Category: BLOG
Employees Take a Stand – Discrimination Because of “Race Association” is Illegal
Did you know that Minnesota law protects employees from discrimination because of the race of their family and friends? For example, if your boss tells you that you can’t have photos of your bi-racial child in your cube or office, but allows white employees to leave up photos of their white children, you may be …
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Employees Take a Stand – Sexual Harassment
You start a new job and everything is going great. Your coworkers are welcoming and your boss is particularly friendly. It may seem innocent at first. A compliment about your appearance, a comment about what you’re wearing, a pet name. But the frequency starts to make you uncomfortable. Your boss starts asking about your love …
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Employees Take a Stand – Paying Not to Play: Severance Agreements and Signing Away Your Legal Rights for a Final Paycheck
It’s Friday morning. As usual, you show up to the office, grab a coffee from the break room, and fire up the computer to begin your day. It’s been a long week but who cares – the weekend is in clear view and the cabin is calling. Then, your boss pays you an unexpected visit …
Employees Take a Stand – Your Right to Medical Leave: The FMLA & MPLA
Life can change in a flash. Things are moving along and suddenly your child is in a serious accident, or you are diagnosed with an illness that requires extensive treatment. What do you do about your job? If you have worked for your employer longer than a year, you may have the right to take …
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Employees Take a Stand – Is Anxiety a Disability?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) prohibit employers from discriminating against employees (or potential employees)with disabilities. In fact, these laws require employers to accommodate disabled employees if that will make it possible for the employee to continue working and does not create hardship for the employer. Under the …
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Whistleblowers Take a Stand – Can Misleading Statements by For-Profit Schools Create Liability Under the False Claims Act?
In the past several years For-Profit Colleges and Universities have been under intense scrutiny by both state and federal agencies for claims that they mislead prospective students about placement rates, starting salaries, and credit transfer. Students often obtain federally insured student loans and grants to attend these schools. In fact, the Department of Education has …
Consumers Take a Stand – Is it legal for car wash receipts to expire?
Many of us have purchased codes for washes at a gas station pump and then not been able to use them. Then the next time we retrieve the car wash receipt from our dashboard we see that it has expired! This means that the gas station store got our money – a windfall – and …
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Legislature Updates Minnesota False Claims Act – Expands Time to File Whistleblower Claim and Persons Covered by the Act
On April 22, 2013, Governor Dayton signed HF 290 into law, which modified Minnesota’s False Claims Act found at Minn. Stat. § 15C. The bill primarily changed the statute so that it would reward and facilitate False Claims Act cases at least as effectively as the federal law. By making these changes Minnesota should be …
Minnesota Strengthens Whistleblower Protections
Greater protections for Minnesota whistleblowers became a reality on May 24, 2013, when Governor Dayton signed HF542, which enhanced Minnesota’s Whistleblower Act, Minn. Stat. §181.932. The Act prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who report violations of statutes or regulations, or refuse to engage in conduct that violates the law. The legislative changes increase whistleblower …
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NBA CENTER AND FORMER TIMBERWOLVES PLAYER ANNOUNCES HE IS GAY
Societal attitudes seem to be changing regarding sexual orientation discrimination. For example, the recent defeat of the proposed state marriage amendment confirmed that a majority of Minnesota voters do not believe that a prohibition against same-sex marriage should be codified as a state constitutional amendment. However, many civil rights advocates might agree that more action is required. …
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