On Being an Ally: Change Is Necessary and Painful June 2, 2020 — Guest Commentary by Genie Harrison and Amanda Monroe for Ms. Magazine (Read the story below, or at MsMagazine.com) Genie’s Perspective For more than 25 years, both as an abuse survivor and as the founder of the Genie Harrison Law Firm, I’ve been a zealous advocate for victims of all kinds of abuse—physical, psychological, sexual—for all kinds of reasons: because they were [...]
When you’re called back to work, but the kids are still home May 21, 2020 — Guest Commentary by Terry Kaufman for Santa Maria Times (Read the story below, or at SantaMariaTimes.com) Good news: Businesses are reopening and employees are returning to work. But with schools and daycare centers still closed, who will watch the kids? Across the country, workers find themselves between a rock and a hard place. Do they go back to [...]
Grab ‘em By The Verdict: Genie Harrison Takes on Sexual Harassment and Abuse May 12, 2020 — by Alison Preece for Lawdragon (Read the text below, or the complete story here at Lawdragon.com.) Genie Harrison once dreamt of prosecuting war criminals. She found her calling taking on sexual harassment. Photo provided by the firm. Genie Harrison knows how to get your attention. At a conference not long ago, she wore a T-shirt. Standard cut [...]
Riot’s Sexual Assault Case Gains Steam As Plaintiffs Hire Counsel That Led To Harvey Weinstein Being Jailed April 4, 2020 — by Chris Miller for Happy Gamer Click here for the entire story at happygamer.com > Below is an excerpt from the story: While everyone is busy celebrating Riot’s bizarre tactic of Valorantbeing streamed and watched by almost a million viewers all desperate to be included in the beta, the company itself looks to be [...]
Know Your Rights: This Pandemic Is a “Women’s Virus” April 27, 2020 — by Genie Harrison for Ms. Magazine Though COVID-19 appears to be more deadly for men, women bear a unique burden from the disease. More than 70 percent of healthcare workers in the U.S. are women. Women provide the vast majority of primary care for children and seniors. Women are more likely to work in jobs that cannot be done remotely and to lack health insurance, [...]
Refreshers & Temporary Changes in Employment Law as a Result of COVID-19 Both California and the federal government have taken steps to respond to the need to curtail the outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent shutdown or limitations on businesses This downloadable PDF is a memo created by the Genie Harrison Law Firm explaining temporary changes in employment law as a result of COVID-19. Though our memo is not meant to be exhaustive, it does discuss [...]
Update II: A Roundup of California Worker Rights in the Time of COVID-19 March 20, 2020 — by Andy Katz for CELA VOICE, The California Employment Lawyers Association’s blog Promoting Fairness and Equality in the Workplace As COVID-19 spreads, many workers are considering how to protect themselves and their families – while worrying about their work and budgets. At the time this blog post was last updated (March 20, 2020, 8:05 p.m.) the rapid [...]
Do Women Still Need the Equal Rights Amendment? Yes. Here’s Why. March 17, 2020 — by Genie Harrison for Ms. Magazine On January 15, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The ERA, originally passed in 1972, was an attempt to enshrine in the U.S. Constitution the idea that all American citizens regardless of gender have equal rights “in terms of divorce, property, employment, and other matters.” It should [...]
Why Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Against Riot Games Has New Life March 9, 2020 — by Samson Amore for The Wrap Experienced workplace litigator best known for bringing cases Harvey Weinstein is now involved Riot Games sits at the center of a class action gender discrimination lawsuit that shines a spotlight on the culture of the gaming industry. The state recently stepped into the case and has suggested that female employees may be entitled to [...]
New legal counsel takes over class action lawsuit against Riot Games February 24, 2020 — by Haydn Taylor for GamesIndustry.biz Click here for the entire story at gamesindustry.biz > Below is an excerpt from the story: Representatives of a class action lawsuit against Riot Games have hired new legal counsel and withdrawn their motion for a $10 million settlement. The move comes after it was revealed last month that the 1,000 class members may actually [...]
Riot Games’ Proposed $10 M Settlement Withdrawn by New Counsel in Gender Discrimination Suit February 20, 2020 — by Patrick Hanley for The Hollywood Reporter In December, the video game studio reached the settlement with former female employees alleging gender discrimination and harassment, but new legal counsel is seeking more. Riot Games' legal woes continue as, on Thursday evening, new legal counsel representing former female employees involved in a class action lawsuit alleging discrimination [...]
Harvey Weinstein’s Case Relies on Weaponizing the Effects of Trauma February 6, 2020 — by Genie Harrison for Ms. Magazine The Harvey Weinstein trial is historic—not only because of the accusations against the Hollywood mogul, but also because of the number of women sharing their stories about formerly unspeakable abuse at his hands. I represent two victims in their civil cases against Weinstein. I know that this #MeToo moment is unprecedented, a sea change [...]