Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Law Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2006

Employment Discrimination

BLR

Business Organizations Law

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Law

The Small Firm Exemption And The Single Employer Doctrine In Employment Discrimination Law, Richard R. Carlson May 2006

The Small Firm Exemption And The Single Employer Doctrine In Employment Discrimination Law, Richard R. Carlson

ExpressO

The small firm exemption is a provision of Title VII and the other major federal employment discrimination laws that exempts very small firms from coverage as “employers.” Under the Title VII version of the exemption, for example, an employer is exempt as long as it employs no more than fourteen employees. However, a small firm might be affiliated or integrated with other firms, which collectively employ more than the number of employees required for coverage. The single employer doctrine is a rule for treating separately organized firms as if they were one employer, for purposes of meeting the statutory threshold …


The Ineffectiveness Of Capped Damages In Cases Of Employment Discrimination: Solutions Toward Deterrence, Vanessa M. Ruggles Apr 2006

The Ineffectiveness Of Capped Damages In Cases Of Employment Discrimination: Solutions Toward Deterrence, Vanessa M. Ruggles

ExpressO

Although the Civil Rights Act of 1991 helped victims of employment discrimination in a variety of ways, including the authorization of jury trials and the accompanying possibility of compensatory and punitive damages, the caps Congress placed on damages do not serve the purpose of deterrence. Because the caps are based on the number of employees a defendant employer has, the goal of protecting small businesses from exorbitant damages is accomplished. However, because the top category of the caps is “500 or more” employees, giant corporations escape meaningful awards. This article identifies the problem citing specific examples, and proposes several solutions …