Discrimination

  • 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.

  • May 20, 2025

    Detroit Tigers, Former VP Spar Over Age, Race Bias Claims

    The Detroit Tigers said a former vice president was let go as part of a COVID-19 pandemic workforce reduction while the ex-executive said the pandemic was a smokescreen for firing an older Black woman, as each argued the other side should not get an early win in the lawsuit. 

  • May 20, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Ex-Army Corps Boat Operator's Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit revived a lawsuit claiming the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers refused to rehire a boat operator because he was in his 50s and has diabetes, saying a trial court held the civilian worker's allegations to an incorrectly high standard.

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.