It is routine for employers to perform background checks on potential new employees before extending a job offer. After all, applicants are not always accurate about their past, and a bad hire can substantially damage a business — both financially and through a loss of goodwill.
The annals of Section 1983 litigation are filled with claims of constitutional rights violations by authorities due to plaintiffs’ race, religion or national origin. Far less litigation centers on state origin. As in police searching a car because it has out-of-state tags or because its driver hails from another state. Yet, this is what brought Peter Vasquez into court.
Raise your hand if this sounds familiar: A rep agreement plainly provides for a fixed commission rate. After the rep secures orders, the principal claims the parties orally agreed the rep would accept a lower commission rate on those orders. The rep disputes making any such agreement, but the commissions get paid at the lower rate.
Japanese gymnast Kohei Uchimura fell from the horizontal bar in preliminary competition at the Rio Olympics, landing on his back with a resounding thud. The resulting score of 14.300 meant he would not bid for gold, even as the reigning world champion of the event, six-time world gymnastics champion, defending Olympic gold medalist in men’s gymnastics and the “greatest gymnast ever” according to USA Today.
In a 1995 “Seinfeld” episode, George Costanza takes exception when he spots a security guard forced to stand his entire shift while on duty at a men’s store. His outrage is appeased only when he later decides to provide the guard with a chair.
Under a new law (35 ILCS 200/9-275), the Cook County Assessor is hunting for homeowners who are claiming property tax exemptions for which they do not qualify. The consequences can include repayment of up to 6 years of unpaid tax, plus 10% interest per year plus a penalty of 50% of the total unpaid tax. Moreover, the Assessor is authorized to record liens against real estate if the homeowner does not pay as required.
Just in time for summer, consider the plight of snowboarders in the Wasatch Mountains of northern Utah, home of the Alta Ski Area. Alta is well-known as a skiers-only resort. It is one of only three in the country that bans snowboarders.
One of the most feared prospects for many employers is a workforce unionization effort. Management and human resources personnel will often take vigorous measures to avoid the increased labor expense and inflexibility regarding personnel decisions that seem to invariably follow once a company becomes unionized.
By now, virtually every consumer knows of or was affected by highly publicized hacking incidents involving large companies’ computer systems. The 21st century crime of data breaching, most recently aimed at certain lawyers’ papers in Panama City, Panama, also famously victimized Target, Home Depot, Ashley Madison, Sony, eBay and, ironically, the ID theft-protection firm Lifelock, among others.
Jeff Samardzija of the 2015 White Sox finished last in the league in total earned runs and gave up the most hits and home runs. Following that performance, he still signed a new five-year, $90 million deal with the San Francisco Giants. At least the “Shark” won 11 games last season.