Location: Via telephone

Additional Info: Oregon State Bar

Cost: $65

Description:
This program reviews major developments in sexual harassment and discrimination litigation.

The program discusses significant case law developments in the last 18 months, including the evolution in lower courts of the Supreme Court’s Farragher and Ellerth decisions and the employers’ affirmative defense created by them.

Other important topics, including discrimination issues related to pregnancy, same-sex harassment, stereotyping, and the relationship of sex harassment claims to retaliation claims, are also covered.

The program also provides a guide to identifying workplace harassment risk and instituting workable policies to mitigate that risk and liability.

• Review of major case law developments
• Evolution of the Farragher/Ellerth affirmative defense
• Discrimination issues related to pregnancy
• Same-sex harassment
• Harassment against men and stereotyping issues
• Relationship of retaliation claims to sex harassment/discrimination
• Identifying workplace harassment risk and implementing workable policies to mitigate that risk

Speakers:

Dianna B. Johnston is Assistant Legal Counsel and Director of the Title VII/Equal Pay Act/Age Discrimination in Employment Act Division of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Washington, D.C. The division is responsible for developing agency policy on new and complex employment issues under the relevant provisions of federal law. Earlier in her career, Ms. Johnston served in the EEOC’s appellate division, where she argued on behalf of the EEOC before most of the federal Circuit Courts of Appeals. Ms. Johnston received her LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Nancy Abell is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker LLP and chairs the firm’s employment law department. Ms. Abell works with private and public employers in all aspects of employment law, including wrongful discharge, discrimination, sexual harassment, whistleblower, and labor-management litigation. She is a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. She has served as chair of the board of governors of the Institute for Corporate Counsel and cochair of the Trial Advocacy Subcommittee of the ABA Labor and Employment Law Section Committee on Employee Rights and Responsibilities.