Discrimination

  • July 16, 2026

    Reps. Dingell, Clarke Push Menopause Workplace Bias Bill

    A pair of House Democrats have introduced a bill that would require employers to provide reasonable accommodations for workers experiencing menopause-related symptoms, creating explicit federal workplace protections for a condition that supporters say is not directly addressed under current law.

  • July 16, 2026

    Ga. Judge Proposes Streamlining EEOC Disability Bias Suit

    A Georgia federal magistrate judge has recommended trimming a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit accusing a utility services provider of firing a worker who sought job adjustments following a stroke, but said a key failure to accommodate claim should go to trial.

  • July 16, 2026

    Pa. Appeals Panel Reinstates Union's FMLA Arbitration Win

    A Pennsylvania appeals panel on Thursday said a lower court was wrong to scrap an arbitrator's conclusion that a school district violated a collective bargaining agreement by forcing a teacher recovering from surgery to use leave guaranteed by federal law to cover her absence.

  • July 16, 2026

    Ashley Furniture Wins Transfer Of Bias Suit To Florida

    A North Carolina federal judge has transferred a former Ashley Furniture marketing specialist's age and sex discrimination lawsuit to federal court in Florida, ruling that an independent contractor agreement requiring disputes to be litigated in the Tampa area is enforceable despite the employee's objections.

  • July 16, 2026

    Christian University Escapes Black Fired Prof's Bias Suit

    A Black former professor's suit claiming the university failed to protect her from harm after colleagues racially discriminated against her and she faced a hate crime on campus was shuttered by a Minnesota federal judge, who ruled that her claim falls apart because she wasn't physically injured.

  • July 16, 2026

    Nonprofits Back Ex-Defender's High Court Sex Bias Petition

    The Georgia Association for Women Lawyers and the Legal Accountability Project have asked the U.S. Supreme Court for permission to file an amicus curiae brief in support of Caryn Devins Strickland and her effort to get the high court to review her sex harassment case against the judiciary.

  • July 16, 2026

    Fisher Phillips To Open St. Louis Office With Ex-BCLP Partner

    Employer-side labor and employment law firm Fisher Phillips has announced a planned expansion into St. Louis, Missouri, along with the hiring of a former Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP partner to be regional managing partner for the prospective outpost.

  • July 16, 2026

    Liberty Mutual Settles Fired VP's Race Bias Suit

    Liberty Mutual Group Inc. has settled a lawsuit by a former vice president and senior talent adviser who alleged she was sidelined and eventually fired due to her race, according to a stipulation filed in North Carolina federal court.

  • July 16, 2026

    Ohio Worker Says Supreme Court Win Prompted Retaliation

    A straight Ohio state worker whose sexual orientation bias suit made it to the U.S. Supreme Court has been denied a promotion, isolated from coworkers and slapped with manufactured misconduct accusations in the year since the justices revived her case, according to a complaint filed in federal court.

  • July 15, 2026

    Circuit-By-Circuit Guide To The US Supreme Court's Term

    Federal appeals courts had wide-ranging successes and struggles during the U.S. Supreme Court's recently completed term: One had its best showing in years following its worst showing in years; one felt déjà vu after recently starting to find favor with the justices; and one saw its reputation for independence occupy a rare role in the Supreme Court spotlight.

  • July 15, 2026

    Atlantic City Gets Win In Lifeguard Retaliation Suit

    Two lifeguards failed to support their claims that the Atlantic City Beach Patrol retaliated against them for complaining about their work conditions, which allegedly involved dirty stations, a lack of proper equipment and "rampant" sexual exploitation, a New Jersey judge ruled.

  • July 15, 2026

    EEOC To Shift Publication Of FEPA Lists To Public Website

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission unveiled a final rule Wednesday that will tweak the method for publicizing its list of recognized state and municipal antidiscrimination enforcement agencies by moving the information from regulatory documents to the commission's website.

