Wrongful terminated because of caring for a person self-quarantined due to COVID-19 / Coronavirus?

Do You Need Unemployment Appeal Legal Help?Wrongfully Terminated ? Free Case Evaluation

Did you take time off to care for an individual self-quarantined due to COVID-19 and were fired?

If the answer is yes you may have legal claims against your employer. Our attorneys at MKO specialize in wrongful termination cases. Our firm is here to provide a free consultation and discuss your legal options.

Effective April 1, 2020, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) goes into effect and requires certain employers to provide employees with paid sick leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19, including taking time off to care for a loved one who is self-quarantined.

Within the FFCRA is an Act entitled the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (Act). Employers with less than 500 employees are subject to this Act. Note that an employer of an employee who is a health care provider or an emergency responder may elect to exclude such employee from this leave. Additionally, a small business with less than 50 employees could also be exempt from this Act. If you are unsure if your employer is subject to this Act, our attorneys at MKO can help make that determination.

Who is eligible for paid sick time?

If an employee is unable to work (or telework) because of the following, he/she may be eligible for paid sick leave.

  1. is subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID- 19;
  2. has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine related to COVID-19;
  3. is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis;
  4. is caring for an individual subject to an order described in (1) or self-quarantine as described in (2);
  5. is caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed (or child care provider is unavailable) for reasons related to COVID-19; or
  6. is experiencing any other substantially-similar condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretaries of Labor and Treasury.

If you are caring for a spouse/partner who has COVID-19, your employer has less than 500 employees and you are a full-time employee, you could be eligible for two weeks of paid leave.

If you are unsure if you qualify for paid sick leave, contact our attorneys at MKO for a free consultation. MKO is open 7 days a week to answer any questions you may have.

How many paid weeks of leave can I receive?

A full-time employee could be entitled to two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave at the employee’s regular rate of pay. Part-time employees receive a number of hours of paid sick leave equal to the number of hours said employee would work in a two week period. So if a part-time employee works 40 hours in a two week period, under this Act, said employee would get up to 40 hours of paid sick leave.

How much will I receive for the two weeks of paid leave?

For leave reason (4): you are entitled to pay at 2/3 your regular rate or 2/3 the applicable minimum wage, whichever is higher, up to $200 per day and $2,000 in the aggregate (over a 2-week period).

Can my employer fire me for taking leave?

The short answer is no. This Act also protects you from any sort of discharge, discipline or discrimination from your employer should you take leave under this Act. If you are fired for exercising your right to leave, you could have legal claims against your employer.

If you were fired, discipline or retaliated against in any way for taking leave, contact our attorneys at MKO for a free consultation. MKO is open 7 days a week to answer any questions you may have.

Disclaimer: This Act is effective on April 1, 2020. This Act is subject to change and a variety of interpretations. The information contained in this Article may be subject to change.

Employee Legal Consultations

Employment Lawyer Consultations

After dispensing thousands of legal consultations to potential clients, I can easily say it’s my favorite part of my practice. My guidance, even if I can’t accept them as a client, helps people immeasurably in figuring out what to do and how to move forward with their lives. I make a measurable impact every single day on many people. Who else can say that about their job? I love it. Call me. – Michael Kraemer, Esq..

2545 Railroad Street, Suite 100
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Attorney Email

📲412-301-2700

“Providing you a path forward in your life, career, and recovering the compensation you deserve.™” 

MKO is a “boutique firm” which means that we focus on a niche area and offer highly specialized services to clients who are looking for the personal touch within our area of expertise: Employment Law. Boutique law firms are not a general practice or one-stop legal shop, and that’s a good thing. You need one good attorney who knows the ins and outs of the area of law that’s relevant to your case. Look for a law firm that primarily practices the area of law that you need. If that’s all they do, chances are, they do it very well. We see each legal dispute as an opportunity to find a fair and equitable resolution without destroying your reputation, resume, job prospects, income, and if avoidable, not subjecting you, your family, friends, and former coworkers to unnecessary, highly invasive, time consuming, stressful, and ultimately public litigation. MKO, “Providing you a path forward in your life, career, and recovering the compensation you deserve.™” Confidentiality is key, for everyone. Are you a victim? MKO’s employment lawyers are always available for the clients. You can contact us anytime for a case assessment and evaluation. 

