Labor and Employment Law Commons^™

Employment Discrimination, Peter Reed Corbin, John E. Duvall

Mercer Law Review

Similar to the 2005 survey period, during the 2006 survey period, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals continued its trend of issuing fewer and fewer published decisions in the area of employment discrimination. The court issued only six published decisions all year involving Title VII and only published nine opinions in the area of employment discrimination overall. With respect to unpublished opinions, however, the court continued to be extremely active, issuing 103 unpublished Title VII opinions and 148 unpublished employment discrimination opinions overall. This is further evidence of the fact that despite the proliferation of employment discrimination cases before the …

Labor And Employment, W. Christopher Arbery, Valerie N. Njiiri

Mercer Law Review

The Eleventh Circuit's trial and appellate courts handed down several significant opinions affecting labor and employment law during this survey period (January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006). For example, the Eleventh Circuit rendered notable decisions involving the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA"), the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act ("ERISA"), and federal and state Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization ("RICO") statutes, and a district court decided a noteworthy decision under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act ("USERRA").

Labor And Employment Law, W. Melvin Haas Iii, William M. Clifton Iii, W. Jonathan Martin Ii

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys recent developments in state statutory and common law that affect labor and employment relations of Georgia employers. Accordingly, it surveys published decisions from the Georgia Court of Appeals and Georgia Supreme Court from June 1, 2005 to May 31, 2006. This Article also highlights specific revisions to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.

Employment Discrimination, Peter Reed Corbin, John E. Duvall

Mercer Law Review

The 2005 survey period saw a continuation of the diminished number of published decisions by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in the area of employment discrimination. However, it is interesting to note that the Eleventh Circuit also handed down at least 141 unpublished opinions in employment discrimination cases. Accordingly, while this trend may mean that the topic of employment discrimination is still very much alive and well within the Eleventh Circuit, it may also indicate that there are fewer unsettled questions of law in this area. However, this does not mean that the 2005 survey period was insignificant

Labor And Employment, Jerry C. Newsome, K. Alex Khoury

Mercer Law Review

Several significant opinions affecting labor and employment law in the Eleventh Circuit were handed down by the Supreme Court and the Eleventh Circuit's trial and appellate courts during this survey period (January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005). For example, the United States Supreme Court clarified the meaning of a continuous workday in IBP, Inc. v. Alvarez, expanding the amount of nonproductive time for which employers must pay their workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA"). Further, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida enforced a strict standard …

Pennsylvania State Police V. Suders, Letoyia C. Brooks

Mercer Law Review

In Pennsylvania State Police v. Suders, the United States Supreme Court reached two conclusions. First, the Court wrote that an employee who resigns as a result of sexual harassment may assert a Title VII constructive discharge claim where the employee can show that the "working conditions became so intolerable that a reasonable person in the employee's position would have felt compelled to resign." Second, the Court held that an employer may assert the affirmative defense established in Burlington Industries, Inc. v. Ellerth and Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, ("Ellerth/Faragher") in a situation where an employee …

Labor And Employment, W. Melvin Haas Iii, William M. Clifton Iii, W. Jonathan Martin Ii

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys recent developments in state statutory and common law that affect labor and employment relations of Georgia employers. Accordingly, it surveys published decisions from the Georgia Court of Appeals and Georgia Supreme Court from June 1, 2004 to May 31, 2005. This Article also highlights specific revisions to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated ("O.C.G.A.").

Labor And Employment, Jerry C. Newsome, K. Alex Khoury

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys notable developments in labor and employment law in the Eleventh Circuit from January 1 to December 31, 2004. During the survey period, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals rendered notable decisions regarding the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA") and the Labor Management Relations Act ("LMRA"). Several district courts also weighed in during this survey period with significant rulings on the FMLA and the Equal Pay Act ("EPA").

