Nutley Law Blog

Manager fired over alleged theft wins wrongful termination suit

On behalf of Piro Zinna Cifelli Paris & Genitempo LLC posted in Wrongful Termination on Thursday, May 24, 2018.

Was one of the managers of a California Chipotle set up by her bosses and accused of theft simply because she filed a workers' compensation claim over an injured wrist?

A jury thinks so. In fact, they've already awarded the fired employee nearly $8 million in damages -- and that's not the end of things. The parties have to be back in court soon in order to determine what amount of punitive damages they'll have to pay. Punitive damages are generally only awarded when a defendant's actions are found to be particularly reprehensible. They're designed to deter others from doing something similar in the future.

Public employees who sexually harass could face big consequences

On behalf of Piro Zinna Cifelli Paris & Genitempo LLC posted in Sexual Harassment on Tuesday, May 15, 2018.

If some New Jersey lawmakers have their way, the consequences for sexual harassment in the workplace could get a lot bigger for public officials and government employees.

One piece of fallout from the #MeToo movement is that there's been a lot of scrutiny on public officials across the nation sexually abuse or harass their employees. The probability that they'd ever face serious consequences was once pretty slim.

Is your company's attempt to eliminate discrimination backfiring?

On behalf of Piro Zinna Cifelli Paris & Genitempo LLC posted in Workplace Discrimination on Friday, May 11, 2018.

Discrimination in the workplace is a big issue these days. There's a lot of media attention and companies everywhere are eager to avoid being put in the spotlight. A lot of them are promoting initiatives designed to overcome discrimination in their past -- but some of those efforts may end up creating new types of discrimination in the present.

For example, it's unlikely that a company would start a "men only" program designed to help male professionals network -- but it might not think twice about starting such a program for women. The goal, naturally, would be to help women overcome the problems they've faced breaking through male-dominated professions. Unfortunately, that kind of thing could end up negatively impacting a company's male professionals in today's world.

Can your family seek wrongful death compensation after a crash?

On behalf of Piro Zinna Cifelli Paris & Genitempo LLC on Wednesday, May 2, 2018.

Motor vehicles are a necessity for many professionals in New Jersey. Even those who don't work but provide transportation for children or other family members will need a vehicle. With the convenience of motor vehicles comes risk. Every day, people in New Jersey get hurt and killed in crashes. It's easy to overlook that risk until it impacts someone in your family.

Losing someone to a sudden accident is a heartbreaking experience. You won't have had a chance to say goodbye. Your loved one may not have had his or her affairs in order, leaving you to deal with the stresses of probate court. You also have to adjust to life without the emotional, social and financial support of your deceased loved one. It can be an incredibly difficult transition.

Be alert to these possible early symptoms of cancer

On behalf of Piro Zinna Cifelli Paris & Genitempo LLC posted in Personal Injury on Wednesday, May 2, 2018.

Some of the early physical symptoms of cancer are so mild that many people dismiss them outright.

That's a big mistake. Your best chance of beating cancer is early detection and treatment.

How do you know if you were fired illegally?

On behalf of Piro Zinna Cifelli Paris & Genitempo LLC posted in Wrongful Termination on Thursday, April 26, 2018.

How do you know if you were fired illegally?

Most people don't have a clear idea of what protections they have against job loss, especially since most jobs are "at will." Your employer can generally fire you without any advance notice -- and without a good reason.

4 tips to avoid injuries during home renovations

On behalf of Piro Zinna Cifelli Paris & Genitempo LLC posted in Personal Injury on Friday, April 20, 2018.

You know it's spring when the home renovations start rolling forward. If you've been asked to help a friend with renovations, you need to make sure that you (and the other people in the house) are safe while you do it.

Here are some of the most important tips for preventing injuries during home repairs:

New Jersey makes equal pay for equal work a law

On behalf of Piro Zinna Cifelli Paris & Genitempo LLC posted in Workplace Discrimination on Thursday, April 12, 2018.

It's hard to believe that the majority of women out there still make 20 percent less than their male counterparts doing the exact same jobs. The gap in pay occurs regardless of education level or industry. Unfortunately, the wage gap that women suffer is alive and well -- except in New Jersey, thanks to some new legislation.

While federal laws mandating equal pay for men and women have been in existence since the 1960s, they're unevenly enforced and not particularly strong -- otherwise, the wage gap wouldn't still be in existence. New Jersey is adding legislation at the state level to give women more power to fight back.

Recovering from workplace sexual harassment

On behalf of Piro Zinna Cifelli Paris & Genitempo LLC posted in Sexual Harassment on Wednesday, April 4, 2018.

What do you do after you've experienced sexual harassment at work? Even if it's over, the lingering effects of your experience may continue to dominate your thoughts for some time.

You may be left feeling shocked, angry, scared or even depressed. It's demoralizing to experience sexual harassment anywhere -- but having it happen in your workplace also makes you feel like your livelihood could be at risk. You may be concerned how other employees see you now. Feeling like some of them see you as a victim and some of them dismiss you as a complainer and not feeling comfortable with any of them is also common. You may even be questioning your place there and whether or not it's time to look elsewhere.

Who is responsible for a faulty smoke alarms?

On behalf of Piro Zinna Cifelli Paris & Genitempo LLC posted in Personal Injury on Tuesday, March 27, 2018.

Most people rely on smoke alarms to let them know if their lives are in danger from a household fire.

Unfortunately, not all smoke alarms work the way that they're expected to work. In fact, a recent recall by a major manufacturer of smoke alarms, Kidde, was prompted by a defect that was -- fortunately -- discovered before anyone ended up injured.