Articles Posted in employment lawyer

Mario Batali is well known as a celebrity chef, educating many in the fine art of cooking. Now he can add to that resume an education in properly paying employees, as he has just settled a class action suit alleging that his restaurants illegally withheld tips from approximately 1,100 captains, servers, waiters, bussers, back waiters,…

President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act today, and part of the legislation protects mothers. The legislation amended federal law to require that nursing mothers be provided with “reasonable break time” to express breast milk “each time” its needed, for up to one year after birth. Employers must also provide working mothers…

In a landmark class action verdict against Novartis, a New York jury awarded $250 million in punitive damages for sexual discrimination on behalf of 5,600 women who worked for Novartis from 2002 to 2007, along with $3.3 million in compensatory damages for the 12 women who brought the complaint. The case is the largest gender…

February 17, 2008 The Hon. Deval Patrick, GovernorOffice of the GovernorState HouseBoston, MA 02133 RE: Effort to Clarify the Massachusetts Wage Act Dear Governor Patrick: I wrote to you in December 2006, as you were assembling your transition team, about a piece of bi-partisan legislation that passed both the House and Senate without objection and…

The Massachusetts Appeals Court has affirmed that all employees who receive commissions as a part of their compensation packages, are entitled to the protections of the Massachusetts Wage Act. The case is Okerman v. VA Software. According to the plain language of the statute, the Massachusetts Wage Act applies “to the payment of commissions when…

The First Circuit has ruled that corporate officers may be held personally liable for a corporation’s failure to pay to pay its employees proper wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). While the district courts in the First Circuit have been willing to impose personal liability on corporate officers for years, the First Circuit…

Managing Partner Philip Gordon was a guest on WBIX-AM’s “Money Matters” Show with host Barry Armstrong, on September 8, 2006. The segment discussed Massachusetts Wage and Labor Law and a bill designed to protect workers employers who withhold wages, salaries and benefits, and protect law-abiding business from the resulting unfair competition. From the interview: Armstrong:…

Managing Partner Philip Gordon was an in-studio guest on WBZ-AM’s “The Paul Sullivan Show,” on September 4, 2006, along with State Representative Peter Koutoujian. The segment discussed Massachusetts Wage and Labor Law and a bill designed to protect workers from unscrupulous employers who withhold wages, salaries and benefits, and protect law-abiding business from the resulting…

The Massachusetts Senate and House have enacted a bi-partisan bill designed to protect workers from unscrupulous employers who withhold wages, salaries and benefits, and protect law-abiding business from the resulting unfair competition. Filed by Senators Cynthia Creem and Steven Tolman, and Representatives Peter Koutoujian and Martin Walsh, the bill (H. 4663) calls for clarification of…