Discrimination

  • July 29, 2026

    Fla. Panel Rules Against Firefighter Over Medical Cannabis

    A Florida appellate court on Wednesday sided with a county for terminating a firefighter-paramedic who tested positive for cannabis in a random drug screen, saying he wasn't entitled to a workplace accommodation for having a medical marijuana card.

  • July 29, 2026

    A Summer Reading List For Employment Discrimination Attys

    As the clock starts ticking on the final month of summer, discrimination lawyers taking time off for rest and relaxation may want to dig into a book that keeps them in touch with their practice. For attorneys eager to keep learning while soaking up sun, here are five to consider.

  • July 29, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Biotech Worker's Pension Plan Suit

    The Ninth Circuit reopened a former Calbiotech Inc. scientist's lawsuit claiming the company unlawfully hid the existence of a pension plan, saying a trial court erred in concluding that a document specifying who was eligible to participate in the plan was legitimate.

  • July 29, 2026

    U Mich. Health-West Resolves Fired PA's Religious Bias Case

    University of Michigan Health-West has agreed to overhaul its religious accommodation policies, train employees and pay $410,000 to resolve a suit brought by a physician assistant who alleged she was fired for refusing, based on her Christian beliefs, to use certain patients' preferred pronouns or participate in gender transition-related care. 

  • July 29, 2026

    DOL Says Beekeeper Underpaid, Endangered H-2A Workers

    The U.S. Department of Labor sued a beekeeping business and its owner in Washington federal court Wednesday, alleging they underpaid H-2A workers, housed them in a rat-infested trailer and pressured an employee to conceal a workplace injury that nearly cost him a finger.

  • July 29, 2026

    Senior Living Co. To Pay $250K In EEOC Harassment Suit

    A Christian senior living facility has agreed to pay $250,000 to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming the business didn't do enough to stop residents from sexually harassing its female staff, according to an Arizona federal court filing.

  • July 29, 2026

    Segal McCambridge Settles Fired Secretary's Age Bias Suit

    Law firm Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney Ltd. has struck a deal to end a New York federal court suit from a former secretary who said her colleagues mistreated her because of her age, according to a Wednesday court filing.

  • July 29, 2026

    Tech Company Gets Sex Bias Suit Kicked To Arbitration

    A California federal judge said an ex-Tencent worker must arbitrate her claims that the company fired her after she complained that a male colleague sexually harassed her, ruling that the behavior she protested wasn't sufficiently severe or sexual in nature to trigger a law that could have kept her case in court.

  • July 29, 2026

    Insurer Says It Won't Cover $10M Bias Award Against HR Org.

    An insurance company urged a Virginia federal judge to rule that it doesn't have to cover a $10 million award won by a former Society for Human Resources Management employee who sued the association for race bias, arguing the applicable policy doesn't cover punitive damages based on deliberate actions.

  • July 29, 2026

    Judge Says Jet Co. Should Escape Sex, Pay Bias Claims

    A former private jet company executive failed to plausibly allege that she was denied a promotion, underpaid, subjected to a hostile workplace or forced to resign because she is a woman, a North Carolina federal magistrate judge said in recommending dismissal of her federal claims.

  • July 29, 2026

    Digital Textbook Co. Resolves EEOC Disability Bias Probe

    A North Carolina-based education software provider will pay $150,000 to end an investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission into a worker's claim that she was fired because she requested medical leave, the agency said Wednesday.

  • July 28, 2026

    Baldoni's Studio Owes NYT $170K For Failed Defamation Suit

    "It Ends With Us" director and star Justin Baldoni's production company must pay The New York Times more than $170,000 after it defeated the studio's defamation claims, a New York state judge has ruled, saying the newspaper is entitled to recoup its legal fees.

  • July 28, 2026

    Ortho Practice Owes More Damages After Sex Bias Verdict

    A Pennsylvania-based orthopedic practice and a group of five female employees who accused the healthcare provider and its related entities of sex discrimination came to an agreement Tuesday on how much back and front pay should be awarded to the plaintiffs months after a federal jury awarded them $4.35 million.

  • July 28, 2026

    Union Pacific Won't Hire Drivers Using Opioid Meds, Suit Says

    Union Pacific Railroad Co. refuses to hire train drivers who take certain medications for opioid use disorder without evaluating their cases individually, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to a proposed class action filed in Wisconsin federal court.

  • July 28, 2026

    7th Circ. Shuts Down Trans Cop's Bias Suit

    The Seventh Circuit declined Tuesday to reinstate a transgender police officer's bias suit claiming she was outed by her colleagues, ruling her allegations lack teeth given that leadership only disclosed her gender identity when discussing ways to accommodate and protect her on the job.

  • July 28, 2026

    Miss. Blues Club Settles EEOC Sex Harassment Suit

    A Mississippi blues club will pay $35,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging it fired an assistant manager after she complained that a co-owner made sexual comments and groped her, the parties told a federal court.

  • July 28, 2026

    Delta, EEOC Seek Approval For Pregnancy Bias Suit Deal

    Delta Air Lines Inc. will pay nearly $17,000 to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging it unlawfully revoked a job offer from a worker who was prevented from completing a physical screening because she was pregnant, according to a filing in New York federal court.

  • July 28, 2026

    1st Circ. Skeptical That JPMorgan AI Tool Broke Mass. Law

    A First Circuit panel appeared doubtful Tuesday that an artificial intelligence-powered applicant screening tool used by JPMorgan Chase & Co. constituted the kind of lie detector test that Massachusetts law bars employers from using in interviews. 

