Discrimination

  • June 20, 2025

    Trump Taps Atty Dropped By Biden For Eastern Ky. Fed. Court

    President Donald Trump has announced plans to nominate former Kentucky Solicitor General Chad Meredith to serve as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

  • June 20, 2025

    Law School Escapes Prof's Long-COVID Retaliation Suit

    A former Mercer University School of Law professor cannot show that the school refused to accommodate her long-COVID-19 symptoms, a Georgia federal judge ruled, saying her repeated requests to work remotely were not reasonable.

  • June 20, 2025

    Gymnastics Co. Cuts Deal In EEOC Sex Harassment Suit

    A gymnastics business will pay a former coach $50,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming the company's co-owner repeatedly propositioned her and other teen workers for sex, according to a Mississippi federal court filing.

  • June 20, 2025

    Justices Say ADA Doesn't Cover Retirees Who Can't Work

    The U.S. Supreme Court held on June 20 that a former firefighter with Parkinson's disease can't bring an Americans with Disabilities Act case over a rollback in her post-employment health benefits, reasoning that the law covers only those who can still fulfill their job duties.

  • June 20, 2025

    4 ERISA Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2025

    The U.S. Department of Labor's challenge to a pair of injunctions blocking Biden-era regulations that broaden who qualifies as an investment advice fiduciary under federal benefits law tops the list of cases benefits attorneys will be watching in the latter half of the year.

  • June 18, 2025

    Caterpillar Must Face Jury Over Ex-Worker's Age Bias Claim

    The Seventh Circuit reversed Caterpillar's summary judgment win over a former employee's age discrimination claim on Wednesday, saying a jury should decide whether the company reasonably placed the worker on a performance action plan that included a deadline that had already passed.

  • June 18, 2025

    High Court Concurrences Signal Hard Battle For Trans Rights

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court's two most conservative members Wednesday to suggest laws that differentiate based on transgender status should be subject to the lowest level of judicial review, providing guidance to lower courts that will likely make it harder for litigants to vindicate trans rights.

  • June 18, 2025

    2nd Circ. Says NYU Langone Retaliation Verdict Wrongly Axed

    The Second Circuit reinstated a $700,000 jury verdict in favor of a former NYU Langone doctor who claimed her contract wasn't renewed after she complained about supervisors' sexist behavior, ruling Wednesday she'd presented enough evidence to support the jurors' decision.

  • June 18, 2025

    EEOC's Lucas Faces Pointed Questions On Trans Rights

    Acting U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Andrea Lucas faced tough questions from Democratic lawmakers Wednesday about the agency scaling back enforcement efforts on behalf of transgender and nonbinary workers, as she defended the EEOC's alignment with the Trump administration's priorities.

  • June 18, 2025

    Mich. Panel Revives Contract Carpenter's Racial Bias Suit

    A Michigan appellate panel has reopened a Black man's employment discrimination lawsuit against a carpentry company where he claimed to have been called racial slurs by coworkers, saying a trial court was wrong to toss the suit solely because the worker was an independent contractor.

  • June 18, 2025

    Age Bias Taints Kansas Health Dept. Promotions, EEOC Says

    The Kansas Department of Health and Environment overlooked an older worker for promotions to more senior lab tech roles solely because of her age, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told a federal court.

  • June 18, 2025

    Nursing Home Supervisor Mocked Older Workers, EEOC Says

    A New Mexico long-term care facility allowed employees over 40 to be belittled and held to different standards than younger workers, and workers who complained faced termination, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged Wednesday in federal court.

  • June 18, 2025

    Senate Panel Sets Vote On Trump Nominees For EEOC, DOL

    A Senate panel announced on Wednesday a June 26 vote that will affect who will chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Trump administration's picks to lead the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and employee benefits arm.

  • June 18, 2025

    Paralegal Says Firm Fired Her For Cancer Recurrence

    A paralegal alleged in North Carolina federal court that The Driscoll Firm PC fired her one day after she informed her superiors about the recurrence of her ovarian cancer, violating federal disability and state wage laws.

  • June 18, 2025

    NJ Judiciary Hit With Pregnancy Bias Suit From Court Exec

    A court executive has claimed that the New Jersey judiciary is guilty of retaliating and discriminating against her by allegedly reducing her pay raise because she went on maternity leave, according to a new state complaint.

  • June 18, 2025

    5th Circ. Won't Undo GM's Win In Worker's Disability Bias Suit

    The Fifth Circuit refused to reinstate an ex-General Motors worker's suit claiming the company refused to accommodate a concussion she got on the job and then fired her, ruling she failed to show she could perform any open positions after taking issue with the roles she was transferred to.

  • June 18, 2025

    Ex-Public Defender Says Bogus Bias Reports Got Her Fired 

    The former chief public defender for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, said Wednesday in a lawsuit that she was wrongfully accused of racial bias and unilaterally fired by the county manager, rather than by the county executive who had appointed her.

  • June 18, 2025

    Steptoe & Johnson Adds Ex-Buchanan Atty In Pittsburgh

    An employment attorney looking to expand his services beyond litigation moved his practice recently to Steptoe & Johnson PLLC's Pittsburgh office after more than four years with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC.

  • June 18, 2025

    Applebee's Franchise Settles NY Pay Disparity Claims

    The operator of New York City-area Applebee's restaurants entered into a National Labor Relations Board settlement after a former server claimed he was fired after complaining about Black workers getting paid less than white employees, advocacy group One Fair Wage announced Wednesday.

