Background
The decision arose in response to three motions for summary
judgment and a motion for default judgment brought by the
plaintiffs in four actions, all of them relating to the individual
defendant s internet harassment. Justice Corbett aptly
described the facts of the case:
These cases concern extraordinary campaigns of malicious
harassment and defamation carried out unchecked, for many years, as
unlawful acts of reprisal. [The defendant], has used the internet
to disseminate vicious falsehoods against those towards whom she
bears grudges, and towards family members and associates of those
against whom she bears grudges. [The defendant] is destitute and
On March 5, 2021, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC)
ruled in
DeWeese-Boyd v. Gordon College, et.
al. that an associate professor at a private, Christian
liberal arts college did not constitute a ministerial employee and
could pursue claims against the college under various Massachusetts
anti-discrimination laws. The decision has far-reaching
implications for religious employers in Massachusetts, as the SJC
significantly narrowed the application of the so-called ministerial
exception to Massachusetts anti-discrimination laws and clarified
that not all educators at religious institutions qualify as
ministers under the law.
In
DeWeese-Boyd, the plaintiff, a tenured
Associate Professor at Gordon College (the College ),
alleged that the College discriminated against her on the basis of
President Biden issued a new Executive Order on "Guaranteeing an Educational Environment Free from Discrimination on the Basis of Sex, Including Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity."
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On International Women s Day, March 8, 2021, President
Joseph Biden signed two executive orders to promote gender equity
and equality through the creation of a Gender Policy Council and
through a policy that guarantees an education free from
discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender
identity.
Executive Order on Establishment of the White House Gender
Policy Council
The Executive Order on Establishment of the White
House Gender Policy Council establishes a Gender Policy
Council, which is a reformulation of an Obama-era office. The
Council is tasked with, among other items, implementing policies
As more businesses begin to reintegrate employees into their pre-pandemic workplaces, many of our clients have questions regarding return-to-work issues.