Wrongfully Fired for Sex Harassment?

On the front page of today’s newspaper, I was reading an article about Matt Lauer of the Today Show, who was the latest well-known man fired for sex harassment. Who will it be tomorrow? No doubt, Human Resource professionals are furiously investigating these claims on a daily basis.

I have handled sex harassment cases for many years and I have represented men and women who were harassed, and I have also represented the alleged harasser.

There was a time where this Houston Employment Lawyer would send my female clients for a polygraph exam, if the harasser was denying that he did any of the things he was accused of.  Nowadays, that seems unnecessary, as employers and their Human Resources departments are all jumping on the bandwagon of weeding-out harassers immediately. And, of course, we live in different times where there is typically compelling electronic evidence such as text messages, instant messages, emails, etc.

I met with a potential client last week who lost his job because a co-worker said he touched her inappropriately.  The man professed his innocence, yet he was terminated the same day.

It seems that many employers are taking a zero tolerance view and that if anyone complains about sex harassment, the alleged harasser will be quickly fired.

Earlier this year, I got to meet the woman who wrote the book on sex harassment, Gretchen Carlson, formerly of Fox News. In her book, Be Fierce: Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back, she gives encouragement to women who are victims of sex harassment.

The federal laws that deal with sex harassment come from the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and they allow victims of sex harassment to bring legal claims in court, after they first complain to the EEOC. Many of these cases are settled out of court and confidentiality agreements prevent victims from discussing the facts.

At our Houston employment lawyer firm and also at our Miami employment lawyer firm, we represent victims of sex harassment, as well as victims of false harassment claims.

For further information, I can be reached at bruce.coane@gmail.com or 713.850.0066 or 305.538.6800.

Discrimination Lawsuit against CVS

https://setexasrecord.com/stories/511248602-loader-alleges-cvs-pharmacy-inc-terminated-him-after-on-the-job-injury

This is a story that was recently published about a discrimination lawsuit we filed against CVS. Our client states in the lawsuit that he was treated unfairly and discriminated against by CVS when they fired him from his job. The lawsuit is pending in U.S. District Court in Houston. No trial date has been set but it is expected to receive a trial date for 2018 or 2019.

This Houston Employment Lawyer files federal discrimination lawsuits and cases against companies throughout the United States. For further information, I may be contacted at 713.850.0066 or 305.538.6800, or via email at bruce.coane@gmail.com.

Immigration and Employment Law Update-November 17, 2017

Here is a video that I shot in Madagascar in 2015, where I am talking about the Affidavit of Support which is required in many immigration cases. I talk about the misconception that people have where they think they must earn a certain income in order to file a visa petition or to “sponsor” a family member or foreign spouse. This is still a common issue, and the reality is that no job is required to sponsor a family member or spouse.

In other news, I was at Immigration Court in San Antonio this week representing a client who has DACA through 2019. For some strange reason, the ICE lawyer decided to start prosecuting my client again, despite the fact that he has DACA status and a work permit until 2019. I asked the ICE lawyer and the judge to close the case due to the fact my client is in valid DACA status. They said they would consider it. We shall see.

Talking about strange activities in the area of immigration law, this Houston immigration lawyer and Miami immigration lawyer has noticed a significant delay by the government in the processing of all immigration cases. Work permits that used to take 20 to 40 days, are now taking 6 months. Naturalization cases (to become a U.S. citizen) that used to take four months are now taking well-over a year. I have also noticed a new harshness in visa processing abroad. I heard from one of our clients today that he tried to renew his visitor’s visa in Ukraine this week, and was denied. There seems to be a district effort to cut down on the number of foreign visitors to our country.

In more promising developments in the world of immigration, one of our African clients got his EB-1 extraordinary worker case approved today. Like many of our clients, he works in the oil industry, and now, he and his family will all be getting green cards. I am very happy for them. The EB-1 category is a fast way to get a green card (less than one year). While many of our clients get it because of their experience in the oil industry, we have also done it for teachers, dancers, engineers, researchers, physicians, body shop workers and even an astronaut.

On the employment law side of our law practice, we are bracing for all the new federal judges and appellate judges. Sadly, there is no reason to believe that they are going to have much sympathy for our clients who are the victims of harassment and discrimination. Despite that, I am confident that we will continue to have success in representing our clients with their meritorious cases.

I should also mention that our law firm represents clients in employment law and immigration law all across America. While we may be based in Florida and Texas, we do federal law cases, which allows us to practice in all 50 states. I’ll be visiting Connecticut and Wyoming in the next 30 days on two of our cases, and we welcome referrals from across the country.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the daily news reports of sex harassment in the news. Our law firm has represented sex harassment victims for over 30 years. In order to have a winnable case, it is very important to report the sex harassment to Human Resources or the  appropriate authority within the company. While there may be some exceptions, reporting sex harassment and keeping records about it is critically important.

For further information, I may be reached at 713.850.0066 or 305.538.6800. My email address is bruce.coane@gmail.com.

Las solicitudes de ciudadanía se disparan en EE. UU. conforme se endurece el discurso sobre la inmigración

Este reciente artículo de inmigración en el New York Times destacó lo que les he estado diciendo a los clientes durante muchos años.

A menudo he pedido a mis amigos y clientes permanentes legales que se conviertan en ciudadanos de EE. UU., Ya que tener una tarjeta verde,  puede no ser suficiente para garantizar la readmisión sin daños a los EE. UU. Ni puede ser suficiente para evitar la deportación.

El más simple de los crímenes, incluso cuando es negligente, puede causar que un inmigrante legal sea deportable. Además, las reglas cambian constantemente cuando se trata de ciudadanos que no son estadounidenses, y el no ciudadano está constantemente en peligro de perder sus derechos legales, en comparación con los ciudadanos de EE. UU. Este abogado de inmigración de Houston y abogado de inmigración de Miami insta a todos los titulares de la tarjeta verde elegibles a solicitar la ciudadanía de EE. UU. cuando sean elegibles.

Por supuesto, en estos tiempos inusuales para nuestro país, el proceso de naturalización para convertirse en ciudadano se ha vuelto más caro, lleva mucho más tiempo y es más difícil.

Para obtener más información, me pueden contactar a bruce.coane@gmail.com o en Texas al 713.850.0066 y en Florida al 305.538.6800

Citizenship Applications in the U.S. Surge as Immigration Talk Toughens

This recent immigration article in the New York Times highlighted what I have been telling clients for many years.

I have often urged my legal permanent resident friends and clients to become a USA citizen, because having a green card, alone, may not be sufficient to guarantee unimpaired readmission to the U.S. nor may it be sufficient to avoid deportation.

The simplest of crimes, even where negligent, can cause a lawful immigrant to be deportable. Moreover, rules are constantly changing when it comes to non-USA citizens, and the non-citizen is constantly in jeopardy of losing legal rights, as compared to USA citizens. This Houston immigration lawyer and Miami immigration lawyer urges all eligible green card holders to apply for USA citizenship whenever they become eligible.

Of course, in these unusual times for our country, the naturalization process to become a citizen has become more expensive, it takes significantly longer and it it is more difficult.

For further information, I may be reached at bruce.coane@gmail.com or in Texas at  713.850.0066 or in Florida at 305.538.6800