B&F Blog

Sometimes good intentions lead to unintended results. Amanda Farahany, managing partner at Barrett & Farahany, and Todd Stanton of Stanton Law, co-wrote the article "Benevolent Discrimination Is Still Discrimination" for the Fulton County Daily Report (subscription required).

The United States Supreme Court issued a pair of rulings on July 8 that will impact employees of religious schools and those whose employer objects to birth control on religious grounds.

It was gratifying for me to see that the bill to protect older Georgians living in long-term care facilities passed the Georgia Legislature and was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp on June 30.

The man many people have come to see as the face of the response to COVID-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci, delivered a disheartening update about the spread of the virus to Congress. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases testified today and scolded the U.S. public and federal officials.

Firm's Managing Partner Received Organization’s Highest Honor Amanda Farahany, managing partner of the law firm Barrett & Farahany, has been elected as a new Fellow in The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Election as a Fellow is the highest recognition by an attorney’s colleagues of sustained outstanding performance in the profession, exemplifying integrity, dedication, and excellence.

Amanda Farahany co-wrote the article “Do’s and Don'ts for Employers and Employees in the Time of COVID-19” for the June 22 Daily Report. Todd Stanton of Stanton Law is the co-author.

Managing Partner Amanda Farahany appeared on a podcast on June 19, 2020, with Chris DeBlasio, the CEO of Agency850 who hosts the “C Level” podcast on great business practices. He interviewed Amanda about the legal issues concerning COVID-19 and the workplace. This interview was taped prior to the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act being signed into law. Amanda explains the legal rights employees have during this time of COVID-19.

Partner Kathy Harrington-Sullivan wrote an article for Women's Business Daily about illegal workplace discrimination. Kathy wrote: “Recent events have prompted an important nation-wide conversation about discrimination in our society, and workplace discrimination needs to be part of that conversation. Mistreating people at work because of a protected characteristic is not just wrong, it’s illegal.”

The Fulton County Daily Report quoted Amanda Farahany in the June 15, 2020 article “Elated, Brilliant or Dangerous: Georgia’s Legal Community Reacts to SCOTUS LGBTQ Opinion.” Amanda was among numerous legal leaders in Georgia to comment on the landmark United States Supreme Court ruling that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act covers discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Amanda Farahany was recently a guest on the “The 3 Wins Podcast: Winning Strategies for Business.” Amanda discussed what some of the best approaches are for employers who want to ensure they are bringing employees back safely during this time of COVID-19.

In a landmark ruling, the United States Supreme Court today ruled existing federal law banning sex discrimination also protects workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Justices determined that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act covers discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The High Court, voting 6-3, held that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is also discrimination based on sex, which is prohibited by Title VII.

At Barrett & Farahany, a cornerstone of our practice is ensuring justice and equality for all people. While we do not handle legal matters connected to domestic violence, we do believe it is important for people to be aware of how the current climate can contribute to or escalate domestic violence and abuse.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) featured Barrett & Farahany in an article on its very popular website entitled “Smaller Employers Add a Personal Touch to Well-Being Benefits.”

The recent protests about police brutality and systemic racism illustrate how understandably emotional these topics are for all of us. With so much unrest over current events, these topics are very likely to find their way into the workplace. At Barrett & Farahany, our mission has always been, and continues to be, positive societal change. We are more concerned than ever for workers and what they may face in their workplaces in the coming days. We want to be certain that employees understand their rights during these volatile times, and we also want to continue to offer guidance on how to deal with workplace concerns in a way that promotes positive change, invokes legal protection, and preserves that protection.

As more companies call their employees back to work, many people want to know that it's safe to return as COVID-19 continues to spread. It seems that guidance from the government for a safe return to work changes frequently. The CDC and OSHA have updated their guidance for employers, and it is a ...

A question many scholars have been asking in recent years is whether judges have put themselves in the place of jurors, violating the Constitutional right to a jury. This has clearly been demonstrated in an age discrimination case I recently handled.

As if there wasn't enough confusion around the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) during the COVID-19 quarantines, employees may further confused about where they stand as their places of employment reopen. We've put together a series of questions and answers to help employee understand their rights as they are called to return to work.

Though returning to work may be the only option for most as the country reopens, employees with existing physical or mental disabilities and medical conditions do have other options. These employees can request reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the ADA provides job protection for such requests. Employers cannot legally fire, cut hours, or cut pay as a response to a reasonable accommodation request.

Amanda Farahany and Todd Stanton of Stanton Law LLC have teamed up again to co-write the Daily Report commentary “To Test or Not to Test? What to Consider When Reopening During COVID-19” that was published May 12, 2020.

The Governor's April 30th Executive Order extended quarantine for high-risk individuals through June 12, 2020. It's commendable that there is concern for the health of high-risk Georgia residents, but where is the concern for their jobs?

We have heard from clients who are experiencing financial difficulties because of the economic impact of COVID-19 quarantines and business closings. Hardworking people are suddenly finding themselves without a job and without the ability to pay their mortgages, car notes, and other obligations.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued new guidelines around COVID-19 for employers to follow. The revised guidelines explain how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies in situations when an employer knows a returning employee has an underlying medical condition that puts them at higher risk of COVID-19, but the employee doesn’t ask for an accommodation.

In a sign that COVID-19 continues to be politicized, the question of whether companies should be held liable if employees or customers contract the virus on their property has resulted in two polls – that show opposite results.

Amanda Farahany was a guest on Closer Look on WABE Radio, the NPR station in Atlanta. During the May 5 broadcast, Amanda discussed the legal rights of employees returning to work during the time of COVID-19. Amanda outlined laws that impact the workplace as she stressed that employees must be dil...

As President Trump urges states and companies to go back to work and cheers on protesters demanding a reopening of the economy, his administration is privately predicting a deeply worsening spread of COVID-19 and subsequent deaths.