Employee Litigation – A Possible New Benchmark in the Disability Discrimination Law
Verizon has a terrible reputation for treating its workers, mainly at the corporate level. This is particularly true in the light of recent accusations involving high-level corporate executives and widespread allegations of widespread sexual harassment and other discrimination at the workplace.
While there may be no way to predict what will happen in the future, Verizon is in an odd position. With its acquisition of AOL, it appears as though Verizon may be poised to enter a new market: broadband.
Verizon Employee Lawsuit
There are two main reasons for this. The first reason is that Verizon is in an area of growth. Verizon is in no doubt that it wants to continue to grow in its core business: digital media. The acquisition of AOL would aid Verizon in doing this by giving it a foothold into one of the most lucrative markets in digital media.
Secondly, Verizon is in a position to benefit from the pending case of Reebok v. Nike.
If you’re not familiar with the case, Reebok, a sports apparel manufacturer, and Nike, a well-known shoe maker, have been engaged in a bitter court battle for several years. According to Reebok’s attorneys, Nike has refused to allow Reebok to use certain designs that Reebok has licensed out to others. A United States District Judge has sided with Reebok and ordered Nike to allow Reebok to market its products.
If this case were to go to trial, Verizon could stand to lose in a major way.
Verizon has already spent millions of dollars on advertising campaigns and has high expenses to fight a case before the courts. What makes this even more complicated is the fact that Reebok is a huge competitor within the footwear industry. Any compromise on Verizon’s part could spell financial doom for Reebok, and thus for Verizon as well.
On top of all this there are many other reasons that Reebok has reason to hope the lawsuit will be resolved favorably.
In addition to the fact that Verizon is a large company with plenty of money to fight a legal battle, there is also the matter of employee morale at stake. An injured or disgruntled employee can bring down the image of an entire department, and can certainly do harm to any corporation’s profitability.
This is why many lawyers, including those at the firm I work for, are urging the dismissal of the case.
There is no question that Reebok is entitled to recover damages, but it would be a shame if this case resulted in further delays and added costs for Verizon. The only other alternative to resolving this dispute quickly and effectively is to settle the case outside of court. The alternative, however, is almost always a lengthy litigation process.
Not only is it expensive to bring a case in the courts, but settlements can put a company in serious trouble financially. To avoid these pitfalls and additional expense, it’s often better to settle an employee lawsuit for less than what is owed.
