U.S. Supreme Court Issued Decision Today in Staub v. Proctor Hospital Case

Washington, DC, March 1, 2011 – The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision today in Staub v. Proctor Hospital. This case involved the cat's paw doctrine. Manesh K. Rath, a partner at Keller and Heckman LLP, was the lead author of a brief filed as amicus curiae in this case. Mr. Rath served as counsel for the National Federation of Independent Business - Small Business Legal Center.

Mr. Vincent Staub worked as a technician at Proctor Hospital. The hospital terminated him on the grounds of his repeated disappearances from his duties. He filed suit, claiming that his supervisors were biased against him on the basis of his status as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves. There was no evidence that the human resource manager who made the termination decision harbored any bias on that basis. The U.S. Supreme Court held that an employer can be liable for the bias of a supervisor if that supervisor's biased act is a proximate cause of the ultimate decision to terminate the employee.

Mr. Rath represents employers in labor law, employment law, and occupational safety and health law matters. His biography can be found at http://www.khlaw.com/Manesh-Rath.

Keller and Heckman LLP, founded in 1962, has a broad practice in regulatory law, and related litigation and business transactions. Manesh Rath is an employment and labor law attorney representing management in matters nationwide.

Keller and Heckman LLP serves clients from its offices in Washington, D.C., Brussels, San Francisco, and Shanghai.

For more information please contact Tara Busby at 202.434.4174, or visit www.khlaw.com.