The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a ruling that recognizes a "minsterial exception" to employment laws against religious discrimination, and establishes precedent for federal district and circuit courts across the country.

The ruling suggests that religious institutions and groups should be able to hire and fire leaders freely, without complying to religious discrimination laws.  "The interest of society in the enforcement of employment discrimination statutes is undoubtedly important, but so, too, is the interest of religious groups in choosing who will preach their beliefs, teach their faith and carry out their mission," said Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.

The decision did not include a specific definition of who this exception should apply to, but rather, it places discretion in the hands of the lower courts.

If you or someone you know has questions about discrimination law, contact the Houston discrimination attorneys of Ross Law Group by calling 800-634-8042 today. 

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an all-time high number of discrimination claims were made to the federal agency in 2010.  

Last year, a total of 99,922 discrimination complaints were filed with the EEOC by employees and 20,149 of these resulted in merit resoultions.  A merit resolution is a case which ends with a favorable outcome for the employee. 

Total claims increased by 7.1 percent last year and disability discrimination claims increased more than any other type of complaint.  Disability claims increased by 17.3 percent and religious discrimination claims followed with an 11.9 percent increase.  The most frequently occurring discrimination complaint involved retaliation.

Texas had both the highest number of discrimination claims and merit resoultions in 2010.  Texas's merit resolutions made up about 17.2 percent of all merit resoultions in the country.

If you have experienced discrimination in the workplace or have been retaliated against by an employer, contact the Houston workplace discrimination lawyers of Ross Law Group at 713-482-6910 to discuss your case with an experienced attorney.

A Beaumont, Texas woman has filed suit against Pizza Hut after she was wrongfully terminated for filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over pregnancy and racial discrimination.  Serena F. Foster filed the employment lawsuit on January 26th in the Eastern District of Texas.

In the lawsuit, Foster says that she was subject to unfair treatment, discrimination, wrongfully written-up violations and, ultimately, wrongful termination while working at Pizza Hut.  Managers forced Foster to continue working extended hours and physically strenuous duties despite informing them that she was pregnant and asking to be accommodated.  

After feeling that she was being discriminated against for her pregnancy and race, Foster filed a complaint with the EEOC.  She was subsequently terminated from her position.  The lawsuit accuses the defendant of racial and pregnancy discrimination, unlawful employment practices and retaliatory, wrongful termination.  She is seeking compensation for emotional stress, lost wages, punitive damages, court and attorney fees and interest.

If you or someone you know has been discriminated against in the workplace for being pregnant, contact the Houston pregnancy discrimination lawyers of Ross Law Group at 713-482-6910 to learn more about your rights as an employee. 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently accused the Houston Fire Department of gender and racial discrimination and declared it a "hostile work environment".  The report issued by the EEOC states that managers at the HFD knew that officers were being subject to discrimination, but did nothing to stop it.

Firefighter Jane Draycott and another female firefighter acted as whistleblowers on gender and racial discrimination.  In July 2009, the two reported that racist and sexist graffiti had been painted in their locker room.  In addition, they often reported that they felt hated and pressured by male firefighters at the station.  Furthermore, in a letter to the city and the EEOC the women noted that Fire Chief Phil Boriskie encouraged firefighters to give Draycott a hard time after returning to the job after making the initial claims.

The EEOC's findings are expected to push the city to provide Draycott with financial damages and compensation. 

Contact the Houston discrimination attorneys of Ross Law Group at 713-482-6910 if you or someone you know has been the victim of discrimination in the workplace.

A nurse in Tyler, Texas recently filed a lawsuit claiming retalitory action and discrimination against Tyler Cardiovascular Consultants .  The nurse, Debbie Blevins, worked for Tyler Cardiovascular Consultants as a licensed vocational nurse for 20 years.  She was fired on August 9, 2010 after reporting that other employees at the office had taken pictures of patients while they were sedated and posted them on the social networking website, Facebook.

In the lawsuit, Blevins claims that the actions of the employees who posted the pictures on the internet violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, privacy laws, as well as basic morals.  Furthermore, Blevins says that after reporting the behavior, no corrective action was taken and instead she was fired from her position.  The suit seeks over $15 million for HIPAA violations, discrimination, retalitory action, and denial of due process.

To discuss what constitues a retaliatory action with an experienced and compassionate employment lawyer, contact the Houston retaliatory actions attorneys of Ross Law Group at 713-482-6910 today. 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently filed suit against the Houston manufacturer, Metallic Products, for a mandatory company retirement policy that forced employees to retire at age 70.  

EEOC officials took notice of the company's illegal policy after an employee, Jeronimo Vidals, issued a complaint that he was fired on his 70th birthday.  The EEOC asserts that Metallic Products' policy violates the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.  "The EEOC will aggressively prosecute all ADEA violations against employers who deny the rights and privileges of gainful employment to qualified, older individuals," stated one EEOC executive.

The EEOC initially tried to settle with the manufacturer but the two parties were unable to come to an agreement. The suit seeks damages and to prevent Metallic Products from continuing age discriminatory practices.

Contact the Houston age discrimination attorneys of Ross Law Group today at 713-482-6910 to set up an appointment to discuss your case with one of our experienced employment attorneys. 

On October 22, two debt consultants filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against their former employer, Greenfield Financial Services, in Sherman, Texas.

Larry Burden and Sean Bolden, both African American, were hired to work as debt consultants for Greenfield in May 2010.  The lawsuit claims that both men were successful at their jobs and frequently exceeded their sales quotas.  In addition, the men were ranked in the top ten performing debt consultants at the company.  

In September, both men were terminated from their positions and were not provided a reason why from the defendant.  The lawsuit accuses Greenfield Financial Services of racial discrimination, wrongful termination and failure to pay overtime compensation.

If you have been the victim of racial discrimination in the workplace, contact the Houston racial discrimination attorneys of Ross Law Group at 713-482-6910 to learn more about your rights.