Discrimination

  • June 05, 2025

    EEOC Says Co. Fired Christian Driver For Wearing Skirt

    A building materials company fired a cement truck driver after a week of employment because she wore a skirt on the job in compliance with her religious beliefs, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a suit filed in Florida federal court.

  • June 05, 2025

    Greenberg Traurig Lands Bracewell Employment Pro In Texas

    Greenberg Traurig LLP has strengthened its labor and employment practice with the addition of a Bracewell LLP attorney in Houston, boosting the firm's ability to serve clients in the growing Texas market and beyond.

  • June 05, 2025

    Ex-Wells Fargo Worker Says 'Herculean' Win Backs Fee Bid

    An ex-Wells Fargo worker awarded $22.1 million in his case claiming he was fired out of disability bias defended his request for $1.5 million in attorney fees, telling a North Carolina federal court his counsel's "superior lawyering" and "herculean effort" justified the proposed award.

  • June 05, 2025

    Justices Fault Wis. For Denying Tax Break To Charities

    Wisconsin discriminated against a group of Catholic charities when it denied them an unemployment tax exemption, the U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday, rejecting the state's argument that the charities were not operated primarily for religious purposes.

  • June 05, 2025

    Justices Nix Higher Hurdle For Heterosexual Bias Claims

    A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday vacated the Sixth Circuit's ruling that plaintiffs claiming anti-heterosexual workplace discrimination need to provide extra "background circumstances" evidence, opining that it improperly imposed special standards on majority-group plaintiffs.

  • June 04, 2025

    Property Manager Fired For Complaint About Meme, Suit Says

    A Texas-based property management company has been sued by a former employee in Georgia who alleged she was fired after reporting a "racially insensitive" meme sent to her by the company's acting vice president.

  • June 04, 2025

    Vanderbilt Prof's Promotion Bias Suit Falls Short At 6th Circ.

    The Sixth Circuit refused Wednesday to revive a Vanderbilt University professor's disability bias suit claiming she was denied a promotion because she took leave to manage her multiple sclerosis, ruling she failed to overcome evidence that her deficient scholarship cost her the job.

  • June 04, 2025

    5th Circ. Revives United Flight Attendant's Age Bias Suit

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday reopened a former flight attendant's lawsuit claiming United Airlines used allegations of misconduct as a pretext to fire her because she was in her 50s, saying a trial court erred in concluding that her case was preempted by federal labor law.

  • June 04, 2025

    Fisher Phillips Snags Labor Atty From Davis Wright In Seattle

    A former Davis Wright Tremaine LLP attorney representing employers in wage-and-hour disputes and traditional labor matters has started as a partner at Fisher Phillips LLP in Seattle, the firm announced, and will remain focused on tackling labor and employment claims for his clients.

  • June 04, 2025

    Ga. Manufacturer Fired HR Exec For Reporting Bias, Suit Says

    An oxygen supply manufacturer has been sued in Georgia federal court by its former global vice president of human resources over allegations it fired her for reporting the harassment of a lesbian employee.

  • June 04, 2025

    DC Judge Weighs Harm In Teen Program Funding Fight

    A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday seemed unconvinced by Planned Parenthood's assertion that new federal grant requirements for a public health initiative aimed at preventing teen pregnancy are harmful enough to warrant a preliminary injunction.

  • June 04, 2025

    Media Co. Ends EEOC Suit Over Deaf Worker's Nixed Interview

    A newspaper publishing company has agreed to pay $100,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it canceled a job interview with an applicant after learning she was deaf and needed an interpreter.

  • June 04, 2025

    Lowe's Ex-Manager Drops Racial Bias, Retaliation Case

    A former Lowe's Companies Inc. manager has agreed to drop her case against the home improvement retailer, in which she alleged she was treated differently, retaliated against and later fired for being Black.

  • June 04, 2025

    SEIU Shirked Black University Worker's Grievance, Suit Says

    A Service Employees International Union local unlawfully provided a Black former university employee with second-rate representation when he challenged his termination over a minor offense despite aggressively supporting white union members who engaged in more serious misconduct, according to a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania federal court.

  • June 04, 2025

    Indiana's AG Targets DEI At Butler, DePauw Universities

    Indiana's attorney general has sent letters to two private universities asking for information about diversity, equity and inclusion-related initiatives, he said Wednesday, alleging that the schools may be unlawfully discriminating by favoring marginalized groups.

  • June 03, 2025

    9th Circ. Skeptical About Nixing Wash. Bias Enforcement Ban

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday appeared hesitant to grant Washington state's bid to wipe out an injunction that bars it from enforcing state anti-discrimination law against a Christian employer that wants to hire co-religionists, but the judges signaled a willingness to depart from the trial court's rationale.

  • June 03, 2025

    WNBA Player Files Amended Discrimination Suit Against Aces

    Women's National Basketball Association player Dearica Hamby on Monday lodged an amended complaint beefing up claims of retaliation in her Nevada federal discrimination lawsuit that accuses the Las Vegas Aces of trading her because she became pregnant.

  • June 03, 2025

    Weinstein Atty Casts Accusers As Abusers In Retrial Closing

    A Manhattan jury on Tuesday heard closing arguments in Harvey Weinstein's retrial on sexual assault charges in New York state court, as his attorney said he was "abused" by "mad," "scorned" ex-lovers who didn't have the talent to make it in show business.

  • June 03, 2025

    3rd Circ. Says Muldrow Can't Save Ex-Teacher's Bias Suit

    The Third Circuit on Tuesday declined to reinstate a Black ex-teacher's bias suit that accused the School District of Philadelphia of sabotaging her job search by placing a disciplinary report in her personnel file, rejecting her argument that the U.S. Supreme Court's Muldrow opinion meant her case should be revived.

