Caleb Gross, Author at Decatur Legal Page

Microsoft Faces Discrimination Suit By Female Worker

Software-test manager for Microsoft Azure Nancy Williams has filed suit against the company for gender, race and age discrimination. Williams, who is 53 and on medical leave from Microsoft, has worked for the company since 1996, joining the Azure group in 2010.

As detailed in this article, Williams’ lawsuit alleges that her former boss ignored her during meetings, excluded her from internal communications and treated male employees in a more favorable manner.

According to the suit filed this week, Azure is dominated by males with a large portion being of Eastern Indian descent. Williams claims that during a meeting that took place in 2013, her boss stood over her and made her repeat “You are my manager, I will do as you say.”

After reporting such incidents to the Human Resource department, Williams was told not file a formal complaint and according to Williams, little was done to correct the ongoing discrimination. Instead, Williams was given a substandard performance review and her boss allegedly waved his fists in her face.

In addition to monetary damages, Williams is asking the court to order an audit of Azure’s Human Resource department and require that every employee get training on discrimination and retaliation.

If you or someone you know thinks they have experienced employment discrimination, the team at Radford & Keebaugh can help. Contact us by phone at (678) 369-3609 or use our contact form.

Adam Sandler wins appeal in employment-related dispute

According to this Hollywood Reporter article, Deanne McDonald began working as a nanny for Adam Sandler in 2009. When McDonald’s employment with the actor ended, the parties reached an $80,000 settlement of any claims. McDonald agreed to a confidential provision as part of the settlement.

Last year, McDonald threatened suit against Sandler. Arguing that this was in violation of the agreement between he and his former employee, Sandler took McDonald to private arbitration. Accusations that the actor participated in slavery and criminal activity ensued.

An arbitrator found that McDonald was in violation of the settlement agreement and ordered that she give Sandler the money back. A trial judge later ruled in Sandler’s favor and McDonald appealed.

In addition to ruling in Sandler’s favor, an appeals court also found that the arbitrator was just in issuing an injunction preventing McDonald from filing suit against Sandler.

If you or someone you know thinks they have experienced unlawful employment practices, the team at Radford & Keebaugh can help. Contact us by phone at (678) 369-3609 or use our contact form.

Age Discrimination Suits on the Decline

According to this Washington Post article, since 2008 charges of age discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have shown a slight decline. 24,582 age discrimination suits were filed with the EEOC in 2008 compared to 21, 396 filings in 2013. In contrast to the decline in the number of age complaints filed, monetary awards for such cases has increased; 2013 showing the highest amount, roughly $97.9 million, since 1997.

As detailed in a 2012 AARP survey, 77 percent of respondents between the ages of 45 to 54 said employees do face age discrimination and of those working full-time, 58 percent agreed.

Although such entities as those in Silicon Valley have shown a blatant trend in recruiting young applicants by requesting “new grads” in job descriptions, the downward swing in such cases can be attributed to different factors. Such factors include a rising economy and the fact that older applicants are faced with age discrimination at the beginning stages of the hiring process.

Kris Stadelman, director of a San Francisco based work force development and training agency, believes that due to the trend of high-tier companies hiring young applicants at high salaries, mid-tier companies are hiring older workers at a lower price point.

If you or someone you know thinks they have experienced discrimination due to age, the team at Radford & Keebaugh can help. Contact us by phone at (678) 369-3609 or use our contact form.

University Professor Loses Job Offer After Making Controversial Tweets

According to this Huffington Post article, current speculation suggests that former Associate Professor at Virginia Tech Steven Salaita lost a job offer due to his controversial tweets. It is believed that the University of Illinois rescinded their job offer to Salaita after he made Anti-Israel comments on his Twitter account.

Although the American Association of University Professors’ Illinois committee has stated that Salaita’s comments were “strident and vulgar,” they describe the tweets as “an impassioned plea to end the violence currently taking place in the Middle East.” The committee further elaborated, “Speech that is deemed controversial should be challenged with further speech that may abhor and challenge a statement. Yet the University of Illinois cannot cancel an appointment based upon Twitter statements that are protected speech of the United States of America.”

In a Huffington Post report last month, a University of Illinois spokeswoman stated that, “Faculty have a wide range of scholarly and political views, and we recognize the freedom-of-speech rights of all of our employees.” The university since rescinding their offer to Salaita.

Former president of the AAUP and current English professor at the University recently stated that Salaita stepped over the line with the tone of his tweets and his comments regarding the Gaza conflict.

If you or someone you know believes that their civil rights have been violated, the team at Radford & Keebaugh can help. Contact us by phone at (678) 369-3609 or use our contact form.

Chicago College Faces Age Discrimination Lawsuit

For five years Nancy Sullivan worked as an adjunct professor in the English Department at Harold Washington College in Chicago. In a recent suit filed on Sullivan’s behalf, the EEOC alleges that the college discriminated against the 66 year old due to her age.

As described in this article, in September of 2011 Sullivan applied to three full-time job openings as advertised by the college. The positions were ultimately filled by applicants that were younger and had less experience than Sullivan.

District Director for the EEOC, John Roe, “What we discovered was that Sullivan had the credentials, had compiled an excellent record during her tenure as an adjunct and had enthusiastic recommendations from several full-time members of the faculty. She looked like a perfect fit for the job, yet was passed over in favor of younger, less-experienced candidates. That’s age discrimination.”

The EEOC names City Colleges of Chicago as Defendant in this action. Spokeswoman for City Colleges of Chicago, Kathryn Hayes, “City Colleges of Chicago prides itself as an inclusive and diverse workplace.”

In addition to back pay, the suit seeks injunctive relief to prevent the college from practicing future employment age discrimination and asks that Sullivan be given a full-time position at the college.

If you or someone you know thinks they have experienced discrimination due to age, the team at Radford & Keebaugh can help. Contact us by phone at (678) 369-3609 or use our contact form.