Sally Barron's article "Recent Amendments to the Tennessee Human Rights Act" was featured in the December issue of HR Professionals magazine.
Earlier this year, the Tennessee General Assembly passed several amendments to the Tennessee Code affecting employers, most notably passing laws impacting the rights of employees to bring suit under the Tennessee Human Rights Act (the "THRA"), the Tennessee Public Protection Act ("TPPA"), and the Tennessee Disability Act. Most of these changes took effect on July 1, 2014, with the stated purpose of clarifying existing Tennessee employment law and harmonizing Tennessee and federal law relating to individual liability and caps on the amount of damages recoverable in employment lawsuits.
In the article, Sally discusses recent amendments to the Tennessee Human Rights Act. Some of these amendments include:
- Individual Liability
- Limitations on Damages
- Duplicate Lawsuits
- The Disability Act
- Whistleblower Lawsuits
- The Healthy Workplace Act
- Criminal Backgrounds
2014 saw many new laws on the books affecting employers in both the private and public sector. Most of these are favorable from an employer's standpoint and aim to clarify the parameters of employers' liability for claims arising in a workplace setting. While many of the laws affect the legal defense of a claim once a complaint has been filed, employers and human resources professionals are nevertheless advised to review the changes in the laws and consider what impact they might have on current workplace policies.
To read the full article, please visit HR Professionals.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
