Discrimination

  • December 02, 2025

    Chaplain Says Fla. Prison Officials Fired Him Over Beliefs

    A former prison chaplain who was terminated by the Florida Department of Corrections for refusing to train a female minister brought a federal suit alleging religious discrimination, saying he was fired for upholding his Christian belief that a woman should not be allowed to preach to male inmates. 

  • December 02, 2025

    Concrete Co. Rejected Workers Over Opioid Use, EEOC Says

    A concrete contractor refused to hire job applicants who took medications to treat opioid addiction and other substance use disorders, in violation of federal disability law, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged in a Tuesday lawsuit filed in West Virginia federal court.

  • December 02, 2025

    Cafe Chain Inks $650K Deal To End EEOC Harassment Case

    A cafe chain will pay $650,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming a manager created a toxic work environment by inappropriately touching and commenting on female employees' bodies, the federal bias watchdog announced Tuesday.

  • December 02, 2025

    CSX Must Face Ex-Employee's FMLA Retaliation Suit

    CSX Transportation Inc. can't escape a former employee's lawsuit alleging he was unlawfully fired for taking medical leave, with a Florida federal judge ruling that the dismissal of class claims in a similar case didn't start the clock ticking on the ex-worker's deadline to file suit.

  • December 02, 2025

    4th Circ. Rejects Indian Prof's Tenure Denial Bias Suit

    The Fourth Circuit declined Tuesday to reinstate an Indian professor's suit claiming his colleagues at North Carolina State University sabotaged his initial bid for tenure out of race discrimination, ruling that concerns about his teaching appeared to inform the tenure denial.

  • December 02, 2025

    4th Circ. Rejects Rehearing In Ex-Defender's Harassment Case

    Former assistant public defender Caryn Devins Strickland lost her bid to have the full Fourth Circuit rehear her sexual harassment suit against the federal judiciary, as judges ruled they didn't overlook her pro bono legal team's withdrawal on the eve of her bench trial.

  • December 02, 2025

    DeCotiis Beats DQ Bid In NJ Turnpike Discrimination Suit

    A New Jersey state appellate panel on Tuesday rejected a bid to disqualify DeCotiis Fitzpatrick Cole & Giblin LLP from representing the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and two employees in a discrimination case filed by a medical facility and doctors who performed work for authority members.

  • December 02, 2025

    Hospital Says EEOC Neglected Presuit Conciliation Obligation

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission failed to satisfy its conciliation obligations before filing an age discrimination lawsuit against a Colorado hospital, the facility told a federal court, arguing that the case should be paused for the parties to try to work out a deal.

  • December 02, 2025

    X, Former Workers Lay Down Swords In Arbitration Fee Fight

    X Corp. and employees laid off after Twitter's 2022 acquisition by Elon Musk told an Illinois federal judge they have ended their battle over claims that the social media company unlawfully refused to pick up the tab for arbitration fees.

  • December 01, 2025

    Ex-Immigration Judge Accuses DOJ Of Political Retaliation

    A former Ohio immigration judge sued the U.S. Department of Justice in D.C. federal court Monday, alleging she was discriminated against and unconstitutionally fired for her liberal political beliefs while slamming the Trump administration's recent "unprecedented assault" against longstanding civil service laws that protect millions of federal employees.

  • December 01, 2025

    Union Pacific Still Can't Upend Worker's $27M Verdict

    An Oregon federal judge on Monday refused Union Pacific Co.'s bid to wipe out a $27 million verdict in a suit from an ex-worker alleging he was discriminated against for an injury, saying there was enough evidence to support both the liability finding and the $25 million in punitive damages.

  • December 01, 2025

    Ex-Colo. Dean Claims Firing Tied To Book Ban Criticism

    A former dean of a Colorado middle school has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the school district, alleging it fired her for criticizing a book ban that a court has since deemed unconstitutional and which she says suppressed voices by Black and LGBTQIA+ authors.

