Cleveland Law Library Weblog

Cleveland Law Library Celebrates International Women's Day

The theme for this year's International Women's Day is #BreaktheBias. The website for IWD lists several missions "to help forge a gender equal world."

Build workplaces where women thrive

​Elevate visibility of women creatives

Improve equality for women in tech

Forge women's empowerment worldwide

Celebrate the women forging change

Empower women's choices in health 

 

 

Cleveland Law Library Commemorates Black History Month

The Cleveland Law Library is commemorating Black History Month with a new virtual display on our web site about HIRAM REVELS, the first African American Senator.  "One hundred and fifty years ago, on February 25, 1870, visitors in the packed Senate galleries burst into applause as Senator-elect Hiram Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, entered the Chamber to take his oath of office. Those present knew that they were witnessing an event of great historical significance. Revels was about to become the first African American to serve in the United States Congress." - United States Senate Historical Office

Visitors who stop by can also view the Law Library's display cabinet, which is devoted to commemorating Black History Month.

Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation Changes Its Name

A recent article from Court News Ohio recently stated that "The Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation, the largest funder of civil legal aid in Ohio is changing its name to the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation. Its mission is to "The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation is committed to improving access to justice and ensuring that legal aid societies and other resources, programs and services address the unmet civil legal needs of low-income and underserved Ohioans.The name change reflects the Foundation’s broader commitment to access to justice initiatives." With this change, OLAF is changing to OAJF, and it also has a new website.

"RBG": Documentary About U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Premier May 4th

Last year, our Law Library held a great book discussion about the book My Own Words by United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams. The 'Notorious RBG,' who abovethelaw calls a "flaming feminist litigator," will be starring in a documentary this Spring. The movie titled RBG will air at selected theaters on May 4th this year. Click here to watch the trailer.

Our Latest Podcast Features Benesch Partner Joseph Gross on the ADA Amendments Act

Our latest podcast features Joseph Gross, Esq., a partner at the law firm of Benesch Friedlander, on the topic of the recent amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Mr. Gross outlines significant changes in the amendments and proposed EEOC regulations regarding the definitions of the phrases "substantially limits" and "major life activities." He also provides some advice for employers and employees on what to expect in the workplace. Mr. Gross is certified by the Ohio State Bar Association as a specialist in the areas of labor and employment law and serves as the President of our Law Library's Board of Directors.

Ohio Civil Rights Commission Creates Hall of Fame

The Ohio Civil Rights Commission has created a brand new Hall of Fame and inducted 10 citizens who the OCRC recognizes as having "made significant contributions to the progress of the civil rights and equal justice in the State of Ohio." Two former Ohio Judges made the list: former Supreme Court of Ohio Justice Robert M. Duncan and former Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Carl B. Stokes. Justice Duncan was the first African-American on the Supreme Court.

Ohio's 5th Circuit Issues Opinion on Reasonable Maternity Leave

In an interesting decision, the 5th District Court of Appeals held in Nursing Care Mgmt. of Am. Inc. v. Ohio Civil Rights Comm. (Case No. 08CA0030) that, notwithstanding an employee's length of service or an employer policy that provides otherwise, employers are required to provide a reasonable length of time for unpaid maternity leave. This decision reversed the trial court's decision and affirmed the Ohio Civil Rights Commission's decision in favor of a woman who was discharged when she needed pregnancy leave but had not worked long enough to qualify under her employer's policy. The Court concluded that her termination constituted "unlawful sex discrimination" in  violation of OAC 4112-05-05(G)(2). The Court also relied on the Pregnancy Discrimination Act in 42 U.S.C. sec. 2000 et seq., as well as Ohio's PDA contained in ORC 4112.02.

EEOC Private Claims Went Up 15.2 % in 2008

According to the EEOC's FY 2008 Performance and Accountability Report, private EEOC charges were up 15.2% over 2007 figures. That means that more and more employees have been claiming discrimination and/or harassment at work. Thanks for the tip on this information go to KJK's Ohio Employer's Law Blog, which predicts that the figures will go up again in 2009.

2-Year SOL Applies in Ohio Section 1983 Actions

Is it finally resolved once and for all? According to the Ohio Supreme Court's decision in Nadra v. Mbah, Case No. 2008-Ohio-3918, Ohio's 2-year personal injury statute of limitations contained in O.R.C. 2305.10 applies to civil rights actions brought under 42 U.S.C. sec. 1983. This opinion agreed with the trial court but not the Franklin County Court of Appeals, which had held that the plaintiff's claims were not barred because they were subject to the 4-year residual personal injury statute of limitations contained in O.R.C. sec. 2305.09(D). Justice Pfeifer's dissent envisions a 'Kiss Me Kate'' like situation where the majority court was convinced to believe that the sky was not blue in disregarding that a 2, rather than a 4-year statute of limitations was applicable. The underlying case arose when a mother whose children were removed from her custody sued 2 employees from Franklin County Childrens Services who were involved in the removal and a child-abuse complaint.

Age Discrimination Plaintiffs Recovering More Often Locally

The Plain Dealer reports that age discrimination plaintiffs are recovering more often locally. The latest award of $7 million for a 58 year old employee from Wachovia is less than half the $16 million dollars that Aurora native Tommy Morgan won last year against New York Life Insurance Co. Experts who have been studying the trend point to age sterotypes called ageism as the pattern in many of the cases for suits by employees in their 50's and 60's.