  • June 03, 2025

    'Devastating' Cuts Would Put EEOC Workforce At 45-Year Low

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's plan to shed hundreds of workers in the coming year and a half would leave it with its leanest workforce since at least 1980, hampering a federal agency that experts say is already stretched thin.

  • June 03, 2025

    Buyer Says Roofing Co. Hid Sex Harassment, Other Liabilities

    A Colorado-headquartered roofing and exterior services company has sued an acquired business, D.K. Haney Inc., following a discovery that the $11.9 million deal overstated Haney's value by 77% due to a failure to reveal liabilities including sexual harassment by senior officers.

  • June 03, 2025

    Sanctions Bid Over Bribe Claims 'Short On Proof,' Judge Says

    A Georgia federal magistrate rejected a sanctions bid from two former plastics plant workers who claimed that a company executive tried to bribe their attorney to drop their discrimination claims, writing that their motion was "long on allegations but short on proof."

  • June 03, 2025

    Akerman Employment Pro Returns To GrayRobinson In Fla.

    A labor and employment attorney who currently serves as president of the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division has rejoined GrayRobinson PA's Jacksonville, Florida, office from Akerman LLP as a shareholder, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • June 03, 2025

    Fisher Phillips Brings On Former Gap Counsel In Fla.

    A former in-house attorney for clothing giant Gap Inc. rejoined the private practice space as a partner in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at Fisher Phillips, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • June 03, 2025

    IBM Nixed White Exec's Job Offer, Race Bias Suit Claims

    A white Massachusetts woman has alleged in a racial discrimination suit that she was in the final stages of being hired as an executive at IBM when the job offer was abruptly rescinded and the position was given to a candidate of Indian descent who was an acquaintance of someone involved in the hiring process.

Expert Analysis

  • What Axed Title IX Gender Identity Rule Means For Higher Ed

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    Following a Kentucky federal court's recent decision in State of Tennessee v. Cardona to strike down a Biden-era rule that expanded the definition of Title IX to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity, institutions of higher education should prepare to reimplement policies that comply with the reinstated 2020 rule, say attorneys at Venable.

  • A Path Forward For Cos. Amid Trump's Anti-DEIA Efforts

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    Given the Trump administration’s recent efforts targeting corporate diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs — including threatening possible criminal prosecution — companies should carefully tailor their DEIA initiatives to comply with both the letter and the spirit of antidiscrimination law, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Workforce Data Collection Considerations After DEI Order

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    Following President Donald Trump's executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, employers should balance the benefits of collecting demographic data with the risk of violating the order’s prohibition on "illegal DEI," say Lynn Clements at Berkshire Associates, David Cohen at DCI Consulting and Victoria Lipnic at Resolution Economics.

  • How DOGE's Severance Plan May Affect Federal Employees

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    President Donald Trump's administration, working through the Department of Government Efficiency, recently offered a severance package to nearly all of the roughly 2 million federal employees, but unanswered questions about the offer, coupled with several added protections for government workers, led to fewer accepted offers than expected, says Aaron Peskin at Kang Haggerty.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • 10 Issues To Watch In Aerospace And Defense Contracting

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    This year, in addition to evergreen developments driven by national security priorities, disruptive new technologies and competition with rival powers, federal contractors will see significant disruptions driven by the new administration’s efforts to reduce government spending, regulation and the size of the federal workforce, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Undoing An American Ideal Of Fairness

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    President Donald Trump’s orders attacking birthright citizenship, civil rights education, and diversity, equity and inclusion programs threaten hard-won constitutional civil rights protections and decades of efforts to undo bias in the law — undermining what Chief Justice Earl Warren called "our American ideal of fairness," says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Employer Tips For Wise Use Of Workers' Biometrics And Tech

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Employers that collect employee biometric data and operate bring-your-own-device policies, which respectively offer better corporate security and more flexibility for workers, should prioritize certain best practices to protect the privacy and rights of employees and safeguard sensitive internal information, says Douglas Yang at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Unprecedented Firings And The EEOC's Shifting Agenda

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    While President Donald Trump's unprecedented firing of Democratic Equal Employment Opportunity Commission members put an end to the party's voting majority, the move raises legal issues, as well as considerations related to the EEOC's lack of a quorum and shifting regulatory priorities, says Ally Coll at the Purple Method.

  • What Trump Admin's Anti-DEI Push Means For FCA Claims

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    President Donald Trump's recent rescission of a 60-year-old executive order imposing nondiscrimination requirements on certain federal contractors has far-reaching implications, including potential False Claims Act liability for contractors and grant recipients who fail to comply, though it may be a challenge for the government to successfully establish liability, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

  • It Starts With Training: Anti-Harassment After 'It Ends With Us'

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    Actress Blake Lively's recent sexual harassment and retaliation allegations against her "It Ends With Us" co-star, director and producer, Justin Baldoni, should remind employers of their legal obligations to implement trainings, policies and other measures to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, say attorneys at Morrison Cohen.

  • What Day 1 Bondi Memos Mean For Corporate Compliance

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    After Attorney General Pam Bondi’s flurry of memos last week declaring new enforcement priorities on issues ranging from foreign bribery to diversity initiatives, companies must base their compliance programs on an understanding of their own core values and principles, says Hui Chen at CDE Advisors.

  • 5 Things For Private Employers To Do After Trump's DEI Order

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    Following President Donald Trump's recent executive order pushing the private sector to narrow, and even end, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, employers should ensure DEI efforts align with their organization's mission and goals, are legally compliant, and are effectively communicated to stakeholders, say attorneys at Mintz.