  • July 15, 2026

    Basketball Hall Of Fame Denies Bias Claim In Hiring Decision

    The Basketball Hall of Fame denied Wednesday that it had unlawfully passed over a female applicant for a marketing executive position in favor of less qualified male candidates, telling a Massachusetts federal court it had lawful reasons for making the decision.

  • July 15, 2026

    Sports Bar Calls Ex-Manager's $431K Atty Fee Bid Gratuitous

    A North Carolina sports bar urged a federal court to slash a former manager's bid for nearly $431,000 in attorney fees following her jury win on a claim that the restaurant's owner sexually harassed her, arguing the worker inflated the total with unnecessary costs and lofty rates.

  • July 15, 2026

    2nd Circ. Tosses Vax Objector's Win, Citing High Court Ruling

    The Second Circuit unraveled a New York court officer's victory in her lawsuit alleging she was unlawfully denied a religious exemption to a COVID-19 vaccination mandate, concluding Wednesday that a trial court wrongly set aside relevant U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

  • July 15, 2026

    9th Circ. Kicks EEOC Suit Over Pain Meds Back To Trial

    The Ninth Circuit breathed new life into a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit accusing a financial services company of unlawfully rejecting an applicant because she took pain medication, finding a trial court misconstrued evidence when it nixed the case midtrial.

  • July 15, 2026

    5th Circ. Backs Whole Foods In Pregnancy Bias Dispute

    The Fifth Circuit upheld Whole Foods' win in a former bakery manager's pregnancy discrimination suit, finding she failed to show the grocer's explanation for firing her over a discounted baby shower purchase was a cover for bias.

  • July 15, 2026

    7th Circ. Backs DHS' Victory In Fired Officer's Age Bias Suit

    The Seventh Circuit declined to revive an ex-security officer's bias suit alleging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security found him unfit for duty due to his age, ruling his case lacks evidence that prejudice drove the decision rather than claims that he mishandled the detainment of an unruly customer.

  • July 14, 2026

    Northwestern Prof Alleges Pro-Palestinian Stand Cost Tenure

    Northwestern University denied tenure for a journalism professor and set him up for termination because he spoke openly about his support for Palestinians and blocked police from clearing a student encampment protesting the institution's ties to Israel, according to a suit filed in Illinois federal court.

  • July 14, 2026

    Denver Worker Says Her Firing Was Tied To Mayoral Support

    A Denver employee alleging she was retaliated against and laid off for supporting a different mayoral candidate went back and forth with her superiors Tuesday at a preliminary injunction hearing where she urged a Colorado federal court to continue forbidding the city from finalizing her termination.

  • July 14, 2026

    BOP Retaliated Against Local Union Leader, Suit Claims

    The American Federation of Government Employees is accusing the Federal Bureau of Prisons of unlawfully suspending the leader of a local affiliate for speaking to the press about the government shutdown and the agency's cancellation of its collective bargaining agreement with the affiliate, according to a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania federal court Tuesday.

  • July 14, 2026

    10th Circ.'s Harassment Analysis Clarifies Claims Framework

    The Tenth Circuit's recent, lengthy decision reinstating a former Walmart employee's lawsuit alleging he endured homophobic harassment sharpens the sometimes misapplied frameworks governing hostile work environment claims, experts said.

  • July 14, 2026

    IBM Nets Deal To End Ex-Sales Specialist's Age Bias Suit

    IBM has settled a 63-year-old's lawsuit accusing the global technology company of systemic age bias, North Carolina federal court records show.

  • July 14, 2026

    Property Manager Loses Suit Alleging Pay Bias, Retaliation

    A D.C. federal judge has rejected a Black property manager's claims that her former employer paid her less than male and white colleagues and retaliated against her after she raised pay concerns, finding the company's pay decisions were driven by experience and property size rather than race or sex.

  • July 14, 2026

    Nespresso Can't Ditch Most Bias Claims By Ex-Employee

    A former Nespresso employee has plausibly alleged that race was a motivating factor in decisions denying her promotions and pay raises that were instead granted to less-qualified white employees, an Illinois federal judge ruled Monday, denying most of the company's motion to dismiss while also tossing claims against individual defendants.

