Employment Law Blog
Recent Legislative and Regulatory Developments in U.S. Executive Compensation
Executive compensation trends in the United States are affected by a network of interrelated factors, including legal and regulatory requirements, market and cultural trends, and shareholder pressures. C-suite and senior executives should know the significant roles that securities and tax laws play in compensation structures.
Upheaval From Pandemic and Recession Driving Increase in Wage Theft, According to New Study
It has been said that in every crisis lies opportunity. Unfortunately, the twin crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recession that followed have increased opportunities for unscrupulous employers to engage in rampant wage theft, including minimum wage and overtime violations. A recent study found that large numbers of low-wage and minimum wage workers, already vulnerable from economic upheaval and uncertainty, are likely being paid less than the law requires, or not receiving paychecks at all.
McDonald’s “Clawback” Lawsuit Against Former CEO Is the Latest to Shine a Light on Questionable Executive Compensation Practices
McDonald’s is seeking the return of the $42 million severance package that its former CEO received upon his departure, claiming it should be returned to the company because he lied, concealed evidence, and committed fraud relating to his termination from the company. Disputes over executive compensation or bonuses rarely end up in court. But the McDonald’s lawsuit is the latest in a series of such cases, including shareholder derivative lawsuits involving recognized companies, that have made their way to the courtroom, with mixed results.
ABA Commission on Women in the Profession Honors Wendi S. Lazar With Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award
Outten & Golden LLP is proud to announce that the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession bestowed its Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award on our esteemed partner Wendi S. Lazar.
The Brent Award is considered one of the most prestigious awards the ABA confers. Past Brent Award honorees include the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Kathleen Peratis Reflects on Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Gender Equality Advocate
The entire Outten & Golden family was saddened to hear about the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but no one more than our partner Kathleen Peratis, a close friend of Justice Ginsburg.
Kathleen served as the director of the ACLU Women’s Rights Project from 1975 to 1979, during which she fought alongside Ginsburg on the gender discrimination cases the ACLU took to the Court. Of the six appeals Ginsburg argued before “the brethren,” she won five.
Gaming Industry Finally Reckoning With Rampant Sexism and Harassment As Scores of Women Come Forward
Gaming is big business. Often, it is also a cesspool of misogyny, assault, sexual harassment, and discrimination. As detailed in a recent New York Times exposé, scores of competitive gamers and streamers have courageously come forward with stories of rampant sexual misconduct and hostile environments of harassment allowed to persist by industry leaders and fellow competitors. As appalling as the tales are, victims and others in the industry forecast these recent stories will serve as catalysts for long-overdue changes after previous waves of complaints were met with swift backlash or denials.
The Times report details how gamers have been sharing their stories of mistreatment on platforms like Twitter, YouTube, Twitch, and the blogging platform TwitLonger. Similar to claims of sexual harassment and discrimination in the “bro love” culture of the tech industry, gamers’ have alleged nonconsensual touching, propositions for sex, and harassment by highly-ranked and high-profile gamers as well as executives at companies that manage gaming talent,
10 Years After Dodd-Frank, Here’s What We Know
In 2010, Congress responded to years of turmoil in the financial services industry by enacting the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank). This landmark legislation was intended to protect consumers, regulate and police Wall Street, restore economic stability, end “too-big-to-fail” institutions, and prevent another financial crisis.
July 2020 marked the tenth anniversary of Dodd-Frank. Despite several attempts to undercut the law over the past decade, its protections have benefitted countless U.S. consumers, investors, taxpayers, and whistleblowers. Even now, Dodd-Frank has helped the nation avoid an economic collapse in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Words Matter: Inherent Bias and Employment Discrimination
If the events of the past few weeks have shown us anything, it's that - like Black lives - words matter. Both spoken and in writing, the language we use has the power to inspire, offend, unite, and divide. Sometimes, the use of seemingly harmless words, or even the...
Supreme Court Decisions Provide a Glimmer of Hope for Racial Justice
The current chaos in our lives includes a pandemic that has put over twenty million people out of work and the seemingly unceasing killing of Black people by police. But last week, we saw glimmers of hope for a better future. On Thursday, June 18, 2020, the U.S....
“Dreamers” Fight Against Discrimination Continues Following Supreme Court DACA Ruling
In a significant victory for immigrants' rights, the U.S Supreme Court blocked the Trump Administration's attempt to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Court's surprising 5-4 decision found the administration failed to provide...
