On February 25, 2015, Bennett & Belfort P.C. partner David E. Belfort served as a panelist for an MCLE seminar entitled “Top 25 Keys Cases Every Employment Litigator & Counselor Must Know.” Joining Attorney Belfort on the panel were his esteemed colleagues Attorneys Andrea C. Kramer (Chair) of Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP and Nina J. Kimball of Kimball Brousseau LLP.
The panelists reviewed 25 key cases in Massachusetts employment law and highlighted issues central to effective employment litigation in the Commonwealth, including a detailed discussion of foundational and developing case law in the field. Attorney Belfort was charged with discussing cases relating to discrimination damages and wage and hour disputes. There was a rigorous discussion as to a number of other relevant topics, including: proving liability in discrimination cases; retaliation and whistleblower protections; the continuing violation doctrine and Cat’s Paw Theory; and disability and reasonable accommodation law.
There was a lively dialogue regarding associational discrimination: an evolving and active area of employment law in which the individual experiencing discrimination is not a member of a protected class, but is related to (or associated with) someone who is. The panelists also discussed the interesting procedural history and standards of appellate review of these central cases – often involving the interplay between various tribunals such as the Supreme Judicial Court’s review of lower Courts’ decisions or the Trial Court’s review of MCAD (Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination) decisions. One theme was the fight among litigants as to what standard of review governed each circumstance. While in some cases the Courts conduct a “de novo” review (completely new trial on the merits) in others there is only a limited 30A administrative review available. This 30A process is conducted without a jury, is a far more deferential standard to the underlying Agency decision, and considers only facts already in the record.
Here is a list, by general topic, of the top 25 Massachusetts cases that were covered in the Seminar:
Discrimination Law – General
1. Abramian v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, 432 Mass. 107 (2000)
2. Lipchitz v. Raytheon Co., 434 Mass. 493 (2001)
3. College-Town Div. of Interco v. MCAD, 400 Mass. 156 (1987)
4. Thomas O’Connor Constructors, Inc. v. MCAD, 72 Mass. App. Ct. 549 (2008)
5. Mole v. Univ. of Massachusetts, 442 Mass. 582 (2004)
6. King v. City of Boston, 71 Mass. App. Ct. 460 (2008)
7. GTE Products Corp. v. Stewart, 421 Mass. 22 (1995)
8. Sarni Original Dry Cleaners, Inc. v. Cooke, 388 Mass. 611 (1983)
9. Haddad v. Wal-Mart, 455 Mass. 91 (2009)
10. Stonehill Coll. v. MCAD, 441 Mass. 549 (2004)
11. City of Boston v. MCAD, 39 Mass. App. Ct. 234 (1995)
12. Massachusetts Elec. Co. v. MCAD, 375 Mass. 160 (1978)
13. Flagg v. AliMed, Inc., 466 Mass. 23 (2013)
Disability Accommodation, Interactive Dialogue, and Leaves of Absence
14. Russell v. Cooley Dickinson Hosp., Inc., 437 Mass. 443 (2002)
Harassment
15. Muzzy v. Cahillane Motors, Inc., 434 Mass. 409 (2001)
16. Cuddyer v. Stop & Shop Supermarket Co., 434 Mass. 521 (2001)
Wage & Hour Law
17. Okerman v. VA Software, 69 Mass. App. Ct. 771 (2007)
18. Boston Police Patrolmen’s Ass’n, Inc. v. City of Boston, 435 Mass. 718 (2002)
19. Camara v. Attorney General, 458 Mass. 756 (2011)
20. Smith v. Winter Place LLP, 447 Mass. 363 (2006)
21. Crocker v. Townsend Oil Co., 464 Mass. 1 (2012)
22. Depianti v. Jan–Pro Franchising Int’l, Inc., 465 Mass. 607 (2013)
23. Lipsitt v. Plaud, 466 Mass. 240 (2013)
Common Law Claims
24. Hobson v. McLean Hosp. Corp., 402 Mass. 413 (1988)
25. Fortune v. National Cash Register Co., 373 Mass. 96 (1977)
The webcast of this program can be accessed through the MCLE website (http://www.mcle.org/product/catalog/code/2150165WBA).