Press Roundup: Top Media Outlets Quote TELG’s Attorneys on NSA Leaker, IRS Scandal, Win for Firm’s Client

Reuters, The Los Angeles Times, and CCTV America — the U.S. arm of a Chinese state TV network — are among the top-flight media outlets that recently tapped the expertise of the attorneys at The Employment Law Group® law firm.

Topics ranged from Edward Snowden, the leaker who exposed secrets from the U.S. National Security Agency, to how companies can avoid legal trouble from romantic affairs in the workplace.

Among the highlights:

• CCTV, Law360, and Federal Times all spoke with R. Scott Oswald, managing principal at The Employment Law Group, about whether Mr. Snowden may properly be called a “whistleblower,” and whether he can claim protection under whistleblower statutes for his revelations about NSA programs. In general, Mr. Oswald said, leaking classified information to the media is a criminal act that is not protected by any U.S. law. By contrast, true whistleblowers report wrongdoing via approved channels; in return they are shielded from retaliation.
  • Watch CCTV interview: Scott Oswald Discusses Leaker Edward Snowden
  • Read Federal Times article: Snowden the whistleblower? Not exactly
  • Read Law360 article (subscription): NSA Leaks Put Booz Allen, Employee In DOJ’s Crosshairs
• The Los Angeles Times and the Intuit Small Business Blog both quoted David Scher, principal at The Employment Law Group, on workplace issues. For the Times, Mr. Scher considered the “right” way for hotel employees to suggest that an accessible room might be appropriate for a specific guest. Among his suggestions: Ask all guests whether they’d prefer such a room. For Intuit, Mr. Scher cautioned against turning a blind eye to workplace romances that might lead to disruption and claims of sexual harassment.
  • Read the LA Times article: The right way for hotel to suggest an accessible room
  • Read the Intuit article: What to Do When Your Employees Get Romantic
• The Gazette interviewed Nicholas Woodfield, principal at The Employment Law Group, on the appeals court victory of Donna Jackson, whose $650,000 retaliation award was reinstated against a property management company in Germantown, Md. Shortly after Ms. Jackson had reported a subordinate’s complaint against her immediate supervisor, the company disciplined her, cut her pay, and reassigned her to a less attractive job that required a long commute to two locations in opposite directions.
  • Read the Gazette article: Appeals court reinstates judgement against Germantown company