Employment Law- a Specialty and a Passion

We get many phone calls from people who are certain that they have some kind of legal claim against their current or former employer. However, the law limits any type of lawsuit against an employer to those cases where some legally protected status has been the true reason, if unstated, for negative actions. This includes harassment based on race, religion, sex, disability, age, pregnancy, weight and reporting illegal activities of an employer.

Very few attorneys in West Michigan handle plaintiff’s employment cases, as they are very difficult to prove under current law as well as time and labor intensive. These cases are often so stressful and intense that they are described by attorneys, who do not like to handle them, as “business divorces.”

Eugenie Eardley has gladly handled such cases for wronged employees since she began her litigation career in 1991. When she moved to Michigan in 1993, she noted a marked shortage of West Michigan attorneys willing or able to help the employee fight for his/her legal rights in the workplace. She decided that she would step forward and make this crucial part of the law one of the main elements of her practice. It is also one of the most passionate elements of her vocation as a lawyer. Plaintiff’s employment litigation demands intense effort, and faith in the dignity of each wronged employee as a human being-not simply as a pawn in a business model geared towards profit alone.

Employment Law-More than Lost Wages

Many individuals considering a claim against their employer may think that without a large amount of income or lost wages, their case “isn’t worth anything.” It is true that lost income and benefits are some of the primary elements of damages in employment termination or demotion cases, but there is far more afforded to employees under the law. Workplace and employment related stress (especially sexual harassment)can cause severe anxiety, depression, and at times, a severe condition known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. The sleeplessness, hopelessness and fear many persons who suffer illegal employment discrimination experience isquite real, and is an element of damages recoverable under the law. Ms. Eardley has worked with many mental health professionals and renowned experts in the field of workplace harassment and sexual trauma to assist her clients in pursuing their employment litigation claims with success.

Whistleblowers Protection Act Claims (WPA)

If someone sees a law being broken, or knows it is about to be-we would all hope that person would report it to the proper authorities right away-even if it happens in the workplace. Unfortunately, some individuals do exactly that-and are rewarded by termination or some other negative action by their employer. Michigan has one of the most effective laws in the nation, the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA) givingsuch workersa powerful legal remedy. However, it is a very precise statute that requires an attorney who knows her way around it-and knows the cases that have been decided by our appellate courts which interpret it. Ms. Eardley has handled many of these matters against private businesses as well as government agencies, often achieving large settlements as well as recovering attorneys’ fees and costs for her clients.