Douglas Geyman's WordPress Blog

Castling in Chess

An employment law attorney by profession, Douglas Geyman also enjoys the game of chess. Douglas Geyman has played competitively, including at the National Open Chess Tournament. He now plays primarily at home with his family.

Castling stands out as the only move in chess that allows a player to reposition two pieces at the same time. Invented in the 16th century, it requires the king and rook to be resting in their original positions with no pieces in between. The king must also be free from threat in his original position, his new position, and the intermediate square.

To castle, the king moves two squares in the direction of the rook on his own side or three squares in the direction of the rook on the queen’s side. The relevant rook then moves to occupy the square through which the king passed. The king then occupies a more protected spot near the corner of the board. Experts advise players to perform this protective maneuver early in the game and to keep pawns close as long as possible for extra security.

Gender Discrimination in the Workplace

Discrimination Cases pic — Discrimination Cases
Image: thesandiegoemploymentlawattorney.com

As a privately practicing attorney, Douglas Geyman focuses primarily on employment law. Douglas Geyman has represented clients on both sides of workplace disputes, including cases of discrimination.

Under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, an employer may not legally discriminate based on an employee’s sex. The act applies to all companies and organizations with 15 or more employees, while state law increases coverage for many other entities. This legislation followed the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which prohibits employers from paying men more than women for the same work, so long as the work requires similar accountability, skill, and effort.

Combined, this legislation makes it illegal for an employer to offer different wages or benefits based on an employee’s gender or family situation. For example, an employer may not deny health benefits to a female employee’s husband and simultaneously offer benefits to the wife of a male employee. Employers are likewise prohibited from denying opportunities to women with children if the same opportunities would be available to a man with children of similar age.

Furthermore, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 has confirmed that an employer may not penalize an employee in any way if she becomes pregnant. Instead, the employer must treat pregnancy-related absences and impacts to performance as it would treat any other temporary debility. These guidelines reflect the need for employers to carefully consider their actions in regards to female employees and to assess whether policy would be similar for their male counterparts.

Discrimination Claims Against an Employer

With a successful practice in the San Diego area, attorney Douglas Geyman has emerged as an authority in the field of employment law. Douglas Geyman deals with a large volume of casework in matters of discrimination. In employment law, discrimination refers to unfair or unequal treatment by an employer on the basis of factors such as age, race, disability, or gender.

Before taking on a discrimination case, employment attorneys typically begin by determining whether an employee belongs to a protected class. If so, the employment attorney can begin reviewing all statements and correspondences with the client’s employer. Although many companies attempt to justify job termination with reasons such as budget constraints or poor performance, an in-depth analysis can sometimes disprove these claims. For example, an employee may receive a poor performance rating that supposedly justifies firing. If an employer uses different performance criteria for that employee than for others doing similar work, and the employee is a member of a protected class, the employee may be able to file a discrimination lawsuit.

Whistleblower Protection Laws Explained

Whistleblower Protection Laws
Image: answers.com

A longtime attorney with years of experience in employment law, Douglas Geyman owns and operates his legal practice in San Diego. In this capacity, Douglas Geyman offers a full range of services, including protection for whistleblowers. Defined as employees who report suspected illegal activities conducted by an employer, whistleblowers are entitled to certain legal rights under federal law.

Whistleblower protection law protects individuals from a wide range of employer retaliation, including creation of a hostile work environment and job loss. Employers may also choose to retaliate by cutting back the number of employee hours or reducing the pay rate, both of which violate the tenets of whistleblower laws. Whistleblowers receive legal protection for reporting on a variety of violations, including safety hazards and sexual harassment. The reporting of Illegal demands made on workers, such as requiring truckers to drive more hours in a row than federal regulations allow, has been the subject of legal action.

Protecting Whistleblowers from Unlawful Retailiation

Former U.S. Marine Douglas Geyman argues vigorously on behalf of his clients in such areas as wrongful termination, sexual harassment, Family and Medical Leave Act disputes, and discrimination. He established his practice in 1992 and has maintained his offices in San Diego’s Symphony Towers for the past 17 years. Among the many types of cases for which he counsels clients, Douglas Geyman possesses special proficiency in whistleblower claims.

Whistleblowers report what they believe to be illegal actions on their employers’ part to the appropriate authorities. Despite the existence of whistleblower protection laws, employers generally take a dim view of whistleblowers and often fire them.

While some employers are transparent in their illegal retaliation against whistleblowers, others retaliate in less obvious ways. An employer might transfer a whistleblower to a job that pays less, for instance, or give negative performance evaluations. A particularly pernicious tactic is the constructive discharge, which occurs when the employer makes the whistleblower’s life on the job so unbearable that he is forced to quit. Reductions in responsibility or pay for no job-related reason, especially when these actions reduce or eliminate the possibility of future advancement, can be so destructive to a whistleblower’s future career opportunities that he feels he has no choice but to quit.

