Discrimination

  • May 21, 2025

    Littler, Tech Exec Settle Suit Over Firm's 'Unlawful' Advice

    Littler Mendelson PC has settled a tech executive's lawsuit claiming she was suspended and, eventually, fired after the company followed the "unlawful" advice of Littler attorneys, according to a dismissal order issued Tuesday in New York federal court.

  • May 21, 2025

    False Claims Act Gives Trump 'Sledgehammer' To Battle DEI

    The U.S. Department of Justice's vow to invoke the False Claims Act to police alleged civil rights violations tees up a powerful weapon for the Trump administration to wield against contractors and federal grantees with diversity, equity and inclusion programs it claims are discriminatory, experts say.

  • May 21, 2025

    Law Curbing Arbitration Can't Keep Exec's Bias Suit In Court

    A former executive for an investment management firm must arbitrate a gender and age bias suit alleging she faced sexist comments before getting sacked, a Texas appeals court said Wednesday, ruling that her case isn't covered by a law barring mandatory arbitration of sex harassment claims.

  • May 21, 2025

    Atty's Silence Dooms FMLA Claims Against Va. City

    A Virginia city is off the hook in an attorney's lawsuit claiming he was fired after requesting leave to care for his mother, a federal court ruled Wednesday, finding the attorney's failure to respond to the city's filings requires his claims be dismissed.

  • May 21, 2025

    EEOC Ordered To Rewrite PWFA Rule's Abortion Provision

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission must revise part of its year-old regulations implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a Louisiana federal judge ruled Wednesday, saying the agency usurped congressional power by requiring workplace accommodations for abortion.

  • May 21, 2025

    FCC's Carr Clashes With Dems Over Verizon DEI Deal

    Congressional Democrats grilled the Federal Communications Commission's chief Wednesday about the legal basis for targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Verizon, days after the wireless giant agreed to drop DEI initiatives amid its takeover of Frontier Communications.

  • May 21, 2025

    Marine Co. Strikes Deal To End EEOC Sex Harassment Suit

    A marine electronics supply company will pay nearly $53,000 to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging it allowed a supervisor to sexually harass an employee and fired her after she refused his advances, according to a Louisiana federal court filing.

  • May 21, 2025

    Appliance Co. Says Sanctions Bid Unjust After EEOC Missteps

    An appliance retailer has told a Colorado federal judge that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission shouldn't be granted sanctions over unredacted medical records that were publicly filed, arguing that the agency has repeatedly made the same mistake in the disability bias lawsuit.

  • May 21, 2025

    Food Distribution Co. Must Face Tobacco Surcharge Suit

    Food distributor Performance Food Group must face a proposed class action claiming it unlawfully overcharged tobacco users hundreds of dollars for health benefits, with a Virginia federal judge ruling workers sufficiently alleged the company breached its responsibilities under federal benefits law.

  • May 21, 2025

    CSX Engineers Drop Class Claims In Medical Leave Suit

    CSX Transportation Inc. does not have to face class and collective claims alleging its attendance and pay policies unlawfully penalize engineers, conductors and switchmen who take medical leave, as two workers told an Ohio federal court Wednesday they are abandoning their class allegations.

  • May 21, 2025

    Democracy Forward Adds Another Ex-DOJ Hand

    Legal advocacy group Democracy Forward has added a former deputy associate U.S. attorney general and co-chair of the Supreme Court and appellate practice at WilmerHale to its ranks of former U.S. Department of Justice litigators.

  • May 21, 2025

    5th Circ. Won't Revive Cop's Bias Suit Over Denied Promotion

    The Fifth Circuit declined to reinstate a Black cop's suit claiming she lost a promotion out of bias and was transferred to a new role after complaining about it, ruling a Mississippi city showed it tapped a white cop for the role because he had more experience.

  • May 21, 2025

    Conn. Public Defender Watchdog Wants Chief's Firing Upheld

    Connecticut's Public Defender Services Commission said in a state court brief that it was "significant misconduct," not racial bias, that caused it to fire the chief public defender, arguing the June 2024 firing came after a litany of complaints and a lengthy pattern of wrongdoing.

  • May 21, 2025

    NYC Hotel, EEOC Ink Deal In ADA Suit Over Knee Condition

    A hotel and members club in New York City will pay $100,000 to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging it refused to provide a reasonable accommodation to a worker with a disability and then fired her, according to a federal court filing.

  • May 20, 2025

    Ex-Emory Prof Says Palestine Support Led To 'Brazen' Ouster

    A former professor at Emory University's medical school has sued the university, alleging that she was ousted in 2023 for her social media posts in support of Palestinians, claiming she was the victim of a smear campaign coordinated between the university and outside groups akin to "modern-day McCarthyism."

  • May 20, 2025

    Wash. Judge Doubts T-Mobile Worker's Birthday Bias Stance

    A Washington federal judge expressed skepticism on Tuesday with a former T-Mobile employee's contention that her manager's failure to wish her a happy birthday bolstered her case against the company, questioning any nexus to discrimination.

