Family and Medical Leave Act Law Blog

Discussion of a recent court case involving employer's failure to return employee's calls while out on FMLA leave.... Read More

Brief summary of taking FMLA leave to care for parent of parental figure... Read More

Review of recent 9th Circuit decision covering employer's burden to show reasonable refusal to reinstate employee following FMLA leave.... Read More

A sales representative, Robert Righi, at a company in Illinois, SMC Corp., was at a mandatory training seminar in Indiana when he suddenly learned that his mother had a medical emergency. In response, as anyone would do when they learn such information, Righi immediately left the seminar to attend to his ailing mother. Because Righi knew he couldn't just leave his job without notice lest he be terminated, he emailed his supervisor the next day and said he... Read More

A federal district court in Arkansas recently had to decide whether it is interference of the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA") for an employer to repeatedly call an employee on FMLA leave and always ask when they were going to return. Unique to this case is the fact that although the employer telephoned the plaintiff on a weekly basis and at one point, in response to the plaintiff asking, told the plaintiff that she "should return to work," the plaintiff used all of... Read More