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Jury Orders Blue Cross to Pay $12 Million to Former Employee Over COVID Vaccine Mandate Dispute

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DETROIT — A Michigan court on Friday ruled in favor of a former employee of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, awarding her over $12 million after finding the company had wrongfully terminated her employment due to her refusal to comply with its COVID-19 vaccination mandate, citing religious grounds. Lisa Domski, a veteran IT specialist who had been with Blue Cross for more than three decades, argued that the company’s mandate conflicted with her Catholic beliefs. Despite her long tenure and her role being fully remote during the pandemic, her request for a religious exemption … Read more

Texas Judge Reverses New Overtime Pay Regulation, Restores Earlier Wage Standards

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A federal judge in Texas has issued a ruling that halts a recent regulation aimed at expanding overtime pay eligibility, effectively reverting to the previous standards that had governed wage and hour rules. The decision comes as a setback to labor advocates who had championed the update as a necessary boost for middle-class earnings. The regulation, which was set to go into effect, would have raised the salary threshold for automatic overtime pay eligibility from $455 per week to $913 per week. This change would have extended overtime protections to millions more American workers, including … Read more

U.S. Jury Orders Military Contractor to Pay $42 Million for Role in Abu Ghraib Detainee Abuse

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — In a landmark decision, a U.S. jury awarded $42 million on Tuesday to three former detainees who suffered abuse two decades ago at Iraq’s infamous Abu Ghraib prison. They filed a lawsuit against a Virginia-based military contractor, alleging it was complicit in their torture and abuse. The plaintiffs, Suhail Al Shimari, Salah Al-Ejaili, and Asa’ad Al-Zubae, each received $3 million in compensatory damages and $11 million in punitive damages. The jury found that the contractor, CACI, failed to prevent the mistreatment by its civilian interrogators, who worked alongside the U.S. Army at … Read more

Federal Judge in Texas Halts Expansion of Overtime Pay Eligibility for Millions of Salaried Workers

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SHERMAN, Texas — A significant decision emerged from a Texas federal court on Friday, where a judge permanently blocked the implementation of a Biden administration rule that aimed to extend overtime pay eligibility to an additional 4 million salaried U.S. workers. U.S. District Judge Sean Jordan ruled that the measure, initiated by the U.S. Department of Labor and set to take effect in July, incorrectly prioritized workers’ salaries over their job duties in determining eligibility for overtime compensation. The contentious rule had sparked legal challenges from the state of Texas and various business organizations across … Read more