Personal Injury Law

Supreme Court sides with employee on retaliation case.

By Wayne Parsons

The Washington Post (1/27, A2, Barnes) reports, "The Supreme Court unanimously ruled yesterday that a federal anti-discrimination law protects employees from retaliation when they cooperate with internal investigations of harassment," siding with "Vicky S. Crawford, who said she was fired from her longtime job in charge of payroll for the Nashville school system after she answered questions in an ongoing investigation into what the court termed the 'louche goings-on' involving a supervisor." This "ruling was the latest case in which the court has sided with employees who sue for retaliation, a position somewhat at odds with the pro-business label the court has received under Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr."

The AP (1/27, Sherman) reports, "Workers who cooperate with their employers' internal investigations of discrimination may not be fired in retaliation for implicating colleagues or superiors, a unanimous Supreme Court ruled Monday."

The Wall Street Journal (1/27, Bravin) reports, "The unanimous opinion was the third decision in four years protecting employees who oppose race or sex discrimination at work" and "underscores the court's rejection of technical arguments that could chill discrimination investigations." The New York Times (1/27, A21, Liptak) also covers the story.

Supreme Court issues pattern of rulings said to suggest collegiality. The Legal Times (1/27, Mauro) reports, "The unanimous rulings continue a recent pattern that may be moving the Court closer to Chief Justice John Roberts Jr.'s stated goal of greater collegiality" and "so far this term, 10 of the 15 signed opinions have been unanimous, and the last eight decisions have been issued without dissents. Four rulings this term have been split 5-4, and one came out 6-3."

Full post as published by Honolulu Personal Injury Lawyer on January 27, 2009 (boomark / email).