Miami Marlins fans are eagerly looking forward to the official start of spring training, followed by opening day. We’re hoping to see the Marlins rebound from a disappointing season last year.

But while we watch, wait and hope for better things, an important legal claim against the Marlins, minor league baseball and MLB (Major League Baseball) is taking place. So far it has largely flown under the national media’s radar, but that might change if minor league baseball players prevail in their quest to be paid at least minimum wage and receive overtime pay.

The minor leagues are asking Congress to intervene and carve out exemptions from the Fair Labor and Standards Act for them. In that way, minor league teams could continue the practice of paying minor leaguers below minimum wage and not giving them overtime pay. Their appeal to lawmakers is in response to a “surprising and unprecedented” lawsuit in which former minor leaguers claim they were paid below the minimums required by law.

A year ago, the players filed suit against the Marlins, Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants alleging that minor leagues and teams pay “players as little as $3,000 for five months of work,” Bloomberg reports.

If the players prevail, it would have a dire financial impact on the minor leagues and teams, the leagues and teams contend. Ticket prices would skyrocket as teams would be forced to pay players for the many hours of pre- and post-game practices, instruction, games, promotional activities and more. Plus, they contend that teams would have to pay overtime wages for hours above 40 per week, which would also force ticket prices to rise (and perhaps minor league attendance to fall).

It’s typical for wage and hour disputes to involve a number of complex legal issues that require the knowledge and guidance of an experienced employment law attorney. An experienced lawyer can carry out negotiations with your employer while also preparing to take your case to court.

An hour north of Miami, a community redevelopment board member and city commissioner is under fire. He’s accused of sexual harassment, news reports indicate.

A TV station says the Boyton Beach city commissioner can’t be asked to resign and can’t be fired “because he’s an elected official,” the mayor said. But a request could be sent to the governor, who could then remove him from office. According to the station’s report, an investigation has already determined that the commissioner made unwelcome comments to staff members and inappropriately touched a board member.

For many people, that might beg the question: why has no one asked the governor to intervene and terminate the man’s employment? We can’t answer that question, but we can tell you that in similar situations in which there is evidence of harassment — as well as evidence that the employer did little or nothing to protect employees from continuing unacceptable behavior in the workplace — a legal claim can be filed against the employer. In some situations, those claims result in significant compensation for the victim who had to endure ongoing harassment.

The first step in learning more about potentially filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against an employer is to discuss your specific circumstances with an experienced employment law attorney. It is best to find an attorney who has been through the complex litigation and negotiation process and one who can apprise you of the legal hurdles involved. In that way, you can make informed decisions about your situation.

Just a short drive southwest of Miami brings you to Coral Gables. It’s there that you can find a Seasons 52 restaurant chain location serving items from its fresh grill and wine menu. But according to allegations in a recently filed lawsuit, your meal won’t be brought to you by a server over the age of 40.

The age discrimination claim was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The suit says the chain rejects applicants age 40 and over for jobs as servers, hosts and bartenders. The company that owns and operates more than three dozen of the chain’s restaurants denies the allegations.

The lawsuit claims that since 2010, the Seasons 52 chain has sent hiring officers to new locales to oversee staffing. It claims further that some older applications were given blunt explanations for their rejections, including telling people that the company “wasn’t looking for old white guys.”

The lawsuit asks the court to order monetary relief to applications discriminated against because of their age, as well as ordering Seasons 52 management to create policies and procedures to prevent future age discrimination.

A statement issued by Seasons 52 ownership to a Florida TV station said the company “will defend this claim vigorously.”

The Law Offices of Gary A. Costales, PA, understands the intracies of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Title VII and other crucial elements of employment law that protects workers. Please see our Discrimination page for more information about how we can help you.