With more states passing laws allowing for marijuana use for medical and recreational reasons, the law regarding an employer’s responsibilities continue to evolve. In Pennsylvania, for instance, the statute lists specific areas in which employers may prohibit…
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Washington Public Employer Hit with $1.8 Million Judgment for Failing to Accommodate Prescription Drug User
A customer service representative employed for 20 years in Washington was awarded more than $1.8 million in damages for the employer’s failure to accommodate her use of opioids that were prescribed to treat her migraines. A Washington federal district court confirmed…
First Arkansas Town Approves Medical Marijuana Regulations
Texarkana’s board of directors recently approved business license fees for dispensaries and medical cannabis growers in the state of Arkansas. Dispensaries, which will need to pay an initial $7,500 and then $11,000 for yearly license renewals, could be operational…
New I-9 Form Released
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a revised version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, which will become mandatory on Sept. 18 and will replace all prior editions. The new form includes the name change of the…
Massachusetts High Court Reinstates Suit by Employee Fired for Off-Duty Medical Marijuana Use
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) reversed a lower court’s dismissal, determining that a woman’s claims for disability discrimination under the Massachusetts anti-discrimination statute could go forward. After accepting a job with Advantage Sales and…
Marijuana Trends Force Employers to Rethink Drug Testing Policies
With more and more employees testing positive for state-legalized marijuana, employers are encouraged to rethink testing and rewrite policies. Positive saliva and urine tests are climbing in both federally mandated, safety-sensitive workplaces, and general U.S….
In the Weeds: Florida Lawmakers Provide Medical Marijuana Guidance for the Workplace
There’s good news and bad news for employers after Florida Governor Rick Scott recently signed a medical marijuana bill into law that provides guidelines on the implementation of the state’s Constitutional Amendment regarding medical marijuana. In 2014, the governor…
A Painful Epidemic
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, opioid-related overdoses took the lives of 33,000 Americans in 2015. Driving the trend is a steep rise in the use of opioid painkillers, with 35 percent of American adults receiving prescriptions…
EEOC’s Race Discrimination Suit Against Janitorial Company Includes Background
A new discrimination lawsuit by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has revealed that the group remains interested in trying to use litigation to discourage employers from directly or indirectly screening out the protected class members who tend to be…
Disneyland Job Applicants Granted Class Cert. in FCRA Lawsuit
Two plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against Disneyland claim the business has made hundreds of adverse employment decisions based on job applicants’ background check reports without providing required notifications under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act…






