EEOC Launches Small Business Task Force to Focus on Improving Outreach to Small Businesses

/cdklawyers.com// 02/25/2012 The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency charged with enforcing the federal laws that prohibit employment discrimination, recently announced that it has launched an internal task force that will focus on expanding and improving its outreach efforts and technical assistance to small businesses. The task force will strive to find ways in which […]

Dallas Employment Lawyer Discusses the FLSA

/cdklawyers.com// 02/24/2012 Keith Clouse, a Dallas, Texas employment lawyer, handles all types of employment-related lawsuits, including lawsuits arising under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Because employers and employees alike profess confusion about just what the FLSA mandates, Mr. Clouse provides the following explanation.   The FLSA sets basic minimum wage and overtime pay standards and […]

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Rules on Arbitration Provision in an Employee Handbook

/cdklawyers.com// 02/19/2012 The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled on an arbitration provision in an employee handbook. Carey v. 24 Hour Fitness, USA, Inc., No. 10-20845 (5th Cir. Jan. 25, 2012), available at http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/10/10-20845-CV0.wpd.pdf. The defendant employer issued an employee handbook that contained a provision requiring all employment-related disputes to be resolved through arbitration. […]

Texas Courts Reform Overly Broad Noncompete Agreements so that the Terms are Enforceable

/cdklawyers.com// 02/03/2012 Keith Clouse, a Texas labor and employment law attorney, frequently advises employers, senior executives, and physicians regarding the enforceability of existing or proposed noncompete agreements. Because a noncompete agreement can substantially impact an individual’s ability to obtain later work, these agreements must undergo careful scrutiny.    Some noncompete agreements contain overly broad terms. […]

Dallas, Texas Labor and Employment Lawyer Discusses the Importance of Documenting Employee Disciplinary Issues

/cdklawyers.com// 01/27/2012 Keith Clouse, a Texas labor and employment law attorney, frequently advises employers about compliance with federal and state employment laws as well as the best practices an employer should use to avoid legal trouble. Often, employers encounter difficulty defending themselves in lawsuits with former employees because they fail to adequately document disciplinary issues. […]

United States Supreme Court Rules on Employment Matter

/cdklawyers.com// 01/21/2012 The United States Supreme Court unanimously held that the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment bar lawsuits brought by ministers against churches if the ministers claim to have been terminated in violation of employment discrimination laws. Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC et al., No. 10-553, (Jan. 11, […]

Board Certified Labor and Employment Lawyer Discusses Board Certification Process

/cdklawyers.com// 01/19/2012 Keith Clouse is a Dallas, Texas lawyer who has been certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Labor and Employment Law. Six attorneys at his employment law firm, Clouse Dunn LLP, have been certified in Labor and Employment Law. They are among a select group of Texas attorneys who have been certified […]

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Rules on Federal False Claims Act Issue

/cdklawyers.com// 01/12/2012 The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled for the plaintiff in a False Claims Act retaliation matter. Riddle v. Dyncorp Int’l, Inc., et al, No. 11-10155 (5th Cir. Jan. 5, 2012), available at http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/11/11-10155-CV0.wpd.pdf.   The plaintiff brought a retaliation suit pursuant to the federal False Claims Act 178 days after his employment […]