Question

For the "Civil Rights Act of 1991" law, you need to include sheets for the following four questions: 1. History/Background.: Why was the Law passed? What was going on in the workplace that required the law to be enacted to protect employees? 2. Components of the law: Research the law and summarize in your words (with in-text citations of the academic sources used) the major elements of the law. Do not cut and paste. 3. Observations on the law. Research the law’s effectiveness? Do you feel it is working or not working and why? 4. Lawsuit: Research a lawsuit that concerned the law you are reviewing. Include the date of the lawsuit, the plaintiffs, defendants, reason the plaintiff/s went to court, and the outcome of the case. It is important that in reading this summary a person understands why the lawsuit was initiated and who won the case.

Answer 1

1. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 was passed in response to the Supreme Court ruling, which used to pose a limit on the rights of employees to sue the employer on grounds of discrimination. This act was passed for providing equal representation to employees to voice their discontent against employers.

2. The major elements of this law are:

• The employee can select a trial by jury
• The injured parties are provided with punitive and compensatory damage
• Any kind of discrimination against employees is considered unlawful

3. The effectiveness of this act can be seen through the benefits reaped by employees:

• The employees enjoy equal representation in cases involving discrimination
• The employers have taken stringent efforts to curb discrimination at the workplace

Though there are benefits of this act, the act has some major disadvantages:

• Hesitation of employers to hire female and other minorities
• Increase in potential damage awards has impacted the trust and relationship between employer and employee

4. Caption: FARAGHER v. CITY OF BOCA RATON

Date of Lawsuit: June 26 1998

Plaintiff: Beth Ann Faragher

Defendant: City of Boca Raton

Issue: The plaintiff had raised voice against the sexually hostile work atmosphere where discrimination was made against women employees and they were subjected to sexual harassment

Outcome: The employer is liable for the actions of its employees, who subjected the women subordinates to sexual harassment