  • June 18, 2025

    UPS Denied Promotion Over Sabbath Request, Suit Says

    A Boston man has brought a lawsuit against UPS in Massachusetts state court, alleging the shipping company denied him a higher-paying job as a driver because as a Seventh-day Adventist he could not work Friday night or Saturday.

  • June 18, 2025

    Paralegal Says Pregnancy Announcement Got Her Fired

    A personal injury law firm fired a paralegal under the guise of downsizing one month after she informed the firm she was pregnant, a lawsuit in Pennsylvania federal court says.

  • June 18, 2025

    5th Circ. Affirms Nix Of Ex-Hospital Workers' COVID Vax Suit

    The Fifth Circuit backed a Houston hospital's defeat of a lawsuit alleging that hundreds of employees were unlawfully fired when they refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, saying the workers couldn't demonstrate that their right to reject the shot had been violated.

  • June 18, 2025

    Retirement Homes Reach Deal To End EEOC Race Bias Suit

    The operator of three retirement communities in the Washington, D.C., area agreed to pay $85,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit accusing it of illegally passing over a Black worker for promotion and subsequently replacing her with a white employee.

  • June 17, 2025

    6th Circ. Revives Ex-Chili's Manager's Age Discrimination Suit

    The Sixth Circuit Tuesday revived a terminated Chili's restaurant manager's age discrimination case against the casual dining chain, saying the former employee offered enough evidence to rebut the chain's contention he was actually fired for not "living the Chili's way."

  • June 17, 2025

    HHS Says Trump Orders Merit Ending Trans Health Rule Case

    The federal government urged a Mississippi federal court to end a lawsuit challenging a Biden-era rule that protected gender-affirming care under the Affordable Care Act, arguing the Republican attorneys general leading the case can't show imminent harm given the Trump administration's position on the definition of "sex."

Expert Analysis

  • After Chevron: EEOC Status Quo Will Likely Continue

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    As the legal landscape adjusts to the end of Chevron deference, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s rulemaking authority isn’t likely to shift as much as some other employment-related agencies, says Paige Lyle at FordHarrison.

  • After Chevron: Various Paths For Labor And Employment Law

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    Labor and employment law leans heavily on federal agency guidance, so the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to toss out Chevron deference will ripple through this area, with future workplace policies possibly taking shape through strategic litigation, informal guidance, state-level regulation and more, says Alexander MacDonald at Littler.

  • FIFA Maternity Policy Shows Need For Federal Paid Leave

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    While FIFA and other employers taking steps to provide paid parental leave should be applauded, the U.S. deserves a red card for being the only rich nation in the world that offers no such leave, says Dacey Romberg at Sanford Heisler.

  • What 2 Rulings On Standing Mean For DEI Litigation

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    Recent federal court decisions in the Fearless Fund and Hello Alice cases shed new light on the ongoing wave of challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, with opposite conclusions on whether the plaintiffs had standing to sue, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Eye On Compliance: A Brief History Of Joint Employer Rules

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    It's important to examine the journey of the joint employer rule, because if the National Labor Relations Board's Fifth Circuit appeal is successful and the 2023 version is made law, virtually every employer who contracts for labor likely could be deemed a joint employer, say Bruno Katz and Robert Curtis at Wilson Elser.

  • Top 5 Issues For Employers To Audit Midyear

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    Six months into 2024, developments from federal courts and regulatory agencies should prompt employers to reflect on their progress regarding artificial intelligence, noncompetes, diversity initiatives, religious accommodation and more, say Allegra Lawrence-Hardy and Lisa Haldar at Lawrence & Bundy.

  • Tailoring Compliance Before AI Walks The Runway

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    Fashion industry players that adopt artificial intelligence to propel their businesses forward should consider ways to minimize its perceived downsides, including potential job displacements and algorithmic biases that may harm diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, say Jeffrey Greene and Ivory Djahouri at Foley & Lardner.

  • Where Anti-Discrimination Law Stands 4 Years After Bostock

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    On the fourth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Bostock ruling, Evan Parness and Abby Rickeman at Covington take stock of how the decision, which held that Title VII protects employees from discrimination because of their sexual orientation and gender identity, has affected anti-discrimination law at the state and federal levels.

  • Politics In The Workplace: What Employers Need To Know

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    As the 2024 election approaches and protests continue across the country, employers should be aware of employees' rights — and limits on those rights — related to political speech and activities in the workplace, and be prepared to act proactively to prevent issues before they arise, say attorneys at Littler.

  • What High Court Ruling Means For Sexual Harassment Claims

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    In its recent Smith v. Spizzirri decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a district court compelling a case to arbitration is obligated to stay the case rather than dismissing it, but this requirement may result in sexual harassment cases not being heard by appellate courts, says Abe Melamed at Signature Resolution.

  • 5 Steps For Gov't Contractor Affirmative Action Verification

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    As the federal contractor affirmative action program certification deadline approaches, government contractors and subcontractors should take steps to determine their program obligations, and ensure any required plans are properly implemented and timely registered, say Christopher Wilkinson at Perkins Coie and Joanna Colosimo at DCI Consulting.

  • New OSHA Memo Helps Clarify Recordkeeping Compliance

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    Based on recent Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidance on whether musculoskeletal disorders are recordable injuries under the agency's recordkeeping regulation, it appears that OSHA may target active release techniques and stretching programs during its inspections, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Cos. Must Stay On Alert With Joint Employer Rule In Flux

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    While employers may breathe a sigh of relief at recent events blocking the National Labor Relations Board's proposed rule that would make it easier for two entities to be deemed joint employers, the rule is not yet dead, say attorneys at ​​​​​​​Day Pitney.