Daniel Schwartz of the Connecticut Employment Law Blog today published a Blog post on Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) called Insurance for Employers (EPLI) – The Good, the Bad, the Unknown. The post can be read here. It builds on some points by Michael Moore, of the Pennsylvania Employment Law Blog (posted here), and identifies some of the issues employers should look at and what employers should know. I wonder if anyone will post the current costs of these policies? I have represented some small employers recently who, after receiving the summons and complaint, called their insurer to see if they were covered. The answer was, "No, not for that claim but we can start that coverage now for [insert large sum of money here]." It seems that small employers are caught between a rock and a hard place: pay huge premiums for coverage or take a risk at paying large sums for legal fees later. In any event, any employer considering EPLI and any lawyer suing an employer with coverage will want to review the excellent summary by Daniel Schwartz and Michael Moore.
State of Oregon to Pay Over $450,000 to Settle Whistleblower Retaliation Suit
MARION COUNTY, OR – A former Oregon Department of Transportation employee who reported “gross mismanagement” during the implementation of a new payroll system for state employees will receive $465,000 in damages and lost wages from the State of Oregon to resolve his whistleblower retaliation lawsuit.