Sunday, March 11, 2018
- Sixth Circuit: Title VII protects transgender persons because of their transgender or transitioning status, because transgender or transitioning status constitutes an inherently gender non-conforming trait; and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act was not a defense to suit brought by the EEOC because tolerating a person’s understanding of her sex and gender identity is not tantamount to supporting it
- US District Court ME: In denying motion for summary judgment on Maine Whistleblowers’ Protection Act claim but granting it on Maine Human Rights Act retaliation and First Amendment retaliation claims, the court held that public employee who was relieved of certain work duties and denied merit pay increase was subjected to “adverse employment actions” under the WPA, and one-month gap between protected activity and adverse actions was sufficient “temporal proximity” to infer causal connection; 21-day period between request for disability reasonable accommodation and its approval was not a “materially adverse” action for purposes of Maine Human Rights Act retaliation claim because it did not impose a significant, as opposed to trivial, harm; and individual defendant (superintendent of facility) was entitled to qualified immunity because it was not unreasonable for him to believe that physically separating the employee who complained about workplace harassment for one day did not infringe on her First Amendment rights
- US District Court ME: In granting motion to amend complaint approximately one month after deadline, the court found good cause because, while documents produced after the amendment deadline could not be said to have been essential to the assertion of the new claim, they did, at the least, tend to buttress the new claim, and, once plaintiff obtained and reviewed the documents, she promptly filed the motion to amend (the court also noted a lack of prejudice to defendant)
- US District Court ME: After dismissing federal claims against some defendants, the court refused to dismiss the state claims against those defendants because judicial economy and fairness weighed in favor of exercising supplemental jurisdiction
- MHRC: March 19th Agenda and Consent Agenda posted
- Bangor Daily: Penobscot Indian Nation man wins $40,000 in harassment suit against Day’s Jewelers
- Maine Campus: UMaine System facing lawsuit after not following Title IX laws
