Discrimination

  • November 07, 2025

    Denying Pay For Military Leave Now Riskier Bet, Attys Say

    The ongoing battle over the paid short-term military leave rights of National Guard and Reserve members in civilian employment is at a critical juncture, and employers should be aware that this type of litigation is here to stay, attorneys say.

  • November 07, 2025

    La. City Escapes Fired Cop's Sex, Disability Bias Suit

    A Louisiana federal judge tossed a suit from an ex-cop who claimed she was demoted for taking a vacation while on sick leave even though male officers weren't faulted for similar behavior, saying she hadn't offered strong enough evidence that men got better treatment.

  • November 07, 2025

    Boston, Mayor Ask Judge To Toss Fired Staffer's Lawsuit

    The city of Boston, its mayor and a police officer say a former City Hall staffer's claim that she was fired to shield a high-ranking official and spare the mayor from political embarrassment is based on nothing more than "labels and conclusions," according to new filings seeking dismissal of a lawsuit over the termination.

  • November 07, 2025

    11th Circ. Partially Revives FedEx Freight Worker's FMLA Suit

    An Alabama federal court correctly handed FedEx a win on a former freight handler's retaliation and discrimination suit alleging he was punished for leaving work to take care of his pregnant wife, the Eleventh Circuit ruled Friday while nevertheless reviving his interference claim.

  • November 07, 2025

    Eli Lilly Rep Says Off-Label Sales Protest Got Her Fired

    A former Eli Lilly and Co. sales manager said she was fired for objecting to how she and other sales personnel were required to present the diabetes drug Mounjaro to physicians as a weight loss drug when it was not approved for such use, according to a complaint filed in New Jersey federal court Friday.

  • November 07, 2025

    Penn State Hit With Defamation Suit By Ousted Trustee

    A former member of the Pennsylvania State University Board of Trustees said board executives defamed him and retaliated against him for his efforts to review matters they claimed were outside his purview as a board member, according to a lawsuit recently removed to federal court.

  • November 07, 2025

    Apartment Management Co. Must Face Age Bias Suit

    A property management company must face a former regional director's lawsuit claiming she was fired and replaced with younger employees because she was in her 60s, with a Tennessee federal judge saying a jury should weigh allegations that a supervisor repeatedly urged her to retire.

  • November 07, 2025

    Scant Details Doom VA Worker's Race Bias Suit, 8th Circ. Says

    The Eighth Circuit backed the dismissal of a suit from a Black worker who claimed her boss at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs bullied and harassed her, saying she hadn't linked the alleged mistreatment she complained about to her race.

  • November 06, 2025

    11th Circ. Backs Trash Co.'s Defeat Of Age Bias, Reprisal Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday upheld a Georgia garbage collection company's win in a bias and retaliation suit from a former employee who said she was forced out for her role in a criminal sexual assault probe of a coworker, with the court saying that getting subpoenaed didn't qualify as protected activity.

  • November 06, 2025

    Real Estate Companies Escape Ex-Worker's Bias Claims

    Compass Inc. and a real estate advisory firm don't have to face an agent's lawsuit claiming she was fired for complaining about supervisors' allegedly misogynistic, derogatory and sexually explicit comments, as a New York federal judge ruled Thursday she'd failed to claim her employers knew about her complaints.

  • November 06, 2025

    AI Health Tech Co. Settles Fired Worker's Sex Bias Suit

    A company that provides artificial intelligence technology to healthcare companies has agreed to settle a former employee's lawsuit alleging she was fired after speaking up about pay disparities and advocating for women to receive the same recognition as their male counterparts.

  • November 06, 2025

    Ex-Deputy Sheriff Fights To Keep Political Firing Suit Alive

    A former Metro Atlanta deputy sheriff alleging he was forced to resign due to his age and support for the sheriff's 2024 election opponent pushed back Wednesday against a bid to dismiss his lawsuit, arguing his claims against the sheriff as an individual are not barred by qualified immunity.

