask a prospective employee what they earned in a previous job.
Bush: Employer strategies in responding to the racism pandemic
While there is no playbook outlining the exact steps employers should take to address issues related to racial injustice, there are several actions employers can take to promote racial equity both inside and outside of the workplace.
Smith: Indiana Court of Appeals upholds employer’s noncompete
The Indiana Court of Appeals recently published a decision that is instructive about noncompete agreements. It is one of the rare noncompete cases that does not contain the phrase: “Indiana courts are reluctant to enforce noncompete agreements because they constitute a restraint on trade.”
Brown: More remote employees? Time to review trade secret policies
In the ongoing work conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, business owners may consider that their principal concern is how to make it easier and more efficient for employees to do their jobs remotely. But as businesses streamline connections and move information from office hardware to home computers, they should not forget to safeguard the trade secret information that may be moving around.
Big decisions: Key employment rulings at a glance
Here is a summary of two major U.S. Supreme Court employment rulings regarding LBGTQ employees and the ministerial exception for religious employers from the October 2019 term.
Split COA reverses state ruling against 3 teacher union contracts
A divided appellate panel Wednesday overturned the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board’s final decisions that three contracts negotiated and ratified by Indiana teachers unions and their respective school employers did not comply with state law.
Teachers union backs strike if schools can’t reopen safely
Indiana’s second-largest teacher organization announced Tuesday that its members may resort to striking to ensure a safe return to school as the state continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Progress slow on virus relief bill as negotiations continue
Negotiators on a huge coronavirus relief bill reported slight progress after talks resumed Monday afternoon in the Capitol, with issues like food for the poor and aid to schools struggling to reopen safely assuming a higher profile in the talks.