After the nationwide and international protests spurred by the death of George Floyd, at least seven lawsuits were filed against major American companies alleging that their diversity practices are deficient. For example, shareholders at Cisco Systems Inc. sued the...
Thatcher Law Firm Blog

New Montgomery County Law Significantly Expands the Definition of Workplace Harassment
On January 15, 2021, a new law will go into effect in Montgomery County that will dramatically change the definition of workplace “harassment.” Previously, in order for workplace harassment to be actionable, it needed to be “severe or pervasive.” Generally, this...
Does Title VII Prohibit Discrimination Based on Accents?
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of foreign accent. However, one’s foreign accent and their national origin are often intertwined, and courts can look to evidence of accent discrimination as evidence...
Avoid These Hiring Mistakes That Could Lead To Litigation
When the time comes to hire a new worker, the last thing you want is to engender disputes. Yet there can be more to avoiding discrimination than just eschewing bias. Some actions employers take can have a disproportionately negative impact on certain groups. This is...

How to Navigate Political Discussions After the 2020 Election
Surveys show that political talk in the office is pervasive. 26% of Americans say that they regularly discuss politics in the workplace, and 42% report that they’ve had a political disagreement with a co-worker. Surveys have also found that 45% of Democrats wouldn’t...
Basic Rules Related To Age Discrimination And Harassment At Work
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) prohibits discrimination and harassment against people who are 40 and older. Have you experienced age-related bias at work? It can be a touchy subject. Even an employer asking about your age can seem vaguely threatening,...

How to Talk Politics at Work
In today’s divisive political climate, it is tempting for employers to adopt universal policies that prohibit political discussion in the workplace. While this might seem like the safest option, it’s naïve for employers to think they will be able to prevent their...

PPP Loan Forgiveness Simplified for Loans of $50,000 or Less
The Small Business Administration (SBA) recently issued a new rule that simplifies the loan forgiveness procedure for Paycheck Protection Program loans of $50,000 or less. The new simplified procedure will apply to roughly 3.57 million individual loans, amounting to...
#MeToo: 7 Out Of 10 Who Complain of Harassment Suffer Retaliation
Workplace harassment has a severe impact on workers. It can affect your mental, physical and economic health. People are trying to do the right thing, but they sometimes face retaliation for reporting harassment at work. In the three years since the #MeToo movement...
What Are Some Examples Of Pregnancy Discrimination?
If your company has 15 or more employees, it is probably covered by the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act, or PDA. If so, it is prohibited from treating women, whether applicants or employees, unfavorably due to pregnancy, childbirth or a related medical condition....