  • July 28, 2026

    8th Circ. Backs Quartz Co. In FMLA Firing Suit

    The Eighth Circuit affirmed a quartz-surface manufacturer's win in a former process engineering technician's suit alleging he was unlawfully fired while on medical leave, finding Tuesday the employer eliminated his position because production was slowing and he had less seniority.

  • July 28, 2026

    EEOC Illegally Froze Fed Workers' Class Cases, Suit Says

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has unlawfully directed administrative judges to halt pending class action complaints filed by federal employees, the American Federation of Government Employees claimed in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in D.C. federal court.

  • July 28, 2026

    Med Center To Pay $200K To End EEOC Disability Bias Probe

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Tuesday that a California medical center has agreed to pay $200,000 to wrap up an investigation into a nurse's claim that it violated disability bias law by firing her instead of letting her transfer to another role.

  • July 28, 2026

    EEOC Wins Bid To Wrest DEI Info From Northwestern Mutual

    Northwestern Mutual must give the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission information about its diversity, equity and inclusion policies and workplace trainings after a Wisconsin federal judge backed an agency subpoena stemming from a white ex-employee's bias allegations.

  • July 27, 2026

    Former JPMorgan Banker Levels Race Bias, Harassment Suit

    A former JPMorgan Chase employee filed a race discrimination and sexual harassment suit against the investment bank in Manhattan federal court Monday, on the heels of dropping a similar state court complaint that triggered an ongoing defamation case from his former boss. 

  • July 27, 2026

    Hyundai Unit Beats Disability Bias Suit Over Cannabis Use

    A Hyundai subsidiary defeated a former temporary employee's lawsuit alleging she was denied a permanent position because she used medical marijuana to manage her PTSD, with a Connecticut federal judge finding she hadn't shown she was disabled under federal law.

  • July 27, 2026

    Religious Health Workers Ask Justices To Revisit Vax Battle

    A group of religious healthcare workers told the U.S. Supreme Court that recent circuit court rulings in vaccination-related cases have heightened the need for the justices to review their legal battle over a pandemic-era New York state inoculation policy.

Expert Analysis

  • EEOC Wearable Tech Guidance Highlights Monitoring Scrutiny

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent fact sheet on wearable technologies cautions against potential issues with federal anti-discrimination laws and demonstrates growing concern from regulators and legislators about intrusive technologies in the workplace, say attorneys at Littler.

  • 4 Employment Law Areas Set To Change Under Trump

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    President Donald Trump's second term is expected to bring significant changes to the U.S. employment law landscape, including the potential for updated worker classification regulations, and challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion that are already taking shape, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • What Employment Bias Litigation Looks Like After Muldrow

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    Nine months after the U.S. Supreme Court created an undemanding standard for discrimination claims in Muldrow v. St. Louis, Eric Schnapper at the University of Washington discusses how the Title VII litigation landscape has changed and what to expect moving forward.

  • 10 Key Worker-Friendly California Employment Law Updates

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    New employment laws in California expand employee rights, transparency and enforcement mechanisms, and failing to educate department managers on these changes could put employers at risk, says Melanie Ronen at Stradley Ronon.

  • How PAGA Reform Can Inform Employer Strategies In 2025

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    While recent changes to California's Private Attorneys General Act will not significantly reduce PAGA claims, employers can use the new law to potentially limit their future exposure, by taking advantage of penalty reduction opportunities and more, say attorneys at Thompson Coburn.

  • How Deregulation Could Undermine Trump's Anti-DEI Agenda

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    While rolling back federal agency power benefited conservative policies during the Biden administration, it will likely undermine President Donald Trump's ability to wield agencies like the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives beyond the federal workforce and into the private sector, says Ally Coll at the Purple Method.

  • Trump Should Pass On Project 2025's Disparate Impact Plan

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    The Trump administration should reject Project 2025's call to eliminate the disparate impact doctrine because, as its pro-business Republican creators intended, a focus on dismantling unnecessary barriers to qualified job candidates serves companies' best interests more successfully than the alternatives, says Susan Carle at American University.

  • Expect A Big Shake Up At The EEOC Under 2nd Trump Admin

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    During President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is likely to significantly shift its focus and priorities, especially where workplace DEI initiatives, immigration enforcement, LGBTQ+ rights and pregnancy protections are concerned, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.

  • 4 Novel Issues From The Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Suits

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    A series of lawsuits arising from actress Blake Lively's sexual harassment and retaliation complaint against her "It Ends With Us" co-star, Justin Baldoni, present novel legal issues that employment and defamation practitioners alike should follow as the litigation progresses, say attorneys at Dorsey & Whitney.

  • Religious Accommodation Lessons From $12.7M Vax Verdict

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    A Michigan federal jury’s recent $12.7 million verdict against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan starkly reminds employers of the risks they face when assessing employees’ religious accommodation requests, highlighting pitfalls to avoid and raising the opportunity to consider best practices to follow, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.

  • Lessons From United's Axed Win In Firing Over Online Pics

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    In Wawrzenski v. United Airlines, a California state appeals court revived a flight attendant’s suit over her termination for linking photos of herself in uniform to her OnlyFans account, providing a cautionary tale for employers navigating the complexities of workplace policy enforcement in the digital age, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • How Trump Admin May Approach AI In The Workplace

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    Key indicators suggest that the incoming Trump administration will adopt a deregulatory approach to artificial intelligence, allowing states to fill the void, so it is critical that employers pay close attention to developing legal authority concerning AI tools, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Lessons Learned From 2024's Top FMLA Decisions

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    Last year's major litigation related to the Family and Medical Leave Act underscores why it is critical for employers to understand the basics of when leave and accommodations are required, say attorneys at Dechert.