Ten Reasons To Choose Our Law Firm

1. Focused Employment Law Practice

MKO is a “boutique law firm” which means that we concentrate on this niche area and offer highly focused employment law services to clients who are looking for the personal touch. Boutique law firms are not a one-stop legal shop, and that’s a good thing. While a long roster of diverse legal services may look impressive on paper, it’s fairly pointless in practice. You need one good attorney who knows the ins and outs of the area of law that’s relevant to your case.  Look for a law firm that only practices in the area of law that you need. If that’s all they do, chances are, they do it very well.

2. Technology Driven & Experts in the Cloud

We provide immediate legal consultations, operate a paperless law firm, use advanced cloud storage, digital signatures, electronic forms, and can review your documents using screen share technology instantaneously. MKO is technologically savvy, nimble, flexible, and efficient. 

We are not confined to our office, chained to a desktop computer, or burdened with IT maintenance. Thanks to the smart use of technology we can focus on providing our clients with the best representation possible. By streamlining our practice we can focus on what our clients hire us to do – advocate on their behalf and work diligently toward a desired result.

3. Legal Advice Instantly From The Comfort of Home

MKO can provide superior legal services through adapative use of new technology and provide the majority of legal assistance while you are comfortably working from your home. It just also happens it’s better, easier, and faster for our clients – they really appreciate it. We seemlessly and interactively collaborate with you in a relaxed enviornment where you have all of your files in your immediate control. We find this is the absolute best way to provide legal advice to our clients on complex legal issues, hands down.

The old style of coming into our office with binders of disjointed and unsearchable paperwork, of which we to organize and figure out on the fly, is incredibly wasteful, time-consuming, inefficient, and not highly productive. Because of our integration with technology, we are ready to work with you on highly intricate matters on a moments notice, no matter where you (or we) are.

4. Discreet When Necessary

While many cases require that we go to court to seek justice, there are a substantial number of disputes that need to be handled discreetly. We see each legal dispute as an opportunity to find a fair and equitable resolution without destroying your reputation, resume, job prospects, income, and if avoidable, not subjecting you, your family, friends, and former coworkers to unnecessary, highly invasive, time consuming, stressful, and ultimately public litigation. MKO, “Providing you a path forward in your life, career, and recovering the compensation you deserve.™”

Confidentiality is key, for everyone. 

5. Experience, Professional, & Integrity

Through representing and managing thousands of employment situations, rest assured there is help or a path forward for your situation. For example, Partner Christi Wallace has personally represented over 900 clients and has managed hundrends more for associates that worked for her in just the last 7 years!

6. Highly Responsive Attorneys

We always get the question, “If I choose to have you represent me, will it be difficult for me to get in touch with you?”

Absolutely not, we even make ourselves available to clients beyond our normal business hours! Futher, when you call us your attorney answers, not a secretary who puts you on hold for 20 minutes, then tells you that you can leave a voicemail for your attorney. Besides the MKO office phone number, our clients can contact their attorney via mobile, SMS & texting, business email, and an urgent emergency email. For example, we can often respond to a text message in just a few minutes. Experience a better, faster, and more efficient way to work with an attorney. MKO believes that clients can and should depend on the fact that we’ll respond quickly.

7. Attorneys Available 74+ Hours Per Week

Employment Attorneys are available at least 74 hours per week by phone, email, and text messaging. Don’t be fooled by marketing, many law firms are using non-attorney 3rd party answering services and advertising “Phones Answered 24 Hours A Day, 7 Days A Week.” We pick up our own phones, respond to our own emails and text messages, and use real attorneys, 74+ hours per week. 

M-Fđź•–7am-đź•–7pm
Sat/Sunđź•—8am-đź•’3pm

8. Practical Advice From Seasoned Professionals

MKO strongly believes that every situation is distinctly unique and therefore we must endevour to find the right solution for that particular issue. Because we are a boutique employment law firm, we strive to find unique and innovation solutions for our clients in every circustance. We take action when necessary, put together deals when possible, and work with our clients so we can be creative and find smart solutions instead of needless litigation. We want to protect your interests now and in the future.

