Blog

May 22, 2014

NJ high school and college interns as well as other young aspiring professionals working in New York City will now have the same anti-discrimination and harassment protections as all employees. On April 15, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio signed a bill protecting unpaid interns in NYC from sexual harassment and workplace discrimination. This was a clarification of the law, spurred by the case of Lihuan Wang. Wang was a former unpaid intern for Phoenix Satellite Television. She sued after allegedly being harassed by her supervisor. However, her case was thrown out by Judge Kevin Castel, who said…

May 15, 2014

If you’re one of the thousands of New Jersey residents who are unemployed and still looking for a job, the State Senate delivered you some good news on Monday, May 12. A bill prohibiting employers from using employment status as a condition of hiring passed through the state senate, 23-13, moving it on to the Assembly. Under bill-S1440, employers would be permitted to inquire about potential employees’ work history and why they were fired or left the job, but it cannot factor into their hiring decision. Employers would also be allowed to limit job searches to…

May 8, 2014

A Woodbridge personal injury law firm has been thrust into the news after it fired an employee who suffered a panic attack during lunch. Now the woman, Laura Springvloed, is suing her former employers for lost wages, court fees, attorneys’ fees, compensatory damages, consequential damages, and punitive damages. According to the lawsuit, Springvloed claims she had anxiety problems which worsened following a surgery to remove a mass from her breast. On Feb. 22, 2013, she suffered a panic attack during lunch. She texted her boss, saying: “I’m not coming back. I’m physically shaking and suffering inside.

April 29, 2014

As the weather warms up around the country, construction projects will begin to pop up all over, and with that comes an increased threat of injuries. Working on a construction site is one of the most dangerous occupations in the country, with thousands of injuries every year, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The fatal injury rate for the construction industry is higher than the national average and it’s because of the inherent nature of the business. Construction workers are in danger of falls, trench and scaffolding collapses, electrocution, repetitive motion injuries and caught…

April 17, 2014

A case in New Jersey involving a man’s use of medical marijuana and his job’s decision to make him enroll in drug rehab is one of, if not the first of its kind in the state. As marijuana reform slowly makes its way around the country, these types of cases will likely become more common place. Charlie Davis was prescribed medical marijuana to treat his end-stage renal failure. After failing a drug test for NJ Transit, he was suspended and told that he could not work for the company until completing a drug rehab program. He…

April 10, 2014

New Jersey Republican Assemblyman Ronald Dancer is challenging an interpretation of the state’s misuse of headlights law by invoking first amendment rights. Dancer says that it should be legal for a vehicle operator to flash an oncoming driver to warn of a speed trap, claiming it’s freedom of speech. Technically speaking, based on precedent set in a 1999 case, it is already legal to flash warning lights to oncoming drivers in New Jersey. However, because of instances where the law has been misinterpreted, Dancer thinks it needs to be spelled out a little more. The Ocean County Assemblyman…

April 3, 2014

Employers in the Tri-State Area can breathe a sigh of relief. Based on data compiled by Hiscox, an international small business insurance company, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are not at the top of the list of the riskiest states for employee lawsuits. Based on the study, U.S. businesses with at least 10 employees have a 12.5 percent chance to have an employment liability lawsuit filed against them. However, there were multiple states with a much higher probability than that. We have offices by appointment in Elizabeth-New Brunswick-West New York-Plainfield-Edison-Perth Amboy-Newark-Jersey City-Orange-Westfield-and Summit New Jersey…

March 27, 2014

Working Families United for New Jersey is partnering with members of the state legislature in a campaign to make NJ the second state in the U.S. to enact a law giving paid sick leave to all workers. Currently, Newark and Jersey City have passed similar protections for its workers, but the hope is to get the rest of the state on board. For many workers in different occupations, coming down with a sickness at the wrong time can be devastating to their finances. A few days off work, unpaid, may have a significant effect on areas…

March 18, 2014

In response to a brutal attack of a correctional officer by an inmate at New Jersey State Prison, state lawmakers have introduced a bill which would give corrections officers full salary during their recovery period. A corrections officer named Eligia Then was assaulted on Feb. 6 by an inmate. She suffered bruises to her neck from being choked, while also sustaining bruises on her right eye, her nose, cuts on her eyebrows and cheeks, as well as head injuries. Currently, New Jersey officers must use sick leave and personal days in the five days after sustaining an…

March 13, 2014

The window for disgruntled consumers to seek recourse may get smaller, if a certain newly proposed New Jersey bill is passed. Sponsored by Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson), A1254 would tighten the window for consumers to file malpractice suits against attorneys, architects, accountants and other licensed professionals. Under current laws, NJ consumers have a six-year statute of limitations to file a professional malpractice claim. The new bill would cut that time down to two years, and would also affect some health care professionals, as well as contractors and sub-contractors. Advocates of the proposed measure, namely the New…