  • May 20, 2025

    Unions Walk Tightrope When Members Split On Mideast War

    A recent National Labor Relations Board charge accusing a legal aid union of discriminating against Jewish members by opposing an employer's rule that restricts speech about the Israel-Hamas war tests the bounds of unions' obligations to represent all workers when they're split on a divisive identity issue.

  • May 20, 2025

    Injunction On Trump Order Limited To Perkins, Judge Clarifies

    A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday clarified the scope of her injunction blocking President Donald Trump's executive order targeting Perkins Coie LLP, explaining that her ruling prohibits the president from directing government agencies to investigate only Perkins Coie's employment practices and not the other BigLaw firms.

  • May 20, 2025

    Lawmakers Refloat Bipartisan Bill To Support Age Bias Suits

    A bipartisan group of lawmakers announced Tuesday they will be reintroducing a bill that aims to lower the legal hurdles workers must clear to show they have been discriminated against because of their age.

  • May 20, 2025

    Texas A&M Says Prof's Pregnancy Leave Wasn't Under FMLA

    Texas A&M University told a state appellate court that it should be freed from a lawsuit brought by a professor who was denied tenure because she technically never took family medical leave as she claimed.

  • May 20, 2025

    3rd Circ. Revives Ex-Prison Officer's Rumor Harassment Suit

    The Third Circuit reversed Tuesday the dismissal of an ex-correctional officer's suit claiming she was tricked into resigning after complaining that her colleagues spread rumors that she slept with superiors, ruling a lower court was wrong to downplay the alleged harassment as mere gossip.

  • May 20, 2025

    5th Circ. Service Dog Ruling Highlights Circuit Split On ADA

    A recent Fifth Circuit decision finding that failing to accommodate a disabled worker can violate the Americans with Disabilities Act — even if that failure doesn't translate to harm like job loss — underscores disagreement among federal appeals courts that the U.S. Supreme Court needs to resolve, experts say.

  • May 20, 2025

    Red Cross Seeks Clarity On Deposition Order In Vax Bias Case

    The American Red Cross asked a Michigan federal judge on Monday to clarify that an April ruling allows the organization to depose the husband of a Christian nurse alleging she was fired for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine, saying the worker's attorneys refused to make him available.

  • May 20, 2025

    Rehab Co. Will Pay To End EEOC Bias Probe Over Vaccine

    An Oregon-based rehabilitation and therapy provider will pay damages to a former employee who told the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission she was fired because of her religious opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine, the federal agency announced Tuesday.

  • May 20, 2025

    Colorado Bans Deadnaming Transgender Workers

    It is now illegal in Colorado to intentionally deadname or misgender a transgender person at work or school, according to a new law signed by the state's governor that expands anti-discrimination protections for transgender residents.

Expert Analysis

  • 2 Areas Of Labor Law That May Change Under Trump

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    Based on President Donald Trump's recent moves, employers should expect to see significant changes in the direction of law coming out of the National Labor Relations Board, particularly in two areas where the Trump administration will seek to roll back the Biden NLRB's changes, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Justices' Revival Ruling In Bias Suit Exceeds Procedural Issue

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Waetzig v. Halliburton allowed the plaintiff in an age discrimination lawsuit to move to reopen his case after arbitration, but the seemingly straightforward decision on a procedural issue raises complex questions for employment law practitioners, says Christopher Sakauye at Dykema.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'Late Night' Shows DEI Is More Than Optics

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    Amid the shifting legal landscape for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Troutman's Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter chat with their firm's DEI committee chair, Nicole Edmonds, about how the 2019 film "Late Night" reflects the challenges and rewards of fostering meaningful inclusion.

  • 9 Considerations For Orgs Using AI Meeting Assistants

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    When deciding to use artificial intelligence meeting assistants, organizations must create and implement a written corporate policy that establishes the do's and don'ts for these assistants, taking into account individualized business operations, industry standards and legal and regulatory requirements, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit

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    The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Determining What 'I Don't Feel Safe' Means In The Workplace

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    When an employee tells an employer "I don't feel safe," the phrase can have different meanings, so employment lawyers must adequately investigate to identify which meaning applies — and a cursory review and dismissal of the situation may not be a sufficient defense in case of future legal proceedings, says Karen Elliott at FordHarrison.

  • How EEOC Enforcement Priorities May Change Under Trump

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has already been rocked by the Trump administration's dramatic changes in personnel and policy, which calls into question how the agency may shift its direction from the priorities set forth in its five-year strategic enforcement plan in 2023, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Back To Basics After Admin Change

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    Having an up-to-date employee handbook is more critical now than ever, given the recent change in administration, and employers should understand their benefits and risks, including how they can limit employers’ liability and help retain employers’ rights, say Kasey Cappellano and Meaghan Gandy at Kutak Rock.

  • 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.