Tag Archives: labor & employment law

The Illinois Supreme Court for the first time confirmed the tort of intrusion upon seclusion, a type of privacy, as a valid cause of action. The facts of the case of Lawlor v. North American Corporation of Illinois, 2012 IL 112530 (Ill. 2012) are rather innocuous. The result, however, has significant ramifications to employers and attorneys alike. Lawyers now have another weapon in their arsenal to use against employers who intrude or pry into employees’ private concerns. Employers and attorneys should take a second to review their post-employment investigative activities to ensure their actions do not rise to the level of this newly recognized tort in Illinois. 

For decades, Ohio appellate courts, Ohio’s General Assembly, employment law practitioners, employers, and employees have struggled with Ohio’s fair employment practices statute, R.C.§4112.01, et seq. Ohio courts have developed law to resolve issues not addressed by the language of the statute, and to ameliorate some of the harshest pitfalls presented to aggrieved employees, only to reverse that law at some later point. The Ohio General Assembly has attempted to clarify certain provisions in the statute only to create more questions or be struck down by the Ohio Supreme Court. Employment law attorneys have become well-versed in the twists and turns of R.C. Chapter 4112 and have devised alternate pleadings and defenses in an effort to cover all bases. Employers have watched their potential liabilities and legal costs expand over the years as employees pursue claims through administrative procedures and under both state and federal law.