  • November 06, 2025

    Atty Errors Shouldn't Doom Vax Bias Suit, 5th Circ. Says

    The Fifth Circuit revived a worker's religious-bias suit claiming she was illegally fired for opposing a medical tech company's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, ruling the lower court acted too harshly when it handed a win to her former employer after her attorney made formatting errors.

  • November 06, 2025

    Black Exec Who Confronted McDonald's CEO Loses Bias Suit

    McDonald's defeated a Black former security executive's suit alleging he was fired for confronting the company's CEO about racial disparities, with an Illinois federal judge ruling his remarks about social inequities weren't protected by federal law.

  • November 06, 2025

    Mass. Pay Transparency Law May Boost Other Worker Claims

    Massachusetts' newly implemented pay transparency law seems primed to be used as a tool to bolster laws already in place — including in discrimination and equal pay cases — even if the new statute itself is unlikely to spawn significant legal action, experts told Law360.

  • November 06, 2025

    8th Circ. Won't Rehear EEOC Harassment Case Against BNSF

    The Eighth Circuit said it won't rethink its decision to restore classwide claims in a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit claiming BNSF Railway Co. failed to protect female workers from verbal abuse and unwanted sexual advances.

  • November 06, 2025

    8th Circ. OKs Home Depot Barring Worker's Display Of 'BLM'

    An Eighth Circuit panel vacated a National Labor Relations Board ruling that Home Depot illegally forced out a worker who insisted on showing Black Lives Matter support at work, holding Thursday that social unrest at the time of their February 2021 display justified the company's caution.

  • November 06, 2025

    Trump Elevates EEOC Chair Lucas From Acting Status

    President Donald Trump has named Andrea Lucas the chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after she served for nine months in an acting capacity, the agency announced Thursday, further solidifying Republican leadership at the workplace bias watchdog. 

  • November 05, 2025

    Ex-Bassist Makes Key Changes In Suit Against Metal Band

    The founding bassist of the Grammy-nominated metal band Hatebreed has asked a Connecticut judge not to trim claims from a lawsuit over his sudden termination, saying a new version of the complaint will cure any legal defects identified by the group's vocalist and its business arm.

  • November 05, 2025

    T-Mobile Must Face Gay Ex-Manager's Harassment Claims

    A California federal judge ruled Wednesday that T-Mobile can't fully escape a gay ex-manager's suit claiming he was harassed by a co-worker who mocked his voice and was eventually fired after complaining about the mistreatment, saying a jury needs to review whether his termination was illegal.

  • November 05, 2025

    10th Circ. Says Muldrow Can't Save Army Gender Bias Suit

    The Tenth Circuit tossed a civilian U.S. Army employee's lawsuit claiming a female supervisor subjected him to a hostile work environment by favoring women and sidelining him because he's a man, ruling on Wednesday that the U.S. Supreme Court's Mulrow decision didn't lower the bar for hostile workplace claims.

  • November 05, 2025

    Appeals Court Won't Kick SpaceX Sex Bias Suit To Arbitration

    A California appeals court backed a trial court's refusal to force arbitration of a former SpaceX employee's suit claiming her boss forced her into a sexual relationship in exchange for career advancement, finding her claims were protected by a law barring mandatory out-of-court resolution for sex misconduct cases.

  • November 05, 2025

    Philip Morris Damages Guardrail Bid Meets Skeptical Justices

    Massachusetts' top court appeared unreceptive Wednesday to arguments made by Philip Morris USA Inc. that a since-reduced $1 billion verdict issued by a state court jury means more guidelines are needed to curtail massive awards.

  • November 05, 2025

    Texas Tech Prof Seeks High Court Review Of Free Speech Suit

    A Texas Tech University professor urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Fifth Circuit's ruling that a former business school dean didn't have to face his retaliation lawsuit over the professor's anti-tenure views, arguing the appeals court applied the wrong qualified immunity standard.

  • November 05, 2025

    Mamdani's Win May Energize Sluggish NYC Anti-Bias Agency

    New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani made a campaign promise to significantly boost funding for the city agency tasked with combating workplace discrimination, a move experts said could revitalize a watchdog plagued by backlogs and staffing shortages.

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.