Recently, the Washington Supreme Court clarified that, under Washington’s Law Against Discrimination (WLAD), an employee may bring an age discrimination case to trial if he or she can state a prima facie case and show there are genuine issues of material fact about whether discrimination was a substantial factor motivating the employer’s adverse employment action.
Blog
Anti-Bullying Protections Creeping into Employment Law
On September 9, 2014, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a new requirement that employers with 50 or more employees provide two hours of supervisor training every two years which is to include a component on preventing “abusive conduct.”
Attention Landlords – A New Seattle Ordinance May Apply to Your Rental Property
If you own a residential rental property in Seattle, then you’ll want to pay attention to the new Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance (RRIO).
Five Tips for Negotiating a Favorable Commercial Lease
The first copy of your lease will likely be completely skewed in favor of the landlord, but don’t be discouraged. Many clauses in a lease can be negotiated so that they are fair to both you and the landlord. Here are some tips for negotiating a favorable lease:
New King County Lawsuit to Test Validity of Non Competes & Confidentiality Agreements
Non compete agreements (NCA), confidentiality agreements, and trade secrets practices are under attack in many states and Amazon’s recent lawsuit to enforce its NCA will tell us much about how the Washington courts will view the claims.
I Federally Registered My Trademark, Now What?
You federally registered your trademark, but to keep the registration and all the benefits that come with a federal registration, you need to maintain and review and monitor and police.
Supreme Court of the United States Recognizes Business Owners Have Religious Rights Too
The final Supreme Court opinion of the term held that forcing closely held, for-profit corporations to pay for contraception is a violation of their sincerely held religious beliefs and is illegal under federal law under Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius.
How Celebrities Keep Their Addresses Private
A couple of weeks ago, Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks made the news not for what he did on the field, but what he purchased off as the Seattle Times reported on his recent home purchase. But what if you don’t want nosy folks to know what property you just purchased and how much you paid for it? Fortunately, there is a relatively easy solution.
New Washington Law Extends Rights for Religious Practices
Governor Jay Inslee has signed in to law a bill that assures state employees (and public school students) two days off per calendar years for religious holiday. Our business clients, particularly those with heavy weekend and holiday need, may wish to anticipate similar requests being made to them as well for unpaid holidays as a “reasonable accommodation” for religious practices.
Seattle Minimum Wage Update
Lauren Parris Watts reviewed the implementation of the newly passed Seattle $15 Minimum Wage Ordinance at the latest Helsell Fetterman Employment Law Breakfast on June 3. We promised to keep out attendees informed about ongoing developments on this issue. The following is a quick rundown of the known challenges to the Ordinance.