HR Specialist: Georgia Employment Law

Georgia’s employment laws aren’t so peachy for employers trying to stay out of court. More

Two city police lieutenants sued the city of Morrow, claiming the city’s managers refused to pay them overtime and retaliated against them after they filed suit. According to court documents, a city manager fired one lieutenant and required the other to use annual leave for training time.

At trial, the jury awarded the two lieutenants more than $40,000. The city agreed to reinstate the fired lieutenant and pay liquidated damages and attorneys’ fees.

Advice: Retaliation only makes things worse. When contemplating any adverse job action against an employee who has filed a complaint, have counsel review the action before it is taken. That way, the employer is at least proceeding on the advice of counsel.