The Law Dictionary for Everyone
Employment laws, also known as labor laws, govern the relationship between employees and employers. These laws set forth employer obligations and ensure a person’s rights are protected in the workplace. Unfortunately, in some situations, employers fail to comply with the laws and this can have a negative impact on an employee’s life. Employment lawyers provide legal assistance to employers and […]
Read moreA yellow dog contract is a type of agreement wherein an employee agrees not to become a member of a labor union in exchange for employment with the company that drafted the agreement. Yellow dog contracts are, for the most part, illegal. Yellow dog contracts were used up until the 1930s as a way to stop employees from organizing union […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Griggs v. Duke Power Co., 401 U.S. 424 (1971) Case Summary of Griggs v. Duke Power Co.: A group of African-American employees sued their employer, Duke Power Company, for a policy that mandated a high school diploma and satisfactory scores on two general aptitude tests in order to advance in the company. The lower […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Ghen v. Rich, 8 F. 159 (1881) Case Summary of Ghen v. Rich: Ghen, a fisherman, killed a whale in Massachusetts Bay. Ellis found the whale several days later. Rather than follow custom and bring the whale to town to give it to the fisherman and collect a finder’s fee, Ellis sold the whale to […]
Read moreThe term “at will employment” means that an employee can be fired at any time, and for any reason. There are, of course, exceptions to that rule, but generally, if the employer decides to terminate the employee’s employment, then the employee can do very little about it insofar as fighting the termination. Employers who hire employees “at will” do not […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Muller v. Oregon, Supreme Court of the United States, (1908) Case summary for Muller v. Oregon: An Oregon state law restricted a women’s working hours to ten per day. After being convicted of requiring a woman to violate the statute, Muller, a laundry business owner, challenged the constitutionality of the statute. The state courts […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Granholm v. Heald, 540 U.S. 460 (2005) Case Summary of Granholm v. Heald: Michigan and New York allowed in-state wineries to ship directly to consumers, but limited out-of-state wineries from doing the same. Separate lawsuits against both States were instituted. On appeal, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the Michigan law, but the […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Ricci v. DeStefano, 129 S. Ct. 2658 (2009) Case Summary of Ricci v. DeStefano: The New Haven, CT Fire Department held an exam for firefighter promotions. The exam resulted in white candidates significantly outperforming minority candidates. Facing potential lawsuits from both sides, New Haven refused to certify the exam results. That decision meant that qualified […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Meinhard v. Salmon, New York Court of Appeals, (1928) Case summary for Meinhard v. Salmon: Morton Meinhard and Walter Salmon entered into a business venture together, where Salmon would manage and Meinhard would initially fund the business throughout the duration of a 20 year lease made with Hotel Bristol. With a few months left […]
Read moreTrade fixtures are pieces of property that a tenant affixes to a leased building or land for the purpose of conducting business. An examples of trade fixtures include a display counter, or a piece of equipment that is used specifically for bartending purposes. Even though it was installed by the tenant, trade fixtures must meet certain requirements to be removable. […]
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