Wage and Hour Law Violations

Douglas Geyman has been practicing employment law for more than two decades and is featured on the San Diego Bar Association’s list of the best attorneys in his field. Douglas Geyman deals primarily with cases involving wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment in the workplace, and wage and hour claims. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), otherwise known as the Wage and Hour Law, is so frequently violated that it generates numerous lawsuits. The most common violations include:

1. Improperly classifying employees as exempt from wage and hour laws when the work they do entitles them to protection under those laws.
2. Failing to pay overtime, which includes all hours worked more than 40 in a week. (Some states, including California, have even more stringent requirements.)
3. Failing to provide sufficient lunch and rest breaks according to the law.
4. Failing to reimburse employees for work-related expenses.

Employers who violate the FLSA are liable for up to two years of unpaid back wages and monetary damages as assessed by the court of up to three times the unpaid wages, in addition to other fines for willful violations. This, combined with the cost of defending the suit, can be a particularly onerous burden for small businesses. To avoid wage and hour violation claims, employers should keep accurate payroll and hours-worked records, provide adequate overtime compensation, and err on the side of the employees when in doubt.

San Diego’s Douglas Geyman on Avoiding Injuries While Lifting Weights

Douglas Geyman is an employment law attorney who has been serving clients at his San Diego-based law firm since 1992. As founder and president of the Law Offices of Douglas E. Geyman, Attorney at Law, he specializes in all areas of employment law, including wrongful termination, workplace discrimination, and wage and hour matters. In his spare time, Douglas Geyman enjoys playing chess and lifting weights. Here he shares a few tips to help avoid injuries while lifting weights.

Seek advice – Prior to beginning any workout routine, it is advisable to consult a medical professional or certified professional trainer. These professionals can help individuals devise routines appropriate for their age and capabilities. They can also provide information on the proper techniques to use on certain weight-lifting equipment in order to avoid injuries.

Make stretching a part of your routine – Experts recommend incorporating stretching exercises before and during weight-lifting routines in order to reduce the risk of injury. Stretching helps to loosen up the muscles and can help to prevent overextension of muscles.

Take it slow – Perhaps the most common mistake made by weight-lifting novices is trying to do too much too soon. Lifting very heavy weights or doing too many repetitions can cause injuries to muscles, and tears and inflammation of tendons and ligaments.

Douglas Geyman: 2013 National Open Chess Championship

About Douglas Geyman:
Currently a practicing attorney in San Diego, Douglas Geyman possesses more than two decades of experience in the legal field, focusing on employment law cases. A chess enthusiast, he earned a national ranking from the U.S. Chess Federation and competed at the National Open Chess Tournament in Las Vegas.

In June 2013, chess players from across the country will gather in Nevada for the National Open Championship at the Las Vegas International Chess Festival. Held at the Riviera Casino & Hotel, the National Open Championship consists of a six-round Swiss system tournament in which participants can choose to compete on a two- or three-day schedule. Winners will receive a share of the $80,000 prize fund.

With roots dating to 1965 when Ed Edmondson instituted the championship, the National Open endures as the longest-running open chess tournament in the United States. Fred Gruenberg holds responsibility for the 1985 reestablishment of the championship in Las Vegas, where it remains to this day as a highlight of the International Chess Festival.

Douglas Geyman: What Action to Take After You Have Been Wrongfully Fired

San Diego-based attorney Douglas Geyman is the owner of the Law Offices of Douglas E. Geyman. He has been recognized as one of the area’s best employment law practitioners by the San Diego County Bar Association for two years in a row.

After being wrongfully dismissed, it is important not to take any rash negative action against your former employer. Instead, you should become familiar with the process which led to your dismissal and the rights you hold as an employee as stated in your employment contract. Here are some specific things that you should do now:

-Review your contract for the conditions of your employment.

-Become aware of why you were fired and who made the decision.

-Familiarize yourself with your performance reviews and the personnel file held on you by the human resources department.

-Negotiate a severance package.

You are entitled to protect your rights, provided that you follow standard employment procedure. It is advisable to have an employment law specialist to help handle your case.

Douglas Geyman: Protecting Employee Rights in Termination

As a recognized employment law attorney in San Diego, California, Douglas Geyman has been helping his clients fight wrongful terminations for over 16 years.

Many businesses have lawyers under contract or on staff, and if you have been unfairly or illegally terminated, you also need to protect your interests by hiring a skilled employment lawyer like Douglas Geyman. Hiring a lawyer provides you access to information about your case that you might not otherwise obtain. A lawyer can review all files related to your employment, depose your employer as to the reasons for dismissal, and gather evidence, such as emails, memos, and meeting and phone call notes.

Your lawyer can use this information to protect your rights and recover what is owed by negotiating the terms of your dismissal, obtaining an advantageous severance package, ensuring that your employer follows through on post-employment promises, and, if necessary, representing you in court.