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On November 29, 2018, in an 8-1 decision, the Washington State Supreme Court revived a four-year-old retaliation lawsuit brought by a former employee (Dawn Cornwell) against Microsoft. As background, Ms. Cornwell had previously settled a gender-discrimination dispute with Microsoft and as part of that settlement the parties agreed that Ms. Cornwell would no longer report […]
On January 1, 2019, the new Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFML) will go into effect, beginning with premium collection and requirements for reporting to the Employment Security Department (ESD). Employees will not be eligible to start using benefits until January 1, 2020. PFML is a vanguard benefits program and is likely to […]
What is a broken promise worth? For one former Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (“Gates Foundation”) employee, it was worth $4.9 million. In October, the Washington State Superior Court for King County held that a former technology executive at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was entitled to $4.9 million in lost compensation damages after […]
By and large, independent schools are not subject to Title IX and its guidance regarding sexual misconduct complaints. However, often our parents have Title IX-like expectations. Under the Obama administration, more aggressive enforcement was the norm and the parent expectation. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos rescinded those guidelines in 2017. On Friday, November 16, 2018, the […]
The Washington Human Rights Commission Task Force published its draft Model Procedures and Best Practices (“Model Procedures”) to address sexual harassment in the workplace today, November 5. These draft Model Policies and Procedures can be found at here. Comments on the proposed Model Procedures are being accepted until November 30, 2018 at shpolicycomments@hum.wa.gov. The proposed […]
The Washington State Supreme Court recently clarified the law applicable to wrongful discharge claims in a case called Martin v. Gonzaga, — W.2d —, 425 P.2d 827 (2018). Washington employees are generally employed “at will” meaning, absent an agreement to the contrary, employees and employers can terminate employment at any time and for any reason […]
The King County Superior Court recently upheld a Seattle Ordinance that limits the amount tenants are required to pay for move-in fees and security deposits. Seattle Ordinance No. 125222 (the “Ordinance”), which was adopted by the Seattle City Council on December 12, 2016, limits the amount that landlords can charge tenants in up-front charges, including […]
IRS Issues Regulations on 20% Pass-Through Deduction On August 9, 2018, the IRS issued proposed Treasury Regulations to provide administrative guidance on one of the more drastic changes to the Internal Revenue Code contained in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was passed at the end of last year. Specifically, the newly proposed Treasury […]
On July 23, 2018, the Seattle City Council voted to approve the Domestic Workers Ordinance (the “Ordinance”), a new labor standards legislation for domestic workers. The Ordinance will guarantee Seattle’s minimum wages, rest breaks and other rights for domestic workers. It will restrict a hiring entity from keeping any domestic worker’s original documents or other […]
Newman’s Own Foundation, which has donated over $500 million to charities over 35 years, has been fighting to change the law that requires private foundations to divest themselves of certain investments. Private foundations are prohibited from owning “excess business holdings” (IRC Section 4943). An “excess business holding” is an ownership interest of more than 20% […]