Employment Discrimination, Peter Reed Corbin, John E. Duvall

Mercer Law Review

Continuing the trend begun with the 2003 survey period, the 2004 survey period experienced a significant decrease in the number of decisions by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in the area of employment discrimination. On the other hand, the United States Supreme Court decided several noteworthy decisions in the employment arena. In Pennsylvania State Police v. Suders, the Court addressed the important issue of whether the Ellerth/Faragher affirmative defense' in hostile work environment sexual harassment cases is available when the plaintiff alleges that she was constructively discharged. In General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc. v. Cline, …

Labor And Employment, W. Melvin Haas Iii, William M. Clifton Iii, W. Jonathan Martin Ii

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys recent developments in state statutory and common law that affect labor and employment relations of Georgia employers. Accordingly, it surveys published decisions from the Georgia Court of Appeals and Georgia Supreme Court from June 1, 2003 to May 31, 2004. This Article also highlights specific revisions to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated ("O.C.G.A.").

Employment Discrimination, Peter Reed Corbin, John E. Duvall

Mercer Law Review

For the first time in the life of this Article, the 2003 survey period appears to have experienced a marked decrease in the number of decisions handed down by the United States Supreme Court and the Eleventh Circuit in the area of employment discrimination. As Title VII approaches its fortieth anniversary, perhaps this is an indication that there are fewer and fewer unsettled questions of law in this area. However, this decline in the number of decisions does not mean that the 2003 survey period was insignificant. The Supreme Court, in Raytheon Co. v. Hernandez, continued its string of …

Labor And Employment, Jerry C. Newsome, K. Alex Khoury

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys notable developments in labor and employment law in the Eleventh Circuit from January 1 to December 31, 2003. During the survey period, the United States Supreme Court handed down two notable decisions, one involvirng the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") and the other involving the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"). The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit rendered several notable decisions involving the FLSA, the FMLA, the National Labor Relations Act ("NLRA"), and the Railway Labor Act ("RLA") during the survey period. The Eleventh Circuit also issued a significant opinion affecting restrictive covenants …

Labor And Employment, W. Melvin Haas Iii, William M. Clifton Iii, W. Jonathan Martin Ii

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys recent developments in the state statutory and common law that affect labor and employment relations of Georgia employers. Accordingly, it surveys published decisions from the Georgia Supreme Court and Georgia Court of Appeals from June 1, 2002 to May 31, 2003. This Article also includes highlights of certain revisions to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated ("O.C.G.A.").

Employment Discrimination, Peter Reed Corbin, John E. Duvall

Mercer Law Review

The field of employment discrimination law was alive and well in the Eleventh Circuit during the 2000 survey period. Indeed, the area is not even showing any signs of slowing down. The case receiving the most press was the Supreme Court's decision in Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc. , which, although an age discrimination action, will have a large impact on whether cases reach a jury in all areas of employment discrimination law. The Eleventh Circuit also handed down a number of notable decisions, particularly in the area of sexual harassment, the disparate impact theory of liability, and the …

Labor And Employment Law, Richard Gerakitis, James P. Ferguson Jr., Dorothy E. Larkin

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys the 1999 and 2000 decisions of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in which the court addressed issues in the areas of labor and employment law. Specifically, this Article examines decisions by the Eleventh Circuit under the (1) Family Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"); (2) Age Discrimination in Employment Act ("ADEA"); (3) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ("Title VII"); (4) Employee Retirement Income Security Act ("ERISA"); (5) Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA"); and (6) Americans With Disabilities Act ("ADA").' During the past two years, the Eleventh Circuit decided numerous cases …

Employment Discrimination, Peter Reed Corbin, John E. Duvall

Mercer Law Review

The 1999 survey period was another active year for employment discrimination litigation in the Eleventh Circuit and before the United States Supreme Court. In addition to the many cases decided by the Eleventh Circuit, the Supreme Court rendered several key decisions defining the scope of the Americans with Disabilities Act and redefining the concept of sovereign immunity. The Court also set standards for punitive damages awards under Title VII. Each of these decisions are discussed in detail below.

