Ignorance isn’t bliss for employer in FMLA lawsuit

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Abstract: The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was passed into law to allow employees to take unpaid leave when facing a serious health crisis. But when a supervisor is ignorant of its protections, a lawsuit can result, as one company discovered. An employee who had taken six weeks of FMLA leave was dismissed by her supervisor. During the proceedings, the court found the employer’s claims of poor performance unconvincing in light of their previous appraisals, and her supervisor admitted he’d had no prior knowledge of FMLA requirements.