Photo of Tom Owen

Tom Owen works with schools and colleges on legal issues related to students, employees, governance, and policy. He draws on his previous career in education to offer practical legal guidance to school leaders. Tom holds a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law, an M.A. in private school leadership from the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership at Columbia University’s Teachers College, and an A.B. in comparative literature from Dartmouth College.

A recent decision from the Connecticut Appellate Court provides employers with important guidance on disability discrimination claims under the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act (CFEPA). In Stuart Hanke v. Electric Boat Corporation, the court affirmed summary judgment for the employer, holding that an employee who applies for short-term and/or long-term disability benefits has not

Last Friday, a federal judge in Texas ruled that the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) exceeded its authority when it issued a final regulation significantly raising salary thresholds for the executive, administrative, and professional exemption, and it vacated the regulation nationwide.  That means employers will no longer be required to ensure their white-collar salaried employees