Discrimination

  • August 19, 2024

    Ex-NJ County Exec Loses Bid To DQ Firm In Retaliation Suit

    A former Cumberland County, New Jersey, health official claiming his firing was political retaliation cannot disqualify the county's counsel in his lawsuit, Testa Heck Testa & White PA, over interactions he had with two firm attorneys around the time of his firing, a state court judge ruled Friday.

  • August 19, 2024

    Security Co. Can't Toss Worker's Sex Harassment Suit

    A Maryland federal judge has declined to throw out the bulk of a woman's suit against a Baltimore utility and a security firm alleging that she was fired for ending a sexual relationship with her supervisor, only tossing her wrongful termination claim.

  • August 16, 2024

    NJ Agency Nixes City's 3rd Police Firing For Cannabis Use

    Another New Jersey police officer who was fired for off-duty marijuana use must be reinstated, a state commission has ordered, finding it doesn't matter that the officer failed to disclose reliance on cannabis for medical purposes before a screening or that the usage at issue was technically recreational.

  • August 16, 2024

    HP Moves Washington Pay Transparency Suit To US Court

    HP has joined the list of major companies to be hit with proposed class claims for allegedly failing to include pay ranges in job postings, in violation of Washington state wage disclosure laws, according to a lawsuit moved to Seattle federal court on Thursday.

  • August 16, 2024

    Ex-Twitter Workers Seek Conditional Cert. In Age Bias Suit

    Counsel for a former Twitter employee urged a California federal judge at a hearing Friday to conditionally certify a proposed age discrimination collective action on behalf of workers 50 and older who were fired after Elon Musk acquired the company, pointing to Musk's remarks as evidence of bias.

  • August 16, 2024

    Feds Get Boost From Dem Reps In 5th Circ. PWFA Fight

    The federal government's Fifth Circuit challenge to a court order blocking it from enforcing a law to protect pregnant workers in Texas got support on Friday from four Democratic lawmakers who argued the lower court ruling, if upheld, would undercut Congress' authority to set its own rules of operation.

  • August 16, 2024

    Agency Didn't Dupe Court In Worker's Suit, Mich. Panel Says

    A Michigan state appeals court refused to upend a Detroit housing agency's defeat of a former property manager's allegation that it fired him without using a progressive discipline system established by his collective bargaining agreement, saying the worker failed to show that his former employer purposely misled the court.

  • August 16, 2024

    Texas, Think Tank Say EEOC Misinterpreted Bostock

    Texas and a conservative D.C. think tank urged a federal court to scrap the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recently updated guidance on workplace harassment, arguing that the federal bias watchdog misinterpreted the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Bostock decision when crafting the guidelines.

  • August 16, 2024

    Off The Bench: WNBA Suit, Olympic Fallout, Swimming Ban

    In this week's Off The Bench, a WNBA star accuses her former team of discrimination for trading her once she became pregnant, questions swirl around the revocation of a U.S. gymnast's Olympic medal, and a BigLaw investigation prompts the University of Notre Dame to suspend its men's swimming program.

  • August 16, 2024

    EEOC Agrees To Pay Atty Fees For Doc Delays In COVID Suit

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission agreed to pay a Colorado appliance company $1,800 in attorney fees for the agency's delays in turning over a worker's communications with her doctor in a disability bias suit. 

  • August 16, 2024

    UAW Defends Handling Of Grievance In Race Bias Lawsuit

    The United Auto Workers asked an Ohio federal judge to toss a Black member's claim that the union insufficiently fought his discharge from Howmet Aerospace Inc. because of his race, saying the worker failed to show the union unfairly handled the firing grievance.

  • August 16, 2024

    Calif. Forecast: Liberty Mutual $3M Deal Up For Approval

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for potential final approval of a $3.125 million settlement in a wage and hour class action against Liberty Mutual. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • August 16, 2024

    Jackson Lewis Brings On Litigators In Pittsburgh, Kansas City

    Employment firm Jackson Lewis PC has expanded its roster this week with the additions of two attorneys with combined experience of more than 30 years to its offices in the Western Pennsylvania and Kansas City areas.

