A former bodyguard for Britney Spears has filed a lawsuit against the pop superstar, alleging that he was subjected to repeated sexual harassment by the singer. Fernando Flores filed the sexual harassment lawsuit in suburban Los Angeles, alleging the singer intentionally inflicted emotional distress. The lawsuit claims that Spears, among other things, exposed herself to Flores and summoned him to her bedroom while she was naked. Flores is seeking unspecified damages from the Grammy Award-winner and his former employer, Advanced Security Concepts Corp. The bodyguard worked for Spears for only six months, having resigned after he had “exhausted his administrative remedies” with a state agency. Full Article: Washington Times

Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. When investigating allegations of sexual harassment, EEOC looks at the whole record: the circumstances, such as the nature of the sexual advances, and the context in which the alleged incidents occurred. A determination on the allegations is made from the facts on a case-by-case basis. For more information: EEOC Website.

Leeds Morelli & Brown, PC is a nationally recognized firm in the area of employment law. Our firm has had considerable success in matters of employment discrimination throughout Long Island and the New York City area. For more information, contact Leeds, Morelli and Brown, PC at 1-800-585-4658 for a free consultation.

A Florida church’s plan to burn the Quran, the Muslim holy book, has been criticized as “disrespectful, intolerant and divisive.”  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has condemned the planned burning of Qurans on the anniversary of the 2001 attacks on the United States as criticism mounts from Muslims around the world.  As a menacing consequence, U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, warned that the plan could put U.S. troops’ lives at risk.  The pastor of the Florida church, Terry Jones, told CNN Tuesday his flock was taking the warning seriously but had not decided to cancel the event, planned for September 11.  Jones, pastor of Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, told CNN: “We are burning the book. We are not killing someone. We are not murdering people.” The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday issued a statement saying the U.S. government “in no way condones such acts of disrespect against the religion of Islam, and is deeply concerned about deliberate attempts to offend members of religious or ethnic groups.”   Thousands of Indonesians gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sunday to protest the planned Quran burning.  Read More.

Instead of burning the Quran by claiming this act as one of faith in support of Jesus Christ’s mission, it is possible that this Florida church’s mission is a blatant form of discrimination against Muslims.  Anger at those responsible for the tragic events of September 11th should not be misdirected. Discriminating against an innocent individual or a group based on race or national origin may be prosecuted under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  At this time, Employers and labor unions have a special role in guarding against unlawful workplace discrimination.  They should be particularly sensitive to potential discrimination or harassment against individuals who are Muslim, Arab, Afghani, Middle Eastern or South Asian.  The law’s prohibitions include harassment or any other employment action based on religious affiliation, physical or cultural traits and clothing (such as harassing a woman wearing a hijab head-scarf), perception or association. For more information, see: http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-relig_ethnic.html

The attorneys at Leeds, Morelli & Brown, P.C. are experienced in handling all matters of discrimination, racial profiling, hate crimes, harassment and bigotry. The attorneys have represented clients in Nassau and Suffolk counties, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Staten Island.  For any questions concerning discriminatory or civil rights matters, contact an attorney at the Leeds Morelli & Brown P.C. law firm for a free consultation at 1-888-556-2529.  Leeds Morelli & Brown P.C.’s divorce website is located at www.lbdivorcelaw.com.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group CEO Larry Young earned $6.5 million last year. However, he has proposed to cut $1.50 an hour from the salaries of 350 skilled workers, while freezing pension and health care at the Mott’s applesauce plant in Williamson, N.Y.  In total, the Dr Pepper Snapple Group made $555 million in profits in 2009.  Workers at the Mott’s Williamson plant, who process half of the state’s apples into juice or sauce, have been on strike since May in opposition to the corporate-imposed $1.50 hourly pay cut. Northeastern University economist Andrew Sum says Mott’s, like most U.S. corporations, is keeping the profit. It has not been reinvested in new capital equipment and not used to help purchase new technology.  Read complete article

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is administered by the Wage and Hour Division (WHD). The Act establishes standards for minimum wages, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor. The Act applies to employers that oversee employees who engage in interstate commerce, produce goods for interstate commerce, or handle, sell, or work on goods or materials that have been moved in or produced for interstate commerce. The Act does not cover companies with less than $500,000 in annual dollar volume of business. However, the Act does cover the following regardless of their annual dollar amount: hospitals; institutions engaged in the care of the sick, aged, mentally ill, or disabled who reside on the premises; schools for children who are mentally or physically disabled or gifted; preschools, elementary and secondary schools, and institutions of higher education; and federal, state, and local government agencies.  The Act also covers domestic service workers, such as day workers, housekeepers, chauffeurs, cooks, or full time babysitters, if they receive at least $1,700 in 2009 in cash wages from one employer in a calendar year, or if they work a total of more than eight hours a week for one or more employers. See: http://www.dol.gov/compliance/guide/minwage.htm

