For Massachusetts employers, terminating an employee for violating a workplace rule does not necessarily mean the employee will be denied unemployment benefits. A recent Massachusetts Appeals Court decision involving Boston Medical Center (BMC) highlights an important distinction: conduct that justifies termination is not always enough to disqualify an employee from receiving unemployment benefits. When can...

A recent opinion from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is drawing attention because it challenges a longstanding legal theory used in employment discrimination cases under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The opinion focuses on disparate impact—a type of discrimination that differs from intentional discrimination. Disparate impact occurs when a workplace policy that...

You may be familiar with the highly publicized lawsuit involving former JPMorgan banker Chirayu Rana. Rana’s “sex slave” lawsuit earned national attention after he alleged workplace sexual assault, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation against a senior executive at the bank. The female executive, Lorna Hajdini, has denied the claims and filed a defamation countersuit. Most recently,...

UNITE HERE Local 26, the union representing Fenway Park’s concession workers, has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against Aramark, the food and facilities management company that staffs the iconic ballpark. The complaint follows the union’s ongoing contract negotiations with Aramark, which began after the workers’ previous agreements expired at the end of 2024. According...

Starting October 29, 2025, Massachusetts employers must follow a new law focused on salary transparency. Titled “An Act Relative to Salary Range Transparency,” this law requires certain companies to display salary ranges in job postings and share this information with applicants and employees upon request. The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office has also provided helpful guidance...

BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell reached an $865,000 settlement with online grocery delivery companies Weee! Logistics LLC, Weee! OD Foods LLC, and their president Min Liu. This resolves claims related to worker misclassification and violations of earned sick time rights. The Attorney General’s Office found that Weee!: Misclassified delivery drivers as independent...

A recent federal court decision highlights employer obligations under Massachusetts disability discrimination law, especially regarding employee treatment after medical leave. In Thomas v. Liv Group Inc., et al., the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled that a former project manager could proceed with his disability discrimination lawsuit after alleging a pattern of...

Yes—for now. Massachusetts still allows employers to fire, refuse to hire, or pay someone less based solely on their weight, despite growing awareness of bias. Federal laws like Title VII and the ADA don’t clearly protect against size discrimination, and state efforts to pass legislation have repeatedly stalled. This type of workplace discrimination could soon...

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that white or straight employees shouldn’t have to meet extra requirements when suing for discrimination under federal law. At Pregent Law, we help employers and employees understand their rights and responsibilities under workplace discrimination laws. This latest Supreme Court decision in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services is...

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued a pivotal decision regarding the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the statute of limitations in collective actions. In Kwoka v. Enterprise Rent-A-Car Company of Boston, the court clarified that while delays in providing notice for an FLSA collective action may justify tolling (pausing) the statute...