Thomas J. Crane

Firm/Organization: Law Office of Thomas J. Crane
Blogs: San Antonio Employment Law Blog

Latest Articles

Its a pretty clear First Amendment violation, firing Peter Strzok. The President and Rep. Meadows have made some hay about Agent Strzok supposedly using influence in regard to the Mueller investigation into Pres. Trump. But, there has been no evidence of Strzok allegedly using his influence to affect the investigation. Agent Strzok specifically said “we will stop” the election of Pres, Trump in 2016. He said he was talking about “we” the voters. That was…
united air
it happens more and more. A jilted lover posts pictures of his former girlfriend on the internet. Only this former lover kept doing it over and over. Mark J. Uhlenbrock was a pilot for United Airlines. He formed a relationship with a stewardess who uses the name Jane Doe. The relationship started in 2002 and lasted about four years. He took some pictures of her in the nude with her permission – and some pictures…
Pen
I wrote about a pushy judge in the Paul Manafort trial here. The judge was fussing at the prosecutor and the prosecutor fussed back a bit. Now, the judge has apologized and explained to the jury that he was “probably wrong” for criticizing the prosecutor regarding one of the witnesses. IRS agent Michael Welch had been allowed earlier to sit in the court room and observe testimony. Perhaps forgetting his previous order, Judge Ellis…
Great Hall
Many plaintiffs complain they are treated differently than other co-workers in some way. It might be about pay, promotion opportunities, etc. In one case, two plaintiffs said they were treated differently than other peers and that they were subjected to derogatory comments about Italians. In Cicalese v. University of Texas Medical Branch, No. 17-CV-0067, 2018 US Dist. LEXIS 46796 (S.D. Tex. 3/22/2018), the employer filed a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss. Rule 12(b)(6) addresses the…
In federal court, all lawyers run into the challenge of an overbearing judge. It can happen in state court. But, generally, pushy judges are mot likely to be encountered in federal court. In the Paul Manafort trial, the judge is not necessary overbearing, but he constantly presses the two sides to avoid lengthy, tedious testimony. That pressure has led to verbal fencing between the judge and the prosecutor. For example, there was this exchange between…
Pres. Trump and AG Sessions started a policy separating children from their parents at the border last April. It lasted just a few weeks, but resulted in some 2500 children separated form their children. The policy was changed and the federal government was able to re-unify most of the families. But, there are still several hundred children who are apart from some 500 parents.A federal judge in San Diego has presided over a lawsuit filed…
Texas Workforce Commission is supposed to enforce the Texas statutes regarding wages. TWC provides a helpful summary of the Texas Pay Day statute. See the TWC summary here. But, their summary does not answer one frequently asked question, when must an employer pay the last paycheck?  I am asked this often, since many employers withhold the last paycheck until the employee turns in his tools, pays for a damaged rear view mirror, turns in…
Great Hall
The National Labor Relations Act has always protected a worker’s right to discuss “terms and conditions” of employment. Sec. 7 of the NLRA protects the right of workers to discuss conditions at their job. Sec. 7 of the NLRA is found at 29 U.S.C. § 158(a)(1).  But, because labor unions are so rare in the country now, very few people are aware of this right. The right applies even before a union is formed. When the…
Great Hall
Judge Lynn Hughes in the Southern District of Texas is a difficult judge. He harangues attorneys who appear before him. He cancels discovery, even though the federal rules of civil procedure provide otherwise. He is a difficult judge on several levels. In the case of USA v. Swenson, No. 17-20131 (5th Cir. 7/3/2018), the US Attorney prosecuted an adoption agency for fraud. Shortly before trial, the US Attorney dumped thousands of documents on the defense. There were…
Great Hall
Sexual harassment cases are complicated. The legal standard is that harassment by co-workers which is “severe or pervasive” will constitute a hostile work environment – if of course, management knows about the harassment and does nothing. But, what happens when the harasser is a customer? If an employer is aware of the harassment and does nothing, the employer is liable. In Gardner v. CLC of Pascagoula, LLC, No. 17-60052 (5th Cir. 6/29/2018), we see an…