Employment Law Discrimination

1. Martha is the coach of the female basketball team, and Bob is the coach of the male basketball team at Discrimination State University. Both Martha and Bob have comparable knowledge of basketball, both have comparable skills, both work comparable hours and both have comparable win-loss records. "The male team is a revenue generating sport, producing about $5M annually. The female team does not produce revenues and in fact overall has a negative cash flow. Martha is paid $30K per year for her job and Bob is paid $100K per year for his job. Martha sued Discrimination State University for a violation of the Equal Pay Act. Discuss the arguments on both sides of this case.

2. Sam manufactures electric mixers. Sam has been in the business for 15 years. The mixers were originally made so that if a utensil was caught in the beater blades, the mixer would stop. Sam changed companies that manufactured the motor for the mixer and was not aware that the new company didn't have that safety feature built in the mixer. Sam's mixers were generally sold in the household market. Sarah purchased a mixer and while making cookies, her finger got between the beaters and two were cut off. Sarah sued Sam's for the loss of her fingers. What result would you expect and why. Explain your answer

3. . Cindy is 36 years old and working as a sales representative for a small manufacturer. She and her husband have been married for about 12 years. They have no children because initially they wanted to establish their careers before taking on the obligation of raising a family. Cindy has been trying to get pregnant for a couple of years without success. She and her husband have recently learned the source of the problem is Cindy, and that she needs to reduce her working hours in order to reduce her stress level. She currently works about 60 hours a week and wants to reduce her hours to about 40 or so. Her employer refuses to change her responsibilities, but says that so long as she gets all her work finished, it is no problem if she works fewer hours per week. Cindy brings a claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act on the grounds that her inability to get pregnant is a covered disability. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of her case.