  • December 01, 2025

    Chancery Says Harassment Doesn't Breach Fiduciary Duty

    Delaware's Chancery Court tossed a suit from the founder of a credit repair company who claimed an ex-director breached his fiduciary duties by engaging in sexual harassment that led to $1.8 million in judgments, ruling that workplace sexual misconduct can't trigger corporate liability.

  • December 01, 2025

    Northwestern To Pay $75M To End Feds' Civil Rights Probes

    Northwestern University will pay $75 million to the Trump administration in order to restore about $790 million in federal research funding and close the government's probes into whether the school violated civil rights laws prohibiting race, national origin and sex discrimination.

  • December 01, 2025

    4 Mass. Rulings You May Have Missed In November

    A judge dismissed a flurry of proposed class actions alleging retailers flouted a Massachusetts law requiring that job applications include a notice of the state's ban on lie detectors, while a personal injury law firm couldn't escape a former associate's suit over its unilateral decision to eliminate commissions for cases he brought to the firm, among notable state court decisions in November.

  • December 01, 2025

    Engineer Says BLM Confrontation Got Him 'Blacklisted'

    A construction worker has hit his former employer with a racial discrimination lawsuit alleging the Texas-based company refused to rehire him following COVID-related layoffs after he called out a coworker for comparing the Black Lives Matter movement to the Ku Klux Klan.

  • December 01, 2025

    Dartmouth Hospital Denied Redo On $1M Disability Bias Loss

    A Vermont federal judge rejected Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center's bid for a new trial after a jury awarded a doctor over $1 million based on a finding that the hospital broke state antidiscrimination law when it fired her after she took disability leave.

  • December 01, 2025

    Pa. Law Will Ban Workplace Hairstyle Bias

    A Pennsylvania bill that said employers cannot discriminate against certain hairstyles historically associated with a worker or job applicant's race, such as locs, braids and Afros, as well as religious head coverings, was signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro.

  • November 26, 2025

    Catholic School Wants To Block Mich. Civil Rights Law

    A Catholic school has asked a Michigan federal judge to rule that the state's anti-discrimination law is unconstitutional because it prevents the school from hiring teachers and instructing students in accordance with the church's views on gender and sexuality. 

  • November 26, 2025

    Air Force Ignored Supervisor's Sexist Comments, Suit Says

    The U.S. Air Force failed to intervene when a prevention analyst complained that her supervisor made derogatory comments about women and minimized LGBTQ-focused efforts while promoting "alpha male education," the former civilian employee said in a Wednesday complaint in Washington federal court.

  • November 26, 2025

    2nd Circ. Revives Bid For SSA Disability Benefits Over Anxiety

    An administrative law judge must reconsider the Social Security Administration's denial of a former security guard's disability benefits, a split Second Circuit panel found, concluding that the judge needs to back up her determination that the worker's anxiety wouldn't impede his ability to keep a job.

  • November 26, 2025

    Nurse For App-Based Health Co. Can't Revive Retaliation Suit

    A Washington appeals court refused to revive a nurse's suit claiming she was fired from an app-based medical provider for complaining that it underpaid and overworked independent contractors, ruling she failed to show her termination was because of her concerns rather than reports that she was unprofessional.

  • November 26, 2025

    5 Argument Sessions Bias Attys Should Watch In Dec.

    The Sixth and Ninth circuits will consider the scope of a 2022 law barring mandatory arbitration for sexual harassment and assault claims, and the Fourth Circuit will review whether HIV-positive prospective service members can be blocked from joining the military. ​​​​​​​Here are five oral arguments that discrimination attorneys should keep tabs on in the coming month. 

  • November 26, 2025

    6 December Argument Sessions Benefits Attys Should Watch

    Workers who say Prudential mismanaged their retirement savings will ask the Third Circuit to reinstate their class action, while a union pension fund will ask the Eighth Circuit to put General Electric back on the hook for a $230 million in pension withdrawal liability. Here's a look at six upcoming oral argument sessions benefits attorneys should have on their radar.

