Entries by Labor

The Sound of Silence: Another Look At Witness-Silence Agreements

By Kevin P. Murphy The ethical pitfalls of non-disclosure agreements have received renewed attention in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Less frequently discussed — but equally problematic for prosecuting sexual harassment and other employment cases — are agreements that prohibit individuals from serving as witnesses in other cases. As Paul Simon (or, depending on […]

Representing Employers In the #MeToo Era

By Robin Shea The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports that it has seen only about a 3 percent increase in sexual harassment charges since the #MeToo movement began roughly a year ago. However, a more significant increase may become apparent in early 2019, after the Agency compiles its charge-filing statistics for the fiscal year that […]

Whether Employee Repayment Agreements Pass Muster Under The FLSA

By Kevin S. Joyner In an age of ever-increasing workforce transience, employers often seek ways to incentivize employees to commit to their organization through benefit programs such as relocation expenses, tuition reimbursement, sign-on and/or retention bonuses, and other monetary advances.  Employers also spend a considerable amount of time and money training new employees.  In an […]

Recent Court Opinions From NC COA and 4th Circuit

By Joseph S. Murray IV Not a lot of fun cases over the past couple of months. Most of the cases presented here are about the North Carolina Human Resources Act (HRA) and turn on the minutia of the statutes and regulations. Here are the latest labor and employment cases: Hunt v. N.C. Dep’t of Pub. […]

Can Lawyers Be Good Samaritans?

By Marc E. Gustafson We’re all familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan. Some states even have Good Samaritan laws. But did you know that a lawyer played a prominent role in the telling of the Good Samaritan parable? I will tell you, based upon first-hand experience, that hearing a reference to a lawyer […]