The Fairness for All Marylanders Act of 2014 added gender identity to the list of protected classes against which employment discrimination is prohibited. Currently, under Maryland law, the complete list of protected classes include: race, color, rel…
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Many employers believe that if they get involved in a lawsuit and win, then the loser has to pay the employer’s attorneys’ fees. The unfortunate reality is that in most cases, that is not true. In most employment lawsuits, the deck is stacked aga…
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As advisors to Maryland business owners and managers, we have seen many legal problems avoided in the workplace by a well-drafted employee handbook. There is no legal obligation for employers to issue their employees a handbook but, westrongly recomm…
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Employers are often unclear as to their obligations to pay employees for accrued vacation-time at the end of employment. The reason for this confusion is understandable, as Maryland has unique laws on this issue which are counterintuitive and which e…
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When an employer fires an employee, the company commonly faces a difficult decision – should the employee be issued a termination letter? In most cases where the termination is simple and straightforward, we recommend that employers not send a term…
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Maryland employers need to ensure that every employment decision, including hiring, promotions and terminations, complies with federal anti-discrimination laws. Federal employment laws prohibit certain employers from discriminating against employees…
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Employers want to avoid potential lawsuits from their employees. Maintaining written employment agreements with your employees is one way to do so. Written employment agreements spell out obligations and expectations for both the employee and employe…
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Maryland employers are often faced with the question: When employees are terminated, laid off or resign from my company, should I pay them severance? There are several factors to consider. Even though Maryland employment law generally does not requir…
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The Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), in a nutshell, prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals on the basis of a disability. 42 U.S.C. § 12112(a). Yet, this simple, well-intended proposition seems to create a countless n…
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As most of us know, the FMLA provides an employee with 12 weeks of leave during any 12 month period in which a “serious health condition” prevents the employee from performing the functions of his or her position. However, there are eligibility r…
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