U.S. Supreme Court's 2012 Employee Leave and the Constitution Decision

April 17, 2012

Time: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Location: School of Law Moot Court Room
Contact Name: Law Events
Contact E-mail: lawevents@ubalt.edu

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Coleman v. Maryland Court of Appeals-- in which the court, by a 5-4 vote, dismissed the claim of a state employee that he was fired for taking sick leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act--will be the topic of a panel discussion hosted by the University of Baltimore School of Law on Tuesday, APril 17, and featuring the two lawyers who argued the case before the Supreme Court.  The event will take place at 5 p.m. in the School of Law's Moot Court Room.  

The two lawyers, Maryland Deputy Attorney General John B. Howard and Penn State Law School Professor Michael Foreman, will be joined by other experts from the UB faculty.  Maryland employment lawyer Darrell VanDeusen, author of the LEXIS/NEXIS treatise on the Family and Medical Leave Act, will serve as a moderator.

In Coleman, the Supreme Court held that the states have immunity under the Eleventh Amendment of the U.S. Constitution for claims brought by state government employees (which, under the laws of many states, also includes many county, municipal and school distric employees) for leave rights re the employee's own illness.  The case is expected to resonate among public employees across the country.

The event is co-sponsored by the Maryland State Bar Association Labor/Employment committee.