News

The November 2016 election is now about a year and a half in the past. In that election, Arkansas voters approved Amendment 98 to the Arkansas Constitution that permitted use of medical marijuana in certain instances.

By Allison C. Pearson On June 14, 2018, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a press release stating that it had filed seven lawsuits against various employers across the country for harassment. The EEOC stated that the suits “should reinforce to employers that harassment — on all bases — is a violation of federal law.”

Arkansas Rule of Civil Procedure 4 governs service of the summons and complaint necessary to begin any lawsuit. The rule specifies who can accept service and how the summons and complaint must be served. On June 21, 2018, the Arkansas Supreme Court approved significant amendments to Rule 4 that are set to go into effect on January 1, 2019.

Class action lawsuits allow large groups of plaintiff’s to bring their claims together in a single lawsuit. In the realm of employment law, employees may bring class action suits for claims of systemic harassment, discrimination or unequal pay.

Monday’s Supreme Court ruling that upholds the use of class action waivers in employment arbitration agreements is good news for employers.

The plaintiff was a driver for New Prime, Inc., an interstate trucking company, and he sued New Prime for minimum wage violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). New Prime classified the plaintiff as an independent contractor.

If you have paid attention to the news recently, you know that sexual harassment has been a hot button issue.