  • November 25, 2025

    6th Circ. Backs Theater In Ex-Manager's Sex Harassment Suit

    A former movie theater manager can't reopen her lawsuit claiming her boss' repeated requests for a date and inappropriate comments created an unlawfully toxic workplace, with the Sixth Circuit ruling Tuesday that she hadn't shown his sporadic invites created an abusive environment.

Expert Analysis

  • Justices Mull Sex-Based Classification In Trans Law Case

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in U.S. v. Skrmetti this week, it appears that the fate of the Tennessee law at the center of the case — a law banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender adolescents — will hinge on whether the majority read the statute as imposing a sex-based classification, says Alexandra Crandall at Dickinson Wright.

  • Pa. Ruling Highlights Challenges Of Employer Arb. Appeals

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    A Pennsylvania federal court's recent ruling in Welch Foods v. General Teamsters Local Union No. 397 demonstrates the inherent difficulties employers face when seeking relief from labor arbitration decisions through appeals in court — and underscores how employers are faced with often conflicting legal priorities, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 7 Ways To Prepare For An I-9 Audit Or Immigration Raid

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    Because immigration enforcement is likely to surge under the upcoming Trump administration, employers should take steps to ensure their staff is trained in employment eligibility verification requirements and what to do in the event of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement I-9 audit or workplace raid, say attorneys at Littler.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • Disentangling Various Forms Of Workplace Discrimination

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    Pay inequity can be missed where it exists and misidentified due to incorrect statistics, leaving individuals to face multiple facets of discrimination connected by a common root cause, meaning correct identification and measurement is crucial, says Daniel Levy at Advanced Analytical.

  • Key Requirements In New Maryland Pay Transparency Laws

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    Although several jurisdictions now require pay transparency in job advertisements, Maryland's new law is among the broadest in the country, both in terms of what is required and the scope of its applicability, says Sarah Belger at Quarles & Brady.

  • Lessons From EEOC Case Of Fla. Worker Fired After Stillbirth

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    A recent federal court settlement between a Florida resort and a fired line cook shows that the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission sees stillbirth as protected under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, also providing four other important lessons, says Gordon Berger at Pierson Ferdinand.

  • Advising Employers As AI Meets DEI And Discrimination

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    Though companies can use artificial intelligence tools to develop more diverse and inclusive workforces, counsel should also prepare employers for how AI can stymie these efforts, provoke discrimination claims and complicate resulting litigation, says Emily Schifter at Troutman Pepper.

  • A Look At The Hefty Demands In Calif. Employer AI Draft Regs

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    California's draft regulations on artificial intelligence use in employment decisions show that the California Privacy Protection Agency is positioning itself as a de facto AI regulator for the state, which isn't waiting around for federal legislation, says Lily Li at Metaverse Law.

  • Federal Salary History Ban's Reach Is Limited

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    Though a newly effective Office of Personnel Management rule takes important steps by banning federal employers from considering job applicants' nonfederal salary histories, the rule's narrow applicability and overconfidence in the existing system's fairness will likely not end persistent pay inequities, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • 2nd Circ. Hostile Workplace Ruling Widens Arbitration Pitfalls

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    The Second Circuit’s recent decision, affirming the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act applies to a worker whose workplace hostility claims arose before the law’s 2022 enactment, widens the scope of the law — and the risks of unenforceable arbitration agreements for employers, say attorneys at Hinshaw.

  • Title VII Compliance Lessons From Raytheon Age Bias Suit

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    A Texas federal court’s recent refusal to dismiss age discrimination claims from a former Raytheon employee, terminated after he admitted to acts that Raytheon says violated its harassment policy, nonetheless illustrates strategies employers can use to protect themselves when facing competing Title VII workplace obligations, say attorneys at Segal McCambridge.

  • How The Presidential Election Will Affect Workplace AI Regs

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    The U.S. has so far adopted a light-handed approach to regulating artificial intelligence in the labor and employment area, but the presidential election is unlikely to have as dramatic of an effect on AI regulations as it may on other labor and employment matters, say attorneys at Littler.