Justia Labor & Employment Law Opinion Summaries

At issue in this case was whether one of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico’s special-purpose public corporations, the Puerto Rico Ports Authority (PRPA), is an arm of the Commonwealth that enjoys sovereign immunity under the Eleventh Amendment. Daniel Grajales and his family alleged that PRPA subjected Daniel to political discrimination and unlawfully terminated his employment for reasons related to political discrimination and retaliation. After many procedural “twists and turns,” the district court granted PRPA’s motion to dismiss, concluding that PRPA was an arm of the Commonwealth and thus immune from suit under Eleventh Amendment immunity principles. The First Circuit reversed, holding that PRPA was not entitled to claim the Commonwealth’s immunity as an arm of the Commonwealth. Remanded. View "Grajales v. P.R. Ports Auth." on Justia Law

Plaintiff, a Puerto Rico Police Department law enforcement officer, filed a complaint alleging that Defendants, his superior officers, violated the Establishment Clause by holding a group prayer while on duty and punishing Plaintiff for his non-conformance. Defendants moved to dismiss the complaint on the grounds that the complaint failed to allege plausibly a constitutional violation, and invoking qualified immunity. The district court denied the motion on both grounds. Appellants filed this interlocutory appeal to challenge the court’s denial of qualified immunity. The First Circuit affirmed, holding that the district court did not err in rejecting Defendants’ qualified immunity defense. View "Marrero-Mendez v. Calixto-Rodriguez" on Justia Law

This appeal stemmed from an employment dispute between Angel Edgardo Rodriguez-Miranda (Rodriguez) and Malik Benin (Benin), two former colleagues. At issue in this, the the latest round of litigation, was a judgment entered against Benin’s company, Coquico, Inc., in favor of Rodriguez for $348,821. Benin apparently sought to avoid paying the judgment by transferring Coquico’s assets to his mother, Acquanetta Benin (Acquanetta) and to 18 Degrees North, LLC. The district court used Fed. R. Civ. P. 25(c) to hold Coquico, Benin, Acquanetta, and 18 Degrees North (collectively, Appellants) all liable for the judgment. The court also found Benin in civil contempt and imposed a monetary sanction. The First Circuit affirmed, holding (1) the district court did not plainly err in joining Benin, Acquanetta, and 18 Degrees North under Rule 25(c) as alter egos of Coquico and holding them liable for the judgment originally entered against Coquico only; and (2) the district court did not err in fining Appellants in civil contempt and imposing a $5,000 sanction on Benin. View "Rodriguez-Miranda v. Benin" on Justia Law

Plaintiff, a former employee of the Transportation Security Administration, filed suit against David Johnson, the Supervisory Air Marshal in Charge at the Boston Field Office of the Federal Air Marshals Service where Plaintiff worked, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging sex discrimination and sex harassment in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The district court dismissed Johnson from the suit and subsequently granted summary judgment in favor of DHS. The Supreme Court reversed the entry of summary judgment, holding (1) the district court erred by requiring Plaintiff to present direct evidence to establish sex discrimination under the mixed-motives theory; (2) the district court erred by requiring Plaintiff to show that Johnson’s conduct was both severe and pervasive to establish sex harassment; and (3) there was sufficient circumstantial evidence from which a reasonable jury could find in Plaintiff’s favor on both of her claims. Remanded. View "Burns v. Johnson" on Justia Law

Plaintiff brought suit against his former employer, Springfield Terminal Railway Company (Defendant), under the whistleblower provisions of the Federal Railroad Safety Act after he was fired. After a trial, the jury awarded Plaintiff $150,000 in compensatory damages and $250,000 in punitive damages. Defendant appealed, arguing that the district court gave an incorrect jury instruction as to the standard for awarding punitive damages. The First Circuit affirmed, holding (1) Defendant’s notice of appeal was timely, and the Court’s jurisdiction over this appeal was proper; and (2) there was no error in the district court’s punitive damages instruction. View "Worcester v. Springfield Terminal Ry. Co." on Justia Law