  • August 16, 2024

    How The Plaintiffs Bar Is Getting Creative To Combat AI Bias

    The opacity of workplace artificial intelligence tools poses a daunting challenge for plaintiff-side employment lawyers who think that technology causes discriminatory results. Here are four strategies that workers' attorneys can use to get traction.

  • August 16, 2024

    1st Circ. Smooths Path For Title VII Retaliation Claims

    The First Circuit affirmed a lower court's grant of summary judgment for Bentley University in an employment discrimination lawsuit brought by a former program coordinator, but also took the opportunity to lower the bar for retaliation claims.

  • August 16, 2024

    Hog Farm Can't Dodge EEOC Transgender Harassment Suit

    A hog farm can't escape a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging it allowed a transgender worker to be harassed out of a job, the Illinois federal judge scolding the business Friday for attempting to delay the case by falsely asserting the complaint lacked detail.

  • August 16, 2024

    NY Forecast: 1st Hearing In Hotel Bid To End Union Deals

    A New York City hotel and hospitality workers' union are scheduled to appear before a New York federal judge for the first time as part of the hotel's lawsuit seeking to end ongoing agreements the union struck with a previous owner.

  • August 16, 2024

    New Jersey Litigation Highlights Of 2024: A Midyear Report

    A court's upheaval of New Jersey's longstanding "county line" ballot layout for the Democratic primary fueled both sides of the lively political aisle this year, while the same federal judge also riled the state's pharmaceutical hotbed by ending two challenges to Medicare's ability to negotiate drug prices. Here, Law360 looks at some of the notable cases so far in New Jersey.

  • August 15, 2024

    CBS, Writer To Resolve Bias Suit Via Summary Judgment

    A California federal judge refused to toss a freelance scriptwriter's lawsuit accusing CBS of repeatedly denying him a staff writer position for being a "white, heterosexual male," but said the suit could be resolved without a hearing.

  • August 15, 2024

    9th Circ. Judges Seem To Split On Wash. Abortion Coverage

    A Ninth Circuit judge asked Thursday how a church could be harmed by a Washington law requiring employee health plans to cover abortions, since none of its workers had ever actually sought one, while another judge asked if tossing the case would slam the door on religious objections.

  • August 15, 2024

    3 Hurdles Facing Worker-Side Attys Looking To Tackle AI Bias

    The growing use of artificial intelligence in hiring and other workplace decisions has the plaintiffs bar playing catch-up as attorneys try to track down workers who have been harmed by AI tools and figure out how and when the technology is being used. Here are the three biggest obstacles for plaintiffs lawyers who want to ensure AI doesn't discriminate.

  • August 15, 2024

    Caterpillar Must Face Illinois Ex-Workers' Genetic Privacy Suit

    Caterpillar Inc. can't escape a proposed class action alleging it violated an Illinois genetic information privacy statute by asking job applicants about their family medical history, a federal judge ruled, rejecting the machinery manufacturer's assertion that it didn't intend to collect the data.

  • August 15, 2024

    Full 11th Circ. To Weigh Georgia Deputy's Trans Health Win

    The Eleventh Circuit agreed Thursday to a full-court rehearing of an appeal from Georgia county officials looking to overturn a deputy's win in her suit alleging a health plan coverage exclusion for gender-affirming surgery violated federal anti-discrimination law.

  • August 15, 2024

    Ex-Morelli Atty Says Sex Assault Claims Waived In Settlement

    Morelli Law Firm PLLC and its founding partner Benedict Morelli settled sexual assault allegations from an associate at its predecessor firm, Morelli Ratner PC, before she filed suit against fellow named partner David Ratner, according to a motion Ratner filed in New York state court Tuesday seeking a copy of the settlement.

  • August 15, 2024

    Pet Supply Co. To Pay $340K In EEOC Sex Harassment Suit

    A pet supply company has agreed to hand over $340,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sexual harassment suit alleging it allowed two male workers to subject female colleagues to crude comments and inappropriate touching.

