Tuesday, April 16, 2019
- Maine Legislature: Work session scheduled for April 16th at 1 PM before the Judiciary Committee on LD 1097, which would create a rebuttable presumption that a forcible entry and detainer action was commenced in retaliation against a tenant if the tenant had made a complaint of an act of sexual harassment by the landlord or landlord’s agent
- Fourth Circuit: Attorney’s fees and costs awarded to plaintiffs under § 1988 against local elections board in successful Equal Protection challenge to state law that redrew city council districts, because, although the state enacted the changes and the local board only enforced them (the board did not even defend the changes in the lawsuit), “[c]ivil rights fee-shifting statutes, such as those at issue here, are not meant to punish defendants for a lack of innocence or good faith but rather to compensate civil rights attorneys who bring civil rights cases and win them”
- Law Court: Town’s Code Enforcement Officer did not engage in protected activity under the Maine Whistleblowers’ Protection act by complaining about change to his employment contract where, although he may have subjectively believed change violated Maine law in addition to his contract, belief of illegality was unreasonable
- EEOC: 2018 Enforcement and Litigation Data report reflects that retaliation continues to be the most frequently filed complaint at 51.6% of all charges filed, followed by sex (32.3%), disability (32.2%), and race (32.2%) (they add up to more than 100% because some charges allege multiple bases); and the EEOC had 302 court cases on its active docket
- MHRC: April 8th Commission Meeting minutes include the names of two new Investigators as well as “a review of a number of bills about which the Commission had provided information at the Legislature, including LDs 122, 123, and 278 (related to pay compensation and equity), 170 (criminal history inquiries on state employment applications), 433 (Constitutional equal rights amendment), 798 (religious exemptions to school vaccine requirements), 1097 (tenants and sexual harassment), service animal bills, the biennial budget, and others”
- MHRC: May 13th Commission Meeting Agenda posted
- Press Herald: Lawmakers endorse bill calling for constitutional change to outlaw gender discrimination