Evidence Suggests Flo Partied While on Medical Leave -- Can We Fire Her?

Our Junior Associate, Flo, was caught possibly abusing medical leave. We walk you through Steffans Legal’s subsequent workplace investigation and decision making as to whether or not we could discipline or terminate her employment for the alleged abuse of medical leave.

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Recent Massachusetts Appeals Court Ruling Provides Guidance on Classification as an Independent Contractor vs. an Employee

In Weiss v. Loomis, Sayles & Company, Inc., the Massachusetts court of appeals reversed a trial court’s decision ruling that the plaintiff was misclassified as an independent contractor. In doing so, the appeals court provided helpful guidance on how to apply the Massachusetts independent contractor three part “ABC test”.

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Your Employee Has Requested an Accommodation. Now What?

Yesterday, Flo came to our management team requesting a workplace accommodation for a recently diagnosed illness she is suffering from. Let’s walk through whether she is covered under any employment laws and if so what we should consider when deciding whether we can accommodate her request.

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Steffans Legal Files Class Action Against MetLife Alleging Wage-and-Hour Violations

In a class action filed in Berkshire County Superior Court we’ve alleged that MetLife, Inc. violated Massachusetts wage and hour laws in five separate respects: (1) failure to pay minimum wage, (2) failure to pay overtime, (3) failure to reimburse business related expenses, (4) unlawful payroll deductions, and (5) failure to reimburse travel expenses.

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Steffans Legal Files Class Action on Behalf of Delivery Drivers Against Papa Ginos, Inc.

Steffans Legal filed a statewide class action in Berkshire County Superior Court against Papa Gino’s, Inc. We’ve brought this claim on behalf of all delivery drivers who worked at a Papa Gino’s location in Massachusetts.

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Supreme Judicial Court Holds that Certain Commission Salespersons Must be Paid Overtime and Sunday Premiums Regardless of Their Commission

On May 8, 2019, in the case of Sullivan v. Sleepy’s LLC, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court injected some much needed clarity into whether commission-based employees must be paid overtime and premium pay regardless of the amount of their commission.

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Supreme Judicial Court Splits the Baby in Class Action Wage Claim -- Ruling in Part for Employees and in Part for Employers

On April 12, 2019, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in Gamella v. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc., resolved lingering doubt as to whether state and federal courts would use the same analysis when determining whether to allow wage claims to proceed on a class action basis.

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Massachusetts Federal Court Issues Decision that Heavily Protects Massachusetts Disabled Employees

The Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as its Massachusetts state law equivalent, prohibit employers from discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Those laws, unlike other anti-discrimination laws, also require employers to provide disabled employees with reasonable accommodations so that they may perform their job duties.

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