Title VII

Appeals: First Amendment, Discrimination and Criminal Cases

March is turning out to be a  busy month for appellate matters.  The Kaplan Law Firm will have oral arguments in three separate appellate cases, all of which raise important issues of law. On March 21 we have an oral argument before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond in Villa v. CavaMezze Grill, LLC, a Title VII civil rights case. In this case an employer fired an employee (my client) because she reported that another employee had told our client that she…

Further Briefing in Important Fourth Circuit Civil Rights Case—Villa v. CavaMezze Grill

Opposing counsel in the Villa v. CavaMezze Grill case has filed their brief in opposition to our appeal in this Title VII case, which is currently pending in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and I have filed The Kaplan Law Firm’s reply brief in further opposition to the arguments made by Cava.  As I have written before, my client in this case, Patricia Villa, was fired for reporting that she had been told by another employee that that employee…

Amicus Briefs Filed in Title VII Sex Discrimination/Retaliation Case

The case I mentioned in my June 30 post, Villa v. Cavamezze Grill LLC, is moving forward.  The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers’ Association (MWELA) have filed Amicus briefs supporting my clients’ position. Amicus briefs, also known as friend of the court briefs, are filed by individuals or entities who are not a party to the particular case, but who are concerned that others will be affected by the outcome of the case.…

Appeal Filed in Important Title VII Sex Discrimination/Retaliation Case

I recently filed a brief with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of my client, who was fired from her job as a first line manager at a District of Columbia area restaurant chain for telling top company management that one of her subordinates at the company had reported to her that she had been offered a raise by a senior manager in exchange for sex.  In my view this case has substantial implications for the effective enforcement…

New Employment Law and Defamation Case

I currently represent the former senior official the Alexandria (Virginia) City Public Schools (“ACPS”) in an employment law lawsuit against ACPS. The lawsuit alleges that my client was discriminated against based on his race and national origin and that he was fired from his job when, in compliance with the school system’s own procedures, he filed an internal complaint about this discrimination. It is, of course, entirely illegal to fire an employee for making a good faith effort to seek…