Faculty bio | 541-346-8938

Elizabeth Tippett studies behavioral ethics, employment law and decision-making. Her recent research examined how employee timekeeping software can erode compliance with wage and hour laws, and she has studied how contract terms may predict a company’s litigation risk. Tippett is also studying drug injury ads, through which attorneys recruit consumers for lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies. Although these ads contain strong warning about medical risks, deceptive content in those ads remains largely unregulated. She is a co-author of the fifth edition of the textbook "Employment Discrimination & Employment Law: The Field as Practiced," and her research on disparate impact litigation has been cited in opinions issued by the US Court of Appeals and Iowa Supreme Court. Her writing has appeared in the New Republic, Slate and The Daily Beast, and she has appeared on the BBC, Sirius Satellite Radio and Oregon Public Radio. In June 2017, Tippett testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, regarding mass tort advertising.

Recent Media:
“Gods in the building”: How the Texas Senate buries sexual harassment complaints and enables bad actors (Texas Monthly, August 2024)
Long-term consequences? What students need to know about protesting on campus (ABC7, May 7, 2024)
Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction was overturned. What does that mean for #MeToo? (The Christian Science Monitor, April 29, 2024)
McMenamins included assistant managers in its tip pool. Can they do that? (Eater, Feb. 5, 2024)
How lawyers can navigate the ethical minefield of legal advertising (U.S. News, Oct. 25, 2023) 
Middle fingers, complaints: Workers caught in culture wars face harassment (ABC News, July 7, 2023)
Goldman’s Sex-Bias Deal Is ‘Milestone’ for Women on Wall Street (Bloomberg Law, May 12, 2023)
Five years on, here’s what #MeToo has changed (Politico, Oct. 14, 2022)
Abortion benefits: Companies have a simple and legal way to help their workers living in anti-abortion states – expanding paid time off (The Conversation, June 30, 2022)
Microsoft Buys Scandal-Tainted Activision in Bet on Metaverse (Bloomberg, Jan. 18, 2022)
5 #MeToo takeaways from Andrew Cuomo and Activision Blizzard sex harassment scandals (The Conversation, August 13, 2021)
Robots are coming for the lawyers – which may be bad for tomorrow’s attorneys but great for anyone in need of cheap legal assistance (The Conversation, August 9, 2021)
Activision ‘Frat Boy’ Suit Jolts Effort to Change Gaming Culture (Bloomberg Law, July 26, 2021)
Fired for storming the Capitol? Why most workers aren’t protected for what they do on their own time (The Conversation, Jan. 11, 2021)
How TikTok is upending workplace social media policies – and giving us rebel nurses and dancing cops (The Conversation, Dec. 3, 2020)
Workers can expect sympathy from Amy Coney Barrett – as long as they don’t bring a class action to defend their rights (The Conversation, Oct. 9, 2020)
Startup Perks Go Remote—and Take a More Inclusive Approach (Wired, Sept. 3, 2020)
Liability waivers for COVID-19 are popping up everywhere. What do they mean? (Wisconsin Public Radio, June 22, 2020)
Why hairdressers, gyms and the Trump campaign are asking people to sign COVID-19 waivers (The Conversation, June 15, 2020)
Why stores are saying “hero bonus” instead of “hazard pay” (Marketplace, May 22, 2020)
New federal sick leave law – who’s eligible, who’s not and how many weeks do you get (The Conversation, March 19, 2020)
Will sick leave protect me if I get ill from coronavirus? 5 questions answered (The Conversation, March 9, 2020)
Beyond Weinstein conviction, how #MeToo changed America (The Christian Science Monitor, Feb. 24, 2020)
