Whistleblowers who expose government fraud under the federal False Claims Act (“FCA”) stand to receive awards from the government that can total millions of dollars. As we recently discussed, a former employee of a Tacoma medical provider received an award of $2.7 million from his whistleblower action, also known as a qui tam lawsuit. However,… Read More
Posts Categorized In: Employment Agreements and Termination
Former Employee Sues Amazon Over Invention and Noncompetition Agreement
Seattle-based company Amazon is facing a lawsuit from a former employee who is fighting an employment agreement that gave the company ownership of his invention and included a noncompetition clause. According to GeekWire, Amazon recently gave the employee the rights to his patent, but it did not agree to stop using the employee’s invention. This… Read More
Are Employee Handbooks Binding Employment Agreements?
Many newly-hired employees receive a handbook that can cover everything from dress code and leave policies to employees’ rights under Washington law. Employee handbooks can be an effective way for employers to communicate their workplace policies. However, they also can cause legal issues for both employers and employees. One of the most important issues is… Read More
Payroll Debit Cards and Washington Payroll Law
Paying employees with payroll debit cards has become increasingly common in states like Washington that allow this method. However, while these cards can be convenient, they can carry burdensome fees for employees and potential legal pitfalls for employers. For example, Seattle-based KING 5 News reports that a McDonald’s employee has filed a lawsuit claiming that… Read More
Union Alleges that Emergency Management Director Committed Unfair Labor Practices
The job of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management is to help leaders at both the state and local levels prepare for and respond to natural disasters and other types of emergencies. The biggest crisis the office has had to deal with in the last few months, however, is a labor controversy within its own… Read More
Oregon Restaurant Industry Fights Limits on Tip Sharing
As anyone who has worked in a restaurant knows, tips can be a huge source of stress among the staff. Since many servers are not paid a very generous base rate, they rely on tips as their primary source of income; as such, worries and frustrations surrounding poor tippers run rampant. In addition to these… Read More
Washington Credit Reports & Employment
A high score is good and a low score is bad. That sums up the basic idea behind your three digit credit score. And unless you are applying for a house or a new credit card, your credit score number is your business. That may be your thought process, but there are instances in which… Read More
Oregon Court Denies Fire Chief's Workers' Compensation Claim
In 2007, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office informed Alan Hull, then the fire chief at the Estacada Rural Fire District, that one of his employees had embezzled $1.9 million from the district. The Sheriff’s Office then asked Mr. Hull to go undercover and gather evidence of this employee’s wrongdoing, which Mr. Hull agreed to do…. Read More
A Look At Different Washington Workplace Tests
Washington workplace tests are not as uncommon as you may think. In addition to testing potential employees to test certain capabilities as a prerequisite for a job, Washington employers may also test existing employees to ensure that skills stay sharp or as a condition on a promotion. What most of these tests are trying to… Read More
Washington Criminal Records And Employment Prospects
Do you have a criminal history you wish you never had? Depending on when and what you did, you may have to answer for those crimes on employment and housing applications for a long time. And that reality begs the question: can Washington employers use your criminal past against you when you are applying for… Read More