News & Alerts
What Rhode Island’s New Paid Sick Leave Law Means for Employers
In February 2017, Rhode Island legislators proposed a bill that would require employers to provide paid sick leave to employees. Prior to their summer recess, the house and senate passed different versions of the bill (House Bill 5413 and Senate Bill 290).
read moreBlowing A Whistle But Making No Sound: RN Did Not Report Illegal Acts
Joanne Chagnon was a registered nurse at Lifespan’s Miriam Hospital in Providence. She began working at the hospital in 1991 and was promoted four times. Her last review, in December 2014, was positive. As of February 2015, she supervised other nurses in two settings, a cardiovascular procedural care and endoscopy unit (PCU) and the cardiac catheterization and EP laboratory (cath lab).
read moreFINAL SICK TIME BILL PASSES GENERAL ASSEMBLY – Effective July 1, 2018
The Rhode Island General Assembly passed a final sick time bill, to be effective July 1, 2018. It is expected that Governor Raimondo will sign the bill into law.
read moreRI employee collects unemployment despite offensive Facebook post
Michael J. Beagan worked as a delivery driver for a transportation company for sev-eral years. The events that led to his termination arose after the company implemented a new accident policy.
read moreMedical Marijuana – RI Employer Cannot Refuse to Hire an Active Medical Marijuana User
In June 2014, Christine Callaghan applied for a summer internship at Darlington Fabrics Corporation. During the hiring process, Callaghan signed a “Fitness for Duty Statement,” which acknowledged that she would need to complete a pre-employment drug test.
read moreReasonable Accommodation – Failure to participate in interactive process dooms employee’s claim
The U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals (whose rulings apply to all Rhode Island employers) recently affirmed summary judgment (dismissal without a trial) in favor of an employer on a claim that it failed to accommodate an employee’s disability in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
read moreWhelan Corrente Secures Victory in False Claims Act case
We successfully defended a prominent local retail chain which was accused of underreporting and underpaying sales tax to the State of Rhode Island in violation of Rhode Island’s False Claims Act.
read moreIndividual Liability No personal liability for managers, supervisors in RI
For many years, supervisors and managers wondered if they could be personally liable when an employee sued his employer for discrimination. After much waiting, we have the answer! The Rhode Island Supreme Court recently endorsed the reasoning of other states, including California, and issued an emphatic “No.”
So breathe a sigh of relief, and carry on with your work.
read moreRace Discrimination: ‘But I swear it’s true’—employee affidavits in discrimination cases
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit (whose rulings apply to all Rhode Island employers) recently affirmed summary judgment (dismissal without a trial) in favor of Amtrak on an employee’s claim of race discrimination.
read moreBuyer Beware: You May be Liable for Seller’s Wage Law Violations
The Rhode Island federal court recently held that a buyer of an employer’s assets can be liable for the seller’s violations of federal and state wage laws, even if the buyer is a separate entity with distinct management and ownership from that of the seller. If the buyer continues the seller’s business operations, it should conduct careful due diligence and confirm that the seller will have sufficient assets after the sale to satisfy any lingering debts.
read moreIgnorance is an excuse . . . against alleged FMLA retaliation
Perhaps you have heard the maxim “ignorance of the law is no excuse.”
read moreWhelan Corrente Secures Dismissal of Criminal Charges at Trial
We represented an individual who was falsely charged with a first-degree sexual assault.
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