SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog 

The 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals created a likely split in federal courts of appeals this week when it upheld a district court’s dismissal of a complaint alleging harassment on the basis of sexual orientation.

The 11^th Circuit’s decision in Jameka Evans v. Georgia Regional Hospital rested on the ground that discrimination on the basis of an employee’s sexual orientation is not prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Case No. 15-15234). The plaintiff in this case, a former hospital security guard, alleged that she was harassed because she is a lesbian and because she did not conform to gender norms. As precedent for its decision, the 11^th Circuit cited to a 1979 case out of the 5^th Circuit (Blum v. Gulf Oil Corp., 597 F.2d 926).

The Missouri Supreme Court on Feb. 28, 2017, upheld St. Louis’ minimum wage ordinance, over the arguments of business groups who claimed the ordinance was preempted by Missouri state law. The decision means the minimum wage in St. Louis will increase to $10 per hour this year and $11 in 2018.