Expert Analysis

  • Cos. Should Focus On State AI Laws Despite New DOL Site

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    Because a new U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored website about the disability discrimination risks of AI hiring tools mostly echoes old guidance, employers should focus on complying with the state and local AI workplace laws springing up where Congress and federal regulators have yet to act, say attorneys at Littler.

  • How The Tide Of EEOC Litigation Rolled Back In FY 2024

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    An analysis of the location, timing and underlying claims asserted in U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission-initiated cases during fiscal year 2024 shows that the commission saw a substantial decrease in litigation activity after a surge last year, but employers should not drop their guard, say Christopher DeGroff and Andrew Scroggins at Seyfarth.

  • The Key Changes In Revised FDIC Hiring Regulations

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    Attorneys at Ogletree break down the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s new rule, effective Oct. 1, that will ease restrictions on financial institutions hiring employees with criminal histories, amend the FDIC's treatment of minor offenses and clarify its stance on expunged or dismissed criminal records.

  • Employer Tips For PUMP Act Compliance As Law Turns 2

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    Enacted in December 2022, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act requires employers to provide reasonable break time and a private space for employees to express breast milk, but some companies may still be struggling with how to comply, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • What To Know About Ill. Employment Law Changes

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    Illinois employers should review their policies in light of a number of recent changes to state employment law, including amendments to the state’s Human Rights Act and modifications to the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, say attorneys at Kilpatrick.

  • Mich. Whistleblower Ruling Expands Retaliation Remedies

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    The Michigan Supreme Court's recent Occupational Health and Safety Act decision in Stegall v. Resource Technology is important because it increases the potential exposure for defendants in public policy retaliation cases, providing plaintiffs with additional claims, say Aaron Burrell and Timothy Howlett at Dickinson Wright.

  • How States Are Approaching AI Workplace Discrimination

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    As legislators across the U.S. have begun addressing algorithmic discrimination in the workplace, attorneys at Reed Smith provide an overview of the status, applicability and provisions of 13 state and local bills.

  • The Risks Of Employee Political Discourse On Social Media

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    As election season enters its final stretch and employees increasingly engage in political speech on social media, employers should beware the liability risks and consider policies that negotiate the line between employees' rights and the limits on those rights, say Bradford Kelley and James McGehee at Littler.

  • 7th Circ. Rulings Offer Employee Vaccine Exemption Guidance

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    Dawn Solowey and Samantha Brooks at Seyfarth explain how two recent Seventh Circuit rulings in Passarella v. Aspirus and Bube v. Aspirus could affect litigation involving employee vaccine exemptions, and discuss employer best practices for handling accommodation requests that include both religious and secular concerns.

  • Employers Should Not Neglect Paid Military Leave Compliance

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    An August decision from the Ninth Circuit and the settlement of a long-running class action, both examining paid leave requirements under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, are part of a nationwide trend that should prompt employers to review their military leave policies to avoid potential litigation and reputational damage, says Bradford Kelley at Littler.

  • Old Employment Law Principles Can Answer New AI Concerns

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    Despite growing legal and regulatory concerns about how artificial intelligence tools may affect employment decisions and worker rights, companies should take comfort in knowing that familiar principles of employment law and established compliance regimes can still largely address these new twists on old questions, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • NYC Wage Info Bill Highlights Rise In Pay Transparency Laws

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    With New York City the latest to mull requiring companies to annually report employee wage data, national employers should consider adapting their compliance practices to comply with increasingly common pay transparency and disclosure obligations at state and local levels, says Kelly Cardin at Littler Mendelson.

  • Workday AI Bias Suit Suggests Hiring Lessons For Employers

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    As state laws and a federal agency increasingly focus on employment bias introduced by artificial intelligence systems, a California federal court's recent decision to allow a discrimination suit to proceed against Workday's AI-driven recruitment software, shows companies should promptly assess these tools' risks, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.