RPJ’s Deena R. Merlen spoke with the Financial Times earlier this month about the waves of layoffs sweeping through Silicon Valley. “We’re seeing seismic changes in employment practices, reflecting a broader cultural shift in the U.S.,” says Ms. Merlen in the article. “These shifts are influencing how decisions are made...
RPJ’s Deena Merlen was recently interviewed by Business Insider about Microsoft’s large-scale waves of layoffs. Asked whether Microsoft’s recent actions are actually unlawful, Ms. Merlen noted that some employees may seek to argue that they were chosen to be included in the layoffs not because of non-discriminatory, performance-based reasons as...
As civil rights activists recently called on consumers to mount a one-day boycott of Target in late February, Vogue Business asked, “Is a consumer boycott brewing in the US?” That question has been squarely answered as calls for such boycotts have multiplied in protest of companies retreating from their diversity,...
By Deena R. Merlen In today’s digital age, the question of whether we can trust what we see or hear has become increasingly complex. As generative artificial intelligence (“AI”) technologies advance, distinguishing between reality and AI-generated fakes is more challenging than ever. This controversy touches various aspects of our lives,...
RPJ Partner Deena R. Merlen was interviewed by Forbes for an article published recently, titled "All Hands Memo: Why Activism At Work Could Get You Fired." As noted in the article, “Forbes spoke with legal experts about the protections employees have – and don’t have – when it comes to...
RPJ Partners Marshall and Merlen recently published an article titled “Do Managers Have a Right to Fire Workers for Divisive Social Media Posts?” in the business magazine, Fast Company. Their article explores the extent to which employees’ speech on social media is (or is not) protected, including differences between public...
Sometimes we stand up for justice, and sometimes we march, but Rosa Parks remained seated. She was arrested for refusing to comply with a racist ordinance in the city of Montgomery, Alabama, that required Black people to sit in the back half of the bus, and if the front half...
By Deena Merlen and Cleopatra Elrashidy While many forms of discrimination are outlawed in the United States, there are quite a few forms of discrimination that are not expressly covered by discrimination laws and policies. One such form of discrimination is caste-based discrimination. The caste system, which regulates people’s social...
RPJ Partner Deena R. Merlen , who serves as Co-Chair of the Diversity Law Committee of the FairField Co. Bar Association, is pleased to announce an upcoming event hosted by the Diversity Committee: “Diversity Law: A Half Century of Changing Attitudes on LGBTQI Rights in Connecticut.” This CLE program, which...
In New York State, employers are required to adopt a sexual harassment prevention policy, which includes a complaint form, and to provide the policy to each employee. To aid employers in fulfilling this obligation, a few years ago the state published a model sexual harassment prevention policy that employers may...