Pittsburgh Labor Attorney Peter Ennis Quoted on Ruling That Determines Family, Medical Leave Law Applies to Nonparents

Peter J. Ennis, a shareholder in the Labor and Employment Section of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney's Pittsburgh office, was quoted in an October 11, 2010, article published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The article titled, "Family, medical leave law applies to nonparents," discussed a "ruling over the summer by Nancy J. Leppink, the deputy administrator for the department's Wage and Hour Division."

As explained in the article, the ruling "said the words 'son or daughter' in the Family and Medical Leave Act can also apply to a child who is under the care, if not legal obligation, of an employee, thus acknowledging that more people care for children than just their biological parents.

The article went on to note that "Ms. Leppink determined that 'neither the statute nor the regulations restrict the number of parents a child may have under FMLA.'"

Ennis commented on the ruling saying, "I think it was geared toward the gay and lesbian community, but it clearly has a broader impact."

"The ruling puts into enforcement the practices that some companies already were following. However, there are companies that did not allow employees to take time off, even unpaid leave, for children for whom they had no legal obligation," explained the article.

"Before, you had to be both the caretaker and financially responsible. Now you can be either," said Ennis.