A recent decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reminded this writer that you could still learn something new about the law every day. Even in an area that you are a supposed expert. This time, it was a decision regarding the so-called “manager rule,” a principle applied in some circuits in the context of retaliation claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The rule had been extended to retaliation claims under Title VII. For managers, human resources professionals and the like, in order to engage in protected activity and garner protection from retaliation, the rule required the employee to “step outside his or her role of representing the company.”
The “manager rule,” which I never even heard of in almost 20 years of practicing employment law, purports to address a concern that, if counseling and communicating complaints are part of a manager’s regular duties, then “nearly every activity in the normal course of a manager’s job would potentially be protected activity,” and “an otherwise typical at-will employment relationship could quickly degrade into a litigation minefield,” according to Hagan v. Echostar Satellite, 529 F.3d 617, 628 (5th Cir. 2008).
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