Mixed-Motive Cases On Employment Discrimination Law Revisited: A Brief Updated View Of The Swamp, Robert Belton

Mercer Law Review

In 1973 the Supreme Court enunciated an analytical framework in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green with the purpose of providing plaintiffs in statutory employment discrimination cases a full and fair opportunity to prove intentional discrimination despite the unavailability of direct evidence. The McDonnell Douglas framework is used primarily in cases litigated under the disparate treatment theory of discrimination and is based upon presumptions and burden-shifting schemes. McDonnell Douglas was the predominant analytical framework for statutory employment discrimination cases until the Supreme Court decided Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins in 1989. ...

Congress overturned the fundamental holding of Price Waterhouse in the …

The Mixed-Motive Defense In Workplace Discrimination Actions And Its Procedural Issues In The Eleventh Circuit, Richard A. Weller

Mercer Law Review

Being fired from one's place of employment is an unfortunate incident that many Americans face on one or more occasions during their lifetimes. Discharged employees obviously experience some degree of economic loss by losing salaries and benefits. Even when rightfully discharged, employees may suffer emotional and psychological harm because of their perceived failure. This harm may be magnified when the employee has been discharged for wrongful, illegal reasons.

However, in some cases an employer may have legitimate, legal reasons to terminate an employee and simultaneously have illegal, discriminatory reasons. In such a "mixed-motives" situation, employers may be able to limit …

Price Waterhouse: Alive And Well Under The Age Discrimination In Employment Act, H.Lane Dennard Jr., Kendall L. Kelly

Mercer Law Review

Judicial application of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 ("ADEA") may be the most divergent of the employment discrimination laws because the ADEA is a hybrid of two statutes: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 19642 ("Title VII") and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 ("FLSA"). The ADEA incorporates only selected portions of each of these statutes. For example, the general prohibition against age discrimination contained in the ADEA parallels the substantive provisions of Title VII, while the remedial provisions mirror, at least in part, the FLSA. Courts, however, have generally approached the ADEA in …

Employment Discrimination, Peter Reed Corbin, Richard L. Ruth

Mercer Law Review

The 1998 survey period presented an extremely active year in the employment discrimination arena, not only for the Eleventh Circuit, but also for the United States Supreme Court.' Three key decisions were rendered by the Supreme Court on sexual harassment and same-sex discrimination, and another decision was rendered on the arbitrability of ADA claims. Yet, ironically, in this year of inordinate Supreme Court activity in the field of labor and employment law, the Court's arbitration decision did not "live up to the hype" of being a landmark decision on the legality of mandatory predispute arbitration of statutory discrimination claims. On …

Labor Law, Stephen W. Mooney, Leigh Lawson Reeves

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys the 1998 decisions of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit that addressed issues in the areas of traditional labor law. This article specifically discusses decisions by the Eleventh Circuit under the Labor Management Relations Act ("LMRA"), the National Labor Relations Act ("NLRA"), the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 ("FLSA7), and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA"). As in the years past, the Eleventh Circuit decided several cases that involved issues of interest in the area of traditional labor law. Due to page limitations, however, this Article cannot survey every …

Burlington Industries, Inc. V. Ellerth: An Affirmative Defense Against Employer Liability For Supervisory Harassment, Joyelle K. Werner

Mercer Law Review

In Burlington Industries, Inc. v. Ellerth, the Supreme Court held that an employer is vicariously liable for its supervisor's harassment that creates a hostile work environment, subject only to the affirmative defense that the employer "exercised reasonable care to prevent and correct" the harassment and that the "employee unreasonably failed to take advantage" of the employer's remedial procedure or corrective opportunities offered after the fact.

Brisentine V. Stone & Webster Engineering, William White

Mercer Law Review

In Brisentine v. Stone & Webster Engineering, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals revisited the murky corner of employment law that deals with arbitration agreements. The case is noteworthy because the court, for the first time in the Eleventh Circuit, addressed the issue of whether a compulsory arbitration provision in a collective bargaining agreement precluded a separate action by the employee to protect his statutory rights.