Nondisclosure and secrecy laws protect Bloomberg – not the women who sued him (The Conversation, Feb. 20, 2020)
Worried about accidentally harWorried about accidentally harassing a woman? Don’t beassing a woman? Don’t be (The Conversation, Jan. 29, 2020)
Harvey Weinstein set to stand trial on sex-crime charges (The Wall Street Journal, Jan. 5, 2020)
Lawyers are trying to scare you with Facebook ads (The Conversation, Jan. 3, 2020)
Ads for drug injury lawsuits were a problem long before they targeted HIV prevention medication (The Verge, Jan. 2, 2020)
While the #MeToo backlash raged on in 2019, the movement notched up big gains (CNN, Dec. 24, 2019)
2020 campaign shows the more women run, the more they are treated like candidates – not tokens (The Conversation, Nov. 25, 2019)
Why saying ‘OK boomer’ at work is considered age discrimination – but millennial put-downs aren’t (The Conversation, Nov. 19, 2019)
10 Ways to Mitigate Bias in Your Company’s Decision Making (Harvard Business Review, Oct. 21, 2019)
Sexual harassment training now required for 20% of U.S. workers (Bloomberg, Oct. 10, 2019)
Why whistleblower laws won’tWhy whistleblower laws won’t protect employees who use the workplace for activism protect employees who use the workplace for activism (National Whistleblower Center, Oct. 9, 2019)
How your employer uses perks like wellness programs, phones and free food to control your life (The Conversation, April 25, 2019)
#MeToo and boundaries in the office (WBUR, April 2, 2019)
What Michael Cohen’s betrayal reveals about our messed-up workplace loyalties (The Conversation, Feb. 28, 2019)
Rehumanized resources (Oregon Business, Feb. 5, 2019)
CBS was lucky disgraced CEO Les Moonves behaved so shamelessly – otherwise his contract would have protected him (The Conversation, Dec. 19, 2018)
The State We’re In: Sexual Harassment Laws (WAMU, Oct. 30, 2018)
Kavanaugh confirmation a reminder: Accused sexual harassers get promoted anyway (The Conversation, Sept. 28, 2018)
Consumers are misled by some mass tort drug injury ads: new academic study (Reuters, Sept. 24, 2018)
Nike announces pay increases for 7,000 employees (CNN, July 23, 2018)
When unpaid training doesn’t feel voluntary at all (The New York Times, June 8, 2018)
Employees say time-tracking systems chip away at their paychecks (The Wall Street Journal, May 20, 2018)
Workers are losing billions of dollars because of time theft (National Public Radio, May 18, 2018)
Pay Equity (Oregon Public Broadcasting, April 16, 2018)
Lawyers keep secrets locked up – so they get asked to do the dirty work (The Conversation, April 12, 2018)
Sinclair-style employment contracts that require payment for quitting are very uncommon. Here’s why (The Conversation, April 5, 2018)
Sexual harassment training's #metoo moment (NBC Left Field, Feb. 7, 2018)
Power Pinch (National Public Radio, Dec. 4, 2017)
Commentary: Why Matt Lauer’s mega-contract couldn’t save him (Fortune, Nov. 30, 2017)
Why sexual harassment training doesn’t work (BBC, Nov. 22, 2017)
#MeToo in the workplace (Oregon Public Broadcasting, Think Out Loud, Nov. 22, 2017)
Companies need confidentiality clauses – but not to muzzle sexual abuse victims (The Conversation, Nov. 21, 2017)
This is what smart workplace harassment training looks like (Moneyish, Nov. 6, 2017)
How workplace sexual harassment training has and hasn’t changed (Salon, Oct. 19, 2017)
Why Trump’s tirades are losing their potency (The Conversation, Sept. 20, 2017)
What are some risks of being a whistleblower? (KJZZ, March 16, 2017)
Uber’s dismissive treatment of sexism is all too typical in corporate america (The Washington Post, Feb. 23, 2017)
Donald Trump's conflicts of interest leave him vulnerable (Time Magazine, Jan. 21, 2017)
How timekeeping software helps companies nickel and dime their workers (The Conversation, Jan. 11, 2017)