The attorneys at Leeds Morelli & Brown, PC, are devoted to obtaining justice for clients who are deprived of just compensation and fair labor protections. If you or someone you know has been faced with a labor dispute, unpaid overtime, wage dispute, or slave labor, please contact Leeds Morelli & Brown, PC at 1-888-585-4658, One Old Country Road, Suite 347, Carle Place, NY, 11514-1851.

In a study released in the May/June Journal of Social Psychology, Stefanie Johnson, assistant professor of management at UC Denver Business School, found that attractive women were discriminated against when applying for jobs considered “masculine” and for which appearance was not seen as important to the job.  Such positions included job titles like manager of research and development, director of finance, mechanical engineer and construction supervisor. However, in the alternative, the study found that attractive men suffered no similar discrimination and were always at an advantage.  According to the study, beautiful people still enjoy a significant edge. They tend to get higher salaries, better performance evaluations, higher levels of admission to college, better voter ratings when running for public office and more favorable judgments in trials. Science Daily

Although numerous studies have found attractive people maintain a significant edge in the workplace, the law stands firm that it is illegal to discriminate against individuals.  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.  The law forbids discrimination when it comes to any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, fringe benefits, and any other term or condition of employment.  Please visit the EEOC’s website for further information: www.eeoc.gov/policy/vii.html.

Leeds Morelli & Brown, PC is a nationally recognized firm in the area of employment law.  Our firm has had considerable success in matters of employment discrimination throughout Long Island and the New York City area.  For more information, contact Leeds, Morelli and Brown, PC at 1-800-585-4658 for a free consultation.

A 51-year-old music executive known as “the Mom” or “Auntie” at Bad Boy Records is suing Sean “P. Diddy” Combs for $12 million claiming that she was fired for being old and disabled.  Francesca Spero says that she first met Combs, in 1988 and began working for him a decade later during his “Puff Daddy” phase.  During her tenure, she helped sign new song writers, get music clearances for corporate endorsements, execute Bad Boy’s $38 million deal with Warner Brothers and produce the MTV reality show “Making the Band.”  Roughly two years ago, Combs and Spero’s partnership began to fall apart when she underwent surgery to treat a hip misalignment, and he allegedly said she could no longer “run around” and earned too much money for “someone who could no longer keep up with his fast-paced lifestyle.”  In March 2010, Spero was fired said her replacement was a woman about 10 to 15 years younger.  Full Article

It is unlawful to discriminate against someone on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex, as per Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (“ADEA”) protects employees and job applicants who are 40 years of age or older from employment discrimination based on age.  Such discrimination violates the ADEA when it is applied to terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, including hiring, firing, promotion, layoff, compensation, benefits, job assignments, and training.

Leeds Morelli & Brown, PC is a nationally recognized firm in the area of employment law.  Our firm has had considerable success in matters of employment discrimination throughout Long Island and the New York City area.  For more information, contact Leeds, Morelli and Brown, PC at 1-800-585-4658 for a free consultation.

A Disneyland hostess has filed a religious discrimination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The hostess, who is a practicing Muslim, seeks to challenge Disney’s policy forbidding the wearing of her hijab, a religious head covering, claiming that the policy is illegal and wrong.

Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown stated that the company has allowed the employee to wear her hijab while working, but not in front of customers. However, the employee’s union is claiming that, despite the alleged accommodation, Disney’s action still constitutes a discriminatory practice. In addition to this development, Disney and the employee’s union have been battling over how much workers should contribute to their health plan and other issues. See:
http://www.presstelegram.com/breakingnews/ci_15817488

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. It is unlawful to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of his/her race or color in regard to hiring, termination, promotion, compensation, job training, or any other term, condition, or privilege of employment. Please visit the EEOC’s website for more information: www.eeoc.gov/policy/vii.html.

The attorneys at Leeds Morelli & Brown, PC believe that discrimination at work, or anywhere else, has no place in a free and democratic society. Leeds Morelli & Brown, PC has won precedent-setting decisions involving employment discrimination for clients represented on Long Island, throughout the New York City area. For a free consultation, please Contact Leeds Morelli & Brown, PC at 1-888-585-4658.  at One Old Country Road - Suite 347, Carle Place, NY, 11514-1851