All employers should be aware of the specific laws and regulations pertaining to employee personnel files. Pursuant to the Pennsylvania Personnel File Act, medical information should not be included in an employee’s personnel file. Medical information includes any document that relates or refers to an individual’s physical or mental health, condition, or impairment, including but…

Many employers offer paid vacation time as a benefit to their employees. There is no Pennsylvania law requiring the payout of unused paid leave time, such as vacation; instead, this is governed by the employer’s policy or practice. In Kahler v. Alpha Packaging, the employer’s policy provided that during employees’ second and subsequent calendar…

While most employers take many steps to avoid employment litigation, even the most meticulous of Human Resources departments sometimes find themselves facing a lawsuit in federal or state court.

In some respects, technology has made the discovery process easier, however, it has also complicated civil litigation. Rachel Hadrick, an Associate in our Litigation group,…

A few weeks ago, we told you about a jury awarding over eight million dollars to the families of two factory workers who were killed by a co-worker in 2010.  As it turns out, that award was just the beginning.  Last week, a separate jury in the same case awarded almost forty million dollars…

Recently, a Philadelphia jury awarded over $8 million dollars to the families of two factory workers killed by a co-worker in 2010. Concerns about the employee had been reported in the past, and she was suspended the day she committed the murders for making threats against co-workers.  However, after her suspension she was not stopped…