Athena Herman Law, LLC Athena Herman Law, LLC 2026-05-14T12:34:29Z https://www.athenahermanlaw.com/feed/atom/ WordPress /wp-content/uploads/sites/1300922/2020/07/cropped-Favicon-32x32.png On Behalf of Athena Herman Law, LLC <![CDATA[Getting Started in Employment Law / Central District of Illinois]]> https://www.athenahermanlaw.com/?p=46961 2022-09-01T07:54:25Z 2022-09-01T07:38:40Z https://employeetolawyer.com/#/episodes/view/Athena-Herman-Getting-Started-in-Employment-Law-Central-District-of-Illinois]]> On Behalf of Athena Herman Law, LLC <![CDATA[Employment Law in the Central District of IL]]> https://www.athenahermanlaw.com/?p=46825 2022-08-16T10:23:41Z 2022-02-10T12:02:08Z Athena Herman was recently privileged to be a featured guest on Employee to Lawyer, a podcast presented by NELA-ILLINOIS! NELA is a non-profit collection of attorneys who empower workplace rights. NELA attorneys have extensive practice in employment law and generally represent employees.

You can listen on your browser, or access it through iTunes/Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
https://employeetolawyer.com/#/episodes/view/Athena-Herman-Employment-Law-in-the-Central-District-of-IL
]]> On Behalf of Athena Herman Law, LLC <![CDATA[Can my employer fire me for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine?]]> https://www.athenahermanlaw.com/?p=46819 2021-10-27T09:50:39Z 2021-10-27T09:50:39Z What about my rights to refuse my employer’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement under the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act? The Health Care Right of Conscience Act (HCRCA) prohibits both public and private employers from discriminating or imposing any burdens on the terms and conditions of employment for any employee who refuses to receive any form of health care service contrary to the employee’s conscience. While the HCRCA has existed for a couple of decades, it has only recently become popular in the wake of various COVID-19 vaccination mandates for certain public employees and many private employers. Unfortunately, the HCRCA simply has not yet been tested in the courts pertaining to vaccine requirements and an ongoing pandemic. Therefore, it’s difficult to predict how trial courts, the appellate courts, and, ultimately, the Illinois Supreme Court, will rule on the matter. One of the key aspects of this law is that it permits an employee to refuse vaccination on the basis of conscience. The HCRCA defines “conscience” as “[A] sincerely held set of moral convictions arising from belief in and relation to God, or which, though not so derived, arises from a place in a life of its possessor parallel to that filled by God among adherents to religious faiths.” 745 ILCS 70/3(e). This language is similar to language used by federal courts when assessing claims of religious discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the federal law (discussed above) that provides employees some religious protection in the workplace. The courts are unlikely to challenge whether an employee’s religious objections are, in fact, religious. Rather, the courts will likely scrutinize whether the employee’s religious objections are sincere. Furthermore, the court will likely assess whether the sincere religious objections are the actual reason for the employee’s objection to the vaccine requirement. Whether the HCRCA provides any recourse to your employer’s vaccine requirement is a fact-intensive question which must be individually assessed. These are complicated and serious legal issues and employees should consult with an attorney experienced in employment law.]]> On Behalf of Athena Herman Law, LLC <![CDATA[City of Peoria Probationary Employee Sues and Wins]]> https://www.athenahermanlaw.com/?p=46059 2021-04-19T07:46:44Z 2020-01-06T06:00:13Z On Behalf of Athena Herman Law, LLC <![CDATA[O’brien et al v. Caterpillar, Inc]]> https://www.athenahermanlaw.com/?p=46062 2021-04-19T07:46:49Z 2019-11-10T06:00:43Z O’brien et al v. Caterpillar, Inc., Northern District of Illinois federal Case No. 14-cv-7229 (2019)]]> On Behalf of Athena Herman Law, LLC <![CDATA[Athena Herman has represented thousands of employees, securing them millions of dollars]]> https://www.athenahermanlaw.com/?p=46060 2021-04-19T07:46:54Z 2019-11-10T06:00:29Z On Behalf of Athena Herman Law, LLC <![CDATA[Heise v. Canon Solutions America]]> https://www.athenahermanlaw.com/?p=46079 2021-04-19T07:46:57Z 2018-12-31T06:03:04Z Heise v. Canon Solutions America, Northern District of Illinois, Case No. 16-cv-8284 (2018)]]> On Behalf of Athena Herman Law, LLC <![CDATA[Williams v. Merle Pharmacy]]> https://www.athenahermanlaw.com/?p=46064 2021-04-19T08:01:24Z 2018-11-10T06:01:01Z Williams v. Merle Pharmacy, et al., Central District of Illinois, Case No. 15-01262 (2018).]]> On Behalf of Athena Herman Law, LLC <![CDATA[Khoury v. Robert Cottingham Property Management]]> https://www.athenahermanlaw.com/?p=46066 2021-04-19T08:01:38Z 2017-11-10T06:01:18Z Khoury v. Robert Cottingham Property Management, Central District of Illinois, Case No. 17-01111 (2017)]]> On Behalf of Athena Herman Law, LLC <![CDATA[Burwell v. City of Peoria]]> https://www.athenahermanlaw.com/?p=46072 2022-08-09T16:36:15Z 2013-11-10T06:02:03Z Athena and Patricia Benassi were employment law co-counsel for an individual female police officer in a sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation case against police department and individual supervisors. Athena Herman helped to obtain a post-summary judgment and pre-trial settlement of $550,000 for her client. Burwell v. City of Peoria et al., Central District of Illinois federal Case No. 09-01309 (2013)]]>