NLRB Focus on Employee Handbooks of Employers
7/17/15
By: Joyce M. Mocek
Over the last several months, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has targeted employee handbooks and policies of both union and non-union employers, determining that their policies and procedures constitute “unfair labor practices.” The NLRB continues …
Official Immunity: Recent Georgia Supreme Court decision reaffirms need for specific directives before finding ministerial duty for public officers
7/10/15
By: Chuck Reed, Jr.
Last week, in Eshleman v. Key, 2015 WL 3936075 (June 29, 2015), the Georgia Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeals’ denial of official immunity for an off-duty police officer whose police dog escaped from …
Supreme Court Defines Equitable Power of Courts in Approving Transfer of Firearms by Convicted Felons
5/20/15
By: Andy Treese and Charles Reed, Jr.
Law enforcement and other government agencies have been given considerable power in confiscating and otherwise prohibiting the use of property owned, used or possessed by persons suspected of criminal activity. What happens to …
“Yer Out!” United States Supreme Court Tosses 4th Pro Se in Forma Pauperis Request Holding that “Three Strikes” Provision Includes Cases Dismissed by a District Court and Pending on Appeal
5/20/15
By: Andy Treese and Charles Reed, Jr.
When Congress codified citizens’ access to courts regardless of their ability to pay costs, federal courts quickly became inundated with prisoner lawsuits. Congress, in turn, enacted the “three strikes” provision in 28 U. …
Supreme Court Grants Qualified Immunity to Police Officers Involved in Encounter with Mentally Ill Woman, Declines to Address Whether ADA Applies to Arrests
5/20/15
By: Andy Treese and Charles Reed, Jr.
This week the United States Supreme Court declined to rule on the issue of whether the Americans with Disabilities Act requires law enforcement officers to provide accommodations to an armed, violent, and mentally …
EEOC’s New Enforcement Guidance On Pregnancy Expands Interpretation of Existing Law
7/22/14
By: Amanda McCallum Cash
After a 3-2 vote, on July 14, 2014, the EEOC issued its first Enforcement Guidance on pregnancy in over 30 years. While the new guidelines cover a number of pregnancy-related topics that all employers should consider, …
Courts Continue to Question Protections Afforded By Iconic Business Judgment Rule – Georgia Joins the Trend
7/21/14
By: Michael Wolak, III
The business judgment rule is an iconic fixture in American corporate jurisprudence reflecting a strong judicial reluctance to question the business judgments of directors and officers. In its classic form, the business judgment rule insulates a …
New HIPAA Rule Brings Sweeping Changes
5/2/13
By: David Cole
The wait is over. The new HIPAA omnibus rule that the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued in January officially took effect on March 22, 2013. The deadline for compliance …
Court of Appeals Breathes New Life into Joint and Several Liability in Georgia
4/4/13
By: Phil Savrin
For many years, the rule in Georgia was that tortfeasors could be liable jointly and severally for bodily injury or death, without apportionment unless the plaintiff was found to be some part at fault. If a plaintiff …
Eleventh Circuit Holds That Property Manager For Homeowners Association Is Not “Debt Collector” Under The FDCPA
3/7/13
By: Bill Buechner
The Eleventh Circuit recently held in a case of first impression that a property management company is not a “debt collector” under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
In Harris v. Liberty Community Management, Inc., …
Georgia High Court to Revisit Scope of Official Immunity for State-Employed Physicians
3/7/13
By: Scott Rees and Michael Eshman
The highest Court in Georgia recently heard oral argument in a medical malpractice case with implications for medical providers working in state-run facilities. The issue, generally, is: when are medical providers working in state-run …
Disability or Criminal Behavior? ADA Claims Involving Law Enforcement
2/7/13
By: Brian Dempsey and Ali Sabzevari
Title II of the Americans With Disabilities Act (“ADA”) prohibits a “public entity” from discriminating against a “qualified individual with a disability” based upon that individual’s disability. An individual is deemed to have a …