Bass, Berry & Sims attorney Tim Garrett is presenting to the Tennessee Bar Association via webcast on July 29. Tim will discuss the following changes in Tennessee employment laws that took effect July 1, 2014:
- No individual liability of supervisors or managers in discrimination claims; only the “employer” can be sued for discrimination;
- Caps on non-monetary damages (pain, suffering, humiliation, embarrassment) in discrimination claims; caps do not limit back-pay or front-pay;
- Preemption of common law “whistleblower” claims; such retaliation claims can be brought only under the Tennessee Public Protection Act, with its “sole cause” standard;
- Clarifications that the Tennessee Disability Act, like the Tennessee Human Rights Act, applies to employer with eight or more employees and that a person cannot be pursuing two cases at the same time (one in state court and one in federal court) based on the same set of facts.