9. Contingency Representation

Contingency Legal Representation is where you do not have to pay your lawyer up front. This is fantastic if you are offered this option. Lawyers and litigation costs are incredibly expensive if you pay hourly. With contingency representation, you are not faced with large legal bills and expenses that are daunting and causes slow downs while waiting for a retainer to be replenished. Further, when you’re offering to pay anyone up front and hourly, it seems they’ll take almost any case – so long as they are getting paid. Funny how that works. Here’s how we help:

  • People can afford an attorney. – Without the benefit of contingency, it would be very difficult for a person who was recently seperated from their job to afford an employment lawyer.
  • MKO only gets paid if there is a recovery.  – We put our money where our mouth is, if we don’t get a recovery, you don’t owe legal fees and costs.
  • Contingency representation says something about your case. – Considering MKO only will get paid if there is a recovery, you can assume we like to cases that we believe have merit.
  • Helps people can move on with their lives – Instead of racking up debt to pay for legal help, our contingency representation lets you move on with your life as we deal with the legal stuff. This is exactly what MKO stands for, “Providing you a path forward in your life, career, and recovering the compensation you deserve.™”
10. Keeping Costs Low To Focus On Your Case

Our clients understand that their representation is are far more important than an expensive address. Some law firms might be battling an extremely burdensome and large cost overhead. In other words, to survive, they may need to be a “factory firm” or “volume practice” that needs to process a vast amount of cases to be able to afford their superfluous costs, expenses, and overhead. We aggressively keep costs down so we can focus on you.

Don’t want to be treated like an account number, a settlement figure, or a wheel that needs to be turned to keep the law firm getting paid? We keep our costs low and use this financial freedom for our clients best interests.

Legal Consultations

Hours Open Every Week

l

Clients & Cases Managed

Wrongful Termination & Discrimination Questions

To Ask During Your Free Lawyer Consultation

  • =What does an employment discrimination lawyer do?

  • =Do I need an employment lawyer?

  • =Can a discrimination attorney really help my case, even if I still work there?

  • =When should I hire an employment discrimination law firm? 

  • =Is discrimination really that common?

  • =How do you hire a discrimination attorney?

  • =How do I know when I need an employment lawyer?

  • =When should I address discrimination at the office?

  • =What is my discrimination case worth?

  • =Do I have a discrimination case?

I trusted Mr. Kraemer with a rather difficult period of time for my family, and we came out on top. He is trustworthy and honest, incredibly helpful, and understanding. Five stars aren’t enough! Him and his staff are well experienced, and won’t let up until the truth is known and justice is served. Michael, it’s been a pleasure. I hope I never need your services again! If I do, I will not hesitate to give you a call.

Bob B.

%

Halfway to wrongful termination help. If you don't get paid, neither do we. All you need to do is call MKO!

Employment Law Ready✔ ™

Michael Kraemer was the only lawyer who took my case and would be the only lawyer I’d rely on. He kept me informed and was very intellectual on the whole subject that my case was revolved around. I give Mr. Kraemer a 10 out of 10 and I would refer him and his associates to anyone who wants a well defined lawyer.

Andrew L.

Wrongful Termination

We help people fired, or soon to be fired, when they have been treated unfairly, illegally, or unjustly.

Medical Accommodations

Employees needing physical or mental health/wellness accommodations are protected.

Disability Discrimination

This is so broadly defined that most health conditions can be considered disabilities. 

Age Discrimination

For those over 40 years old (but older is preferred) that experience bias based on your age.

Employment Discrimination

Race, religion, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), orientation, disability.

EEOC or PHRC Agencies

Aggressive lawyering in the state and federal agencies can mean quick, quiet, and lucrative resolutions.

Professional Exit Strategies

Cut your losses, leave winning, or remove yourself from a bad workplace. You might need an exit strategy.

~

Sexual Harassment

A range of actions from mild transgressions to sexual abuse or sexual assault. A highly serious offense.

THIS BELOW IS FOR Google Analytics 3 (older) THIS BELOW IS FOR Google Analytics 4