Jeffrey L. Rhodes

04/15/2026

This interesting decision tests the limits of FMLA post-leave reporting. As the court held, generally an employee cannot contest her termination by reporting FMLA leave after discharge.

An appeals court ruled that FMLA leave reporting after termination was ineffective, reinforcing the need for prompt notification by employees.

03/04/2026

A fast casual restaurant - Chicken Salad Chick - did not have to offer a disabled applicant a seated job, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled.

Learn why the ADA did not require a restaurant to offer a seated position to a cashier based on essential job functions and reasonable accommodation standards.

01/30/2026

https://bit.ly/45FTs1i

As Democrats now control all three branches of state government in Virginia, employers face a high likelihood of passage of a paid sick leav...

01/13/2026

The Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld the National Labor Relations Board's decision that a firing range instructor was not a manager excluded from NLRA coverage: https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/employment-law-compliance/firing-range-instructor-was-not-manager-under-nlra?

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals clarified the NLRA managerial exception. Learn why an instructor was ruled a covered employee and ensure compliance.

01/12/2026

https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/employment-law-compliance/retaliation-claim-loses-despite-misdirected-text

The 6th Circuit upheld summary judgment for an employer in a retaliation suit. See why a misdirected text failed to show causation regarding the adverse action.

12/29/2025

Legal challenges can be daunting, but the right guidance makes all the difference. Empower yourself by visiting jeffreyrhodes.com today and take the first step towards resolving your legal matters with confidence.

12/21/2025

Employers should rigorously investigate and discipline the use of racial epithets in the workplace, even by members of the disparaged race.

Learn how the 6th Circuit ruling on racial epithets in the workplace impacts your harassment policies. Familiarize yourself with the takeaway for HR leaders.

12/21/2025

Employers must not rush to judgment in investigating an employee who recently filed an internal HR complaint.

Learn key takeaways from a physician's retaliation case. Discover why employers must ensure investigations are fair, unbiased, and factually supported.

11/04/2025

As this case shows, the FMLA gives employees considerable flexibility in using intermittent FMLA leave. This flexibility even extends to the requested amount of leave, which the Sixth Circuit declined to treat as a cap on the leave that could be taken. Instead, the court treated it as an estimate of expected leave.

A 6th Circuit ruling clarified FMLA protections. Medical certifications didn't cap a worker's unforeseeable intermittent leave, the federal appeals court held. 

10/27/2025

A supervisor's expressions of frustration with an employee's repeated references to alleged disabilities, without describing any specific diagnosis, not enough to show disability discrimination.

An employee’s ADHD claim was dismissed because of outdated medical proof. Learn how to verify accommodation requests when permitted and ensure ADA compliance.