Employment Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation

I recently came across an article at Think Progress describing an employment discrimination case pending before the Seventh Circuit . Click here for: The Most Important Gay Rights Case Since Marriage Equality Was Won. I found it to be a very readable description of the state of the law on employment discrimination based on sexual orientation that our students may be able to digest.

I find students to be quite interested in this topic.  When I do an exercise asking them to write a modern Bill of Rights, protection against discrimination in all forms based on sexual orientation or gender identity usually appear in their list of most cherished liberties. But getting into the details of the law in this area often involves peeling back more layers of the onion than would be prudent or understandable in a basic legal Environment course.  This article linked above can help.

A brief summary of the Hively case:

ADA Chronicles: Common Sense Saves Many Dollars

Click on the headline to read the Washington Post story titled, "A diabetic gets fired over a $1.69 (plus tax) drink and Dollar General must now pay her $277,656."

And some people question whether managers should have to take courses in law?  It would have been cost effective for Dollar General to pay the tuition for that district manager to take a Legal Environment course. Smart business judgment avoids costly court judgments.

EEOC press release.

Diabetes Discrimination:

Sorting Out Jury Verdicts

Students are used to popular cultural representations of jury verdicts as "simple" pronouncements of guilt of innocence.  However, as factfinders, the jury's duty in a civil case can be quite complex.

A jury in California recently ruled against Ellen Pao in her highly publicized sex discrimination lawsuit against Kleiner Perkins,a powerful silicon valley venture capital firm. The case is certainly interesting as a teaching tool on a number of fronts.  But I am particularly interested in bringing to you a link to the jury verdict form from the case, courtesy of the New York Times.  Students viewing the verdict form sent into the deliberation room will be surprised to learn that it contains 7 pages of detailed questions for the jury to answer.  The jury answers the fact-specific questions and, from their answers, the court (judge) fashions the judgment. There are also 14 pages of written instructions. Release of the verdict form sheds light on a part of trial procedure about which our students are mostly in the dark

It's not exactly as simple as "We find for the defendant."

News report on Pao verdict:

What is Title IX?

Due to recent events on our campus at UConn, this question has been asked with increasing frequency.  "Title IX" refers to Title IX o f the Education Amendments of 1972.  The act states in most relevant part:

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance...

People seem to be most  familiar with the impact of Title IX on sports. As is exhibited in the video below.
There are a number of good resources available on the web, for example:

Title IX info
US Dept. of Education
US Dept. of Justice
ACLU

We Only Lend to Christians?

Below is the text of an e-mail message that I received on my University computer (identifications redacted):

Hi my name is Pastor XXXXX. I am the Senior Pastor at the First XXXXXX Church in XXXXXX, Connecticut. I am also on the board of directors at a company called Christian Mortgage. We are a mortgage refinance company based on christian principles.

  

We can help you refinance your mortgage and get a lower monthly payment.

Your next mortgage payment could be HUNDREDS less per month. We try our best to help ALL Christians. Even if your credit is not the best, or if you have been denied by other lenders, we can still help you!

  

Our foreclosure rate is lower then the average because we only lend to Christians. This helps us get you the lowest monthly mortgage payment. We work with over 100 of the biggest banks and financial institutions. We have them compete against each other to get you the lowest monthly payment.

  

I thought it was important to tell you this because your home is the most important and expensive asset in your life. Your family will have a better life if your mortgage payment is hundreds less every month. To see what your new monthly payment would be, go to our website and fill out the form.

 Here is our website: www.ChristianMortgage.org

God Bless you and your loved ones,

Pastor XXXXXXX

Senior Pastor - First XXXXXXXX Church http://FirstXXXXXXChurch.org

  

Psalm 136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

I'm confused.  

1. What does "only lending to Christians" have to do with there being a lower foreclosure rate and a lower monthly payment, and

2. How does this organization avoid the Equal Credit Opportunity Act?