Showing up for work on a regular, predictable basis is important, the Ninth Circuit has ruled in a significant disability case. In Samper v. Providence St. Vincent, a neo-natal intensive care unit nurse tried to opt out of her employer’s attendance policy, which permitted five unplanned abs...

A company handbook or manual promising that an employer will treat employees “fairly” does not by itself create an enforceable contract to support a wrongful termination claim, a Hawaii federal judge has ruled. The former employee in Clemmons v. HMSA claimed that his employer had dist...

An employee’s claimed mental stress from threatened disciplinary action was not compensable under Hawaii’s workers compensation laws, the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals has ruled. In Kahawaiolaa v. United Airlines, Inc., the employee (a flight attendant) claimed he was injured...

An employer is not required to make accommodations to help an employee become “qualified” to perform essential job functions under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Ninth Circuit has ruled. To prevail on a disability discrimination claim, an individual must first show he or she...

With the backing of public worker unions, the 2011 Hawaii State Legislature gave additional protections to public employees who report actual or suspected violations of public contracts.The Legislature amended HRS Chapter 378 to make clear that a public employer shall not discharge, threaten, or dis...