In 2007, Plaintiff was diagnosed with an eye disease. In 2010, Plaintiff’s contract with her employer expired and was not renewed. Plaintiff filed discrimination and retaliation claims against Defendants. The district court awarded summary judgment to Defendants, concluding (1) Plaintiff was not an Americans with Disabilities Act “qualified individual”; (2) Defendants’ denial of Plaintiff’s request for reasonable accommodations did not constitute discharge; and (3) Defendants’ decision not to rehire Plaintiff was for a non-discriminatory reason. The First Circuit affirmed, holding that Defendants acted for a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason, and therefore, Plaintiffs’ claims against Defendants failed. View "Velez-Ramirez v. Commonwealth of P.R." on Justia Law

The National Labor Relations Board (Board) issued an order ruling that a Massachusetts car dealership was liable for unfair labor practices. The dealership petitioned for review, arguing that the Board’s findings were not supported by substantial evidence and that the Board applied its precedents arbitrarily and capriciously. The Board, in turn, petitioned for enforcement of its order. The Supreme Court denied the dealership’s petition for review and granted the Board’s petition for enforcement, holding that the Board’s rulings were supported by substantial evidence and by reasoning that was not arbitrary and capricious. View "Boch Imports Inc. v. Nat’l Labor Relations Bd." on Justia Law

Article 3 of Puerto Rico’s Law No. 80 requires companies that operate in Puerto Rico to pay a “mesada” - or a statutory severance - to employees who are terminated without “just cause.” Plaintiffs were the former, and least senior, employees in American’s sole Puerto Rico office. Plaintiffs could be entitled to a mesada only if their seniority was computed in relation to America’s offices worldwide. The district court ruled in favor of American, concluding that Article 3 counts only those transfers that occur in Puerto Rico and none that are made to or from an office outside of it. In January, the First Circuit certified a question to the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico concerning the proper interpretation of Article 3. The First Circuit received the Supreme Court’s response and, on that basis, affirmed the district court’s judgment ruling in favor of American. Specifically, the First Circuit held that because American has only one office in Puerto Rico, American does not make transfers that could trigger the method for computing seniority that would benefit Plaintiffs. View "Carrasquillo-Ortiz v. American Airlines, Inc." on Justia Law

Tang began working at Citizens' Boston Commercial Real Estate Group in 2007. After applying for a position as a portfolio manager in the Technology Banking Group, Tang interviewed with Nackley in 2010, who had arranged the interview at a restaurant that Tang characterized as a popular dating spot. During the interview, Tang alleges, Nackley focused on personal matters and topics not relevant to the transfer. Tang, who is Chinese, recalled that Nackley expressed his views that Asian women are obedient and mentioned live-in au pairs whom he had hired from Thailand. He told Tang that the au pairs did not wear sufficiently revealing swimsuits and offered to teach Tang to golf. Nackley asked whether Tang was married and enquired where she looked to find a boyfriend. Tang showed Nackley examples of her work. Nackley encouraged her to apply for a position as a senior portfolio manager. Tang got the position and alleges that similar incidents followed, that she reported Nackley to human resources, and that she was terminated in 2011. The district court rejected her sexual harassment and retaliation suit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. 2000e. The First Circuit vacated, finding that Tang’s evidence was sufficient to survive summary judgment. View "Tang v. Citizens Bank, N.A." on Justia Law

The City of Boston and other Massachusetts communities and state employers, in selecting police officers for promotion to the position of sergeant in 2005 and 2008, adapted a test developed by a Massachusetts state agency. The test was the result of an effort to eliminate the use of race and other improper considerations in decisions involving public employment. Some of the Black and Hispanic applicants who were not selected for promotion filed suit, claiming that the use of the test resulted in an unjustified “disparate impact” in violation of Title VII. The district court entered judgment in favor of Defendants, concluding that the test was a valid selection tool and that Plaintiffs failed to prove that there was an alternative valid selection tool available that would have resulted in the promotion of a higher percentage of Black and Hispanic officers. The First Circuit affirmed, holding that the district court applied correct legal standards and that the record contained sufficient support for the court’s findings. View "Lopez v. City of Lawrence, Massachusetts" on Justia Law