Call Us 919-240-4054More than 70,000 unemployed workers will see their unemployment benefits cease at the end of this month, thanks to an overhaul of the state’s unemployment system that goes into effect on June 30. For any North Carolina workers receiving federal extended unemployment benefits (known as the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program or EUC), or anyone who […]
Law Blog
Valerie Johnson named chair of NCAJ Workers’ Compensation Section
CJG Partner Valerie Johnson was elected chairperson of the Workers Compensation Section of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ) at the association’s annual conference in Wilmington, June 15-18. The NCAJ is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded to protect people’s rights through professional and community legal education. The group advocates for the rights of the […]
Equal Pay Act turns 50, but women’s wages still lag
On the fiftieth anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, we are still a long way from seeing workplace equality for women and minorities. When the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, American women on average earned 59 cents for every dollar that American men earned. In the five decades since the bill was passed, […]
Budget cuts will deny justice to many
Budget cuts approved by the NC Senate and up for a vote in the NC House of Representatives will directly impact the day-to-day functions of the court, slashing the state’s number of court reporters in half and replacing them with recording equipment. Such a change will likely result in errors in court records, according to […]
Standard & Poor’s denies violation of False Claims Act
Attorneys for Standard and Poor’s Rating Services asked a California judge to dismiss a lawsuit against the company alleging violations of the False Claims Act. The suit, filed by California Attorney General Kamala Harris in February, was among more than a dozen filed against S&P’s in approximately fifteen states, all accusing the group of intentionally overinflating […]
Court upholds ruling that employers must provide disabled employees new roles
The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear an appeal from an airline about what accommodations it must make for employees no longer able to perform their current jobs because of a disability. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued United Airlines for failing to make reasonable accommodations for injured workers who were unable to perform […]
Tax on legal services unfair to private citizens
North Carolina’s Senate Republican leaders are proposing a tax on legal services for individuals. Under the proposed tax reform package, corporations would not pay a sales tax for using a lawyer, but an average citizen needing legal assistance would. The tax unfairly penalizes individual North Carolinians and would discourage anyone facing financial hardship from seeking […]
Workers’ comp settlement deemed unjust by Court of Appeals
The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled last Tuesday that an injured worker and his employer cannot independently agree on a settlement if the North Carolina Industrial Commission has gotten involved in the claim, according to the Triangle Business Journal. Danny Allred was injured in a motor vehicle accident while he was employee of Exceptional […]
National Voter Registration Act turns 20!
This week we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), passed by Congress in 1993 with the intent of making voting accessible and free to all Americans. In essence, the NVRA protects and preserves the most basic element of democracy. States are required to offer voter registration to anyone applying for […]
Whistleblowers denied protection in NC Court of Appeals
Three former Forsyth County Board of Election employees who alleged they were treated unfairly for blowing the whistle on their supervisor were denied the right to sue under the North Carolina Whistleblowers Protection Act (WPA). The North Carolina Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of claims brought by Pamela Johnson, Deena Head and Terry Cox […]