Employment Discrimination, Richard L. Ruth

Mercer Law Review

The 1996 survey period presented a rather unique year for the Eleventh Circuit in the employment discrimination arena. For example, the long anticipated wave of Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") litigation finally reached shore. In a different twist, employers fared better than in past years on summary judgment appeals. Finally, the first reported retaliation case in the Eleventh Circuit arising under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act ("ERISA") was decided. In all, as the following discussion will amply illustrate, it was a very busy year for employment law in the Eleventh Circuit, with significantly more noteworthy cases on appeal.

Labor Law, Stephen W. Mooney, Leigh Lawson Reeves

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys the 1996 decisions of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in which the court addressed issues in the areas of traditional labor law. This Article specifically discusses decisions by the Eleventh Circuit under the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947 ("LMRA") the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 ("FLSA"), the Occupational Safety and Hazard Act of 1970 ("OSHA"), and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA").

In this survey year, the Eleventh Circuit decided several cases involving these traditional areas of labor law. Due to the volume of cases, this Article …

Labor Law, Stephen W. Mooney, Leigh Lawson Reeves

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys the 1995 decisions of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit that addressed issues in the areas of traditional labor law. This Article specifically discusses decisions by the Eleventh Circuit under the National Labor Relations Act ("NLRA), the Labor Management Relations Act ("LMRA"), the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 ("FLSA"), and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA7).

Unlike the past few years, this survey year the Eleventh Circuit did not decide many cases which involved labor law issues. There were numerous unpublished opinions by the Eleventh Circuit dealing with the …

Employment Discrimination, John F. Dickinson, F. Damon Kitchen

Mercer Law Review

The employment law docket of the Eleventh Circuit last year was a reflection of the general state of employment-related litigation in all but one respect. It included a large number of decisions, many of which turned on complicated procedural issues arising out of trial practice before juries. On the other hand, as in previous years the court of appeals published no opinion concerning a disability claim under the Americans With Disabilities Act of, 1990. These are sure to come.

Consistent with the tradition of past articles on this topic, this survey does not attempt to include all opinions that touch …

Mckennon V. Nashville Banner Publishing Company: Progression Of The After-Acquired Evidence Doctrine, Lauren L. Logan

Mercer Law Review

In McKennon v. Nashville Banner Publishing Co., the United States Supreme Court held that after-acquired evidence of employee wrongdoing that would have led to termination on lawful and legitimate grounds does not bar the employee from all relief sought under an employment discrimination action. The plaintiff, Christine McKennon, had worked for the defendant, Nashville Banner Publishing Company, for thirty years when, as claimed by Banner, she was discharged as part of a work force reduction plan. McKennon, who was sixty-two years old at the time of her discharge, claimed that her termination was based on her age. She filed …

Employment Discrimination, Peter Reed Corbin, John E. Duvall

Mercer Law Review

Perhaps the most surprising development during the 1994 survey period is what did not happen, as opposed to what did happen. The anticipated stampede of decisions under the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (the "ADA"), has not yet happened, at least at the circuit court of appeals level. Not a single ADA case was handed down by the Eleventh Circuit during the survey period. Since, at last count, there were over 30,000 ADA charges pending at the administrative charge level, this most certainly will change in the very near future. The year 1994 will also be remembered as the …

Labor Law, Stephen W. Mooney, Leigh Lawson Reeves

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys the 1994 decisions of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit that impacted on the areas of traditional labor law. This Article specifically addresses decisions by the Eleventh Circuit under the National Labor Relations Act ("NLRA7), the Labor Management Relations Act ("LMRA"), the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 ("FLSA7), the Occupational Safety and Hazard Act ("OSHA), and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA7).

Given the volume of cases decided by the Eleventh Circuit in the area of traditional labor law this past survey year, this Article does not address every …