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Thursday, May 31, 2007

Law - This week's Supreme Court decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co

Howard Bashman of How Appealing has collected the newspaper articles on the Supreme Court's ruling Tuesday in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co . Earlier artcles are listed here.

I particular recommend the Linda Greenhouse NY Times article, that begins:

WASHINGTON, May 29 — The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it harder for many workers to sue their employers for discrimination in pay, insisting in a 5-to-4 decision on a tight time frame to file such cases. The dissenters said the ruling ignored workplace realities.
See also the Steven Greenhouse article, also in the Times, headed "Experts Say Decision on Pay Reorders Legal Landscape." A quote:
In yesterday’s 5-to-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that workers generally lose their right to sue for pay discrimination unless they file charges within 180 days of a specific event, like a boss giving a worker a smaller raise because of her sex. Establishing a pattern of discrimination over several years will no longer be possible.

Some legal experts said the ruling would put pressure on workers to file discrimination claims within 180 days even when they are still seeking more conclusive evidence that they were discriminated against.

“Unless they notice it on the first paycheck or a recent paycheck, they’re going to be in trouble,” said James Brudney, a professor of labor and employment law at Ohio State University.

Finally, see the Workplace Law Prof Blog and this entry, headed "Some Reflections on the Ledbetter Decision."

Posted by Marcia Oddi on May 31, 2007 07:29 AM
Posted to General Law Related