Homophobic Slurs Spurs EEOC Action
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | LGBTQ+, Retaliation
Employers, allowing employees to make homophobic comments unchecked may just get you sued. On September 22, 2023, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), the agency that enforces the federal anti-discrimination laws, filed a lawsuit against 4Top Hospitality Group and J.H.S. Holdings, which does business as Amerigo Italian Restaurant, alleging a hostile work environment based on…
Read More How Do Multistate Employers Navigate State Paid Family Leave Laws?
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), General Employer Guidance
Often, with difficulty. Indeed, being a multistate employer can be daunting. These employers must consider payroll and taxes in multiple states. Time changes for meetings can be tricky. Managing remote employees in various states can lead to questions of productivity and efficiency. Juggling a job and a new child is no small task either. Add…
Read More Employers Should Not Turn A Blind Eye To Employees With Vision Disabilities
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Accommodation of Disabilities, Disabilities and Accommodations (ADA), EEOC
Picture this: a young adult gets a new job at an upscale fish market. The adult, let’s call him Sam, tells his supervisor that while he wears contacts, he has night blindness so that he cannot see in dimming light, and he wears contact lenses to manage his extremely severe nearsightedness. The supervisor does not…
Read More Yes, The SCOTUS Ruling Banning Affirmative Action At The College Level Will Likely Affect Employers
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Diversity and Inclusion, Race, Religion, and National Origin
Image by David Mark from Pixabay Federal law prohibits employers from considering race in their hiring decisions. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) prohibits discrimination against protected groups as to the terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, including hiring. Now, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) determined, after…
Read More In The Name of Love: The EEOC Has A Message About Pride
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Abuse in the Workplace, LGBTQ+
For Pride 2023, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) reminds employers that three years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity because both are forms of sex discrimination. That landmark decision, Bostock…
Read More Employers, Let’s Pause For A Moment
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Age Discrimination (ADEA), Discrimination in the Workplace, General Employer Guidance
Now that we are talking about mental health in the workplace more freely, it’s time to tackle one of the last taboo workplace topics – menopause. US companies are beginning to consider “menopause-friendly workplaces.” Thank goodness! It all started in the UK, apparently. According to The New York Times, a recent poll estimated that 3 out…
Read More The EEOC Provides What May Be Its Final COVID Guidance Update
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Covid-19
It ain’t over til it’s over, is it? During the pandemic, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) provided employers with information and guidance about keeping the workforce safe, accommodating requests for reasonable accommodations necessitated by COVID-19, vaccines, and return to work matters. Now, almost halfway through 2023, and for the first time since July 2022,…
Read More New York Continues To Crack Down On Sexual Harassment, Now With a New Model Policy
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Sexual Harassment, Workplace Safety
In what seems like a New York minute, New York State issued a stronger and longer anti-harassment policy. The goal of the new policy, according to Governor Kathy Hochul, is to ensure “safe and inclusive work environments.” The model policy constitutes a major expansion of current law with a greater focus on gender identity, bystander…
Read More Delaware Courts Are Striking Overly Broad Non-competes — Even In the Sale of A Business
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Noncompetes
Traditionally, companies have viewed Delaware’s Court of Chancery to be one of the most business-friendly jurisdictions in the country. Recently, Delaware has joined the ever-expanding list of jurisdictions that no longer give businesses the benefit of the doubt when it comes to restrictive covenants — especially non-competes. Partners Christina Bost Seaton, Carl Neff, and I…
Read More Must An Employer Accommodate An Employee’s Refusal To Use A Co-Worker’s Preferred Pronouns?
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | LGBTQ+, Race, Religion, and National Origin
What is an employer to do when faced with conflicting legal obligations to different employees? One employee has the right to have their preferred pronouns utilized in the workplace and another is entitled to a accommodation based on her religious beliefs. That’s the dilemma confronted by the employer in Michigan, Bio Blood Components. The employer…
Read More RICHARD COHEN
Richard Cohen has litigated and arbitrated complex corporate, commercial and employment disputes for more than 35 years, and is a trusted advisor to business owners and in-house counsel both in the United States and internationally. His clients have included Fortune 100 companies, domestic and foreign commercial and investment banks, Pacific-rim corporations and real estate development companies, as well as start-up businesses throughout the United States.
AMY EPSTEIN GLUCK
Amy Epstein Gluck has represented individuals and corporate clients in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and various federal district courts for more than twenty years. Ms. Epstein Gluck’s current practice areas include employment law—advising on and drafting employment agreements; handling employment negotiations, severance agreements, noncompete and nondisclosure agreements, “wrongful terminations” and other EEO matters; representation at the EEOC level; advising employers about discrimination laws and how to remain in compliance, and employment negotiations.