Expert Analysis

  • Anticipating The Impact Of 2 Impending New Title IX Rules

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    Two major amendments to Title IX — which the U.S. Department of Education is expected to finalize next month — would substantially alter the process schools must use for sexual discrimination complaints and limiting student participation in athletics based on gender identity, says Rebecca Sha at Phelps Dunbar.

  • Despite Regulation Lag, AI Whistleblowers Have Protections

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    Potential whistleblowers at companies failing to comply with the voluntary artificial intelligence commitments must look to a patchwork of state and federal laws for protection and incentives, but deserve comprehensive regulation in this field, say Alexis Ronickher and Matthew LaGarde at Katz Banks.

  • FCRA Legislation To Watch For The Remainder Of 2023

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    If enacted, pending federal and state legislation may result in significant changes for the Fair Credit Reporting Act landscape and thus require regulated entities and practitioners to pivot their compliance strategies, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • A Closer Look At Another HBCU Race Bias Suit Against NCAA

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    The National Collegiate Athletic Association's Academic Performance Program has become a lightning rod for scrutiny, as seen in the recently filed class action McKinney v. NCAA — where statistics in the complaint raise questions about the program's potential discriminatory impact on student-athletes at historically Black colleges and universities, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Employer Defenses After High Court Religious Bias Decision

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Groff v. DeJoy — which raised the bar for proving that a worker’s religious accommodation presents an undue hardship — employers can enlist other defense strategies, including grounds that an employee's belief is nonsectarian, say Kevin Jackson and Jack FitzGerald at Foley & Lardner.

  • Where Employers Stand After 5th Circ. Overturns Title VII Test

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    The substantial impact of the recent holding in Hamilton v. Dallas County means employers in the Fifth Circuit can now be liable under Title VII for a whole range of conduct not previously covered — but the court did set limits, and employers can take tangible steps to help protect themselves, say Holly Williamson and Steven DiBeneditto at Hunton.

  • Gauging The Scope Of NYC's New AI Employment Law

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    Although employers have received some guidance on the requirements of New York City's new restriction on the use of automated employment decision tools, there are many open questions to grapple with as Local Law 144 attempts to regulate new and evolving technology, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Eye On Compliance: Women's Soccer Puts Equal Pay In Focus

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    As the U.S. Women's National Team returns from World Cup, employers can honor the fighting spirit of the athletes — which won them a historic gender pay equality settlement in 2022 — by reviewing federal equal pay compliance requirements and committing to a level playing field for all genders, says Christina Heischmidt at Wilson Elser.

  • Inflexible Remote Work Policies Can Put Employers In A Bind

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    As made clear in the recent decision by a Pennsylvania federal court in Oross v. Kutztown University, employers need to engage in individualized assessments of all requests for exemptions or accommodations to return-to-work policies to avoid potentially violating the Americans with Disabilities Act or Rehabilitation Act, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper. 

  • Congress Should Ban Employee Body Size Discrimination

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    New York City's recent enactment of a law that bans employers from discriminating against applicants and employees because of their height or weight should signal to Congress that now is the time to establish federal legislation that would prohibit such harmful practices, says Joseph Jeziorkowski at Valiant Law.

  • Why Employers Should Heed High Court Web Designer Ruling

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    While not an employment law ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in the First Amendment case 303 Creative v. Elenis raises serious questions for employers that constitute public accommodations and have related anti-discrimination policies, says Tanner Camp at Foley & Lardner.

  • What To Expect From The EEOC's Proposed Pregnancy Law

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    U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act require accommodations for many conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth, and while the final rule won't be published until the public comment period expires in October, employers should act promptly, says Amy Gluck at FisherBroyles.

  • Employer Best Practices For Pay Transparency Compliance

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    With conflicting pay transparency and disclosure laws appearing across the country, employers must carefully develop different strategies for discussing compensation with employees, applicants, and off-site workers, disclosing salaries in job ads, and staying abreast of new state and local compliance requirements, says Joy Rosenquist at Littler Mendelson.