Discrimination

  • June 05, 2025

    Carmaker Fired Worker For Taking Passover Off, EEOC Says

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accused car manufacturing giant FCA US of refusing to let a Jewish employee take holy days off and then eventually firing him after he didn't show up to work on Passover, according to a suit filed Thursday in Michigan federal court.

  • June 05, 2025

    Walgreens Says No Standing In Suit Over Tobacco Surcharge

    Walgreens is urging an Illinois federal court to throw out a suit from an employee alleging it illegally imposes a tobacco surcharge on employees in its healthcare program, saying the program complies with federal regulations, and the employee has no standing because she declined to participate in the program.

  • June 05, 2025

    Judge Rejects DC Bid To Toss Black Atty's Bias Suit

    A D.C. federal judge allowed a city attorney's discrimination and retaliation lawsuit to proceed to discovery Thursday, rejecting the D.C. government's motion to toss the claims that a city administrative law judge discriminated against Black women and paid the plaintiff attorney less than her male peers.

  • June 05, 2025

    Foley & Lardner Says Palestine Support Didn't Doom Job Offer

    Foley & Lardner LLP urged an Illinois federal judge to dismiss a bias suit by a former summer associate, arguing her job offer was rescinded not due to her Arab Muslim identity but because her public comments on Hamas' 2023 attack on Israel "violated the firm's core values" and showed "incredibly poor judgment."

  • June 05, 2025

    Judicial Watchdog Says Mich. Judge Created 'Climate Of Fear'

    Michigan's judicial watchdog has said in a formal misconduct complaint a state judge "created a climate of fear" among court personnel that disrupted the administration of the court, "bullied" court staff and improperly dismissed criminal cases to "punish" prosecutors.

  • June 05, 2025

    EEOC Says Co. Fired Christian Driver For Wearing Skirt

    A building materials company fired a cement truck driver after a week of employment because she wore a skirt on the job in compliance with her religious beliefs, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a suit filed in Florida federal court.

  • June 05, 2025

    Greenberg Traurig Lands Bracewell Employment Pro In Texas

    Greenberg Traurig LLP has strengthened its labor and employment practice with the addition of a Bracewell LLP attorney in Houston, boosting the firm's ability to serve clients in the growing Texas market and beyond.

  • June 05, 2025

    Ex-Wells Fargo Worker Says 'Herculean' Win Backs Fee Bid

    An ex-Wells Fargo worker awarded $22.1 million in his case claiming he was fired out of disability bias defended his request for $1.5 million in attorney fees, telling a North Carolina federal court his counsel's "superior lawyering" and "herculean effort" justified the proposed award.

  • June 05, 2025

    Justices Fault Wis. For Denying Tax Break To Charities

    Wisconsin discriminated against a group of Catholic charities when it denied them an unemployment tax exemption, the U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday, rejecting the state's argument that the charities were not operated primarily for religious purposes.

  • June 05, 2025

    Justices Nix Higher Hurdle For Heterosexual Bias Claims

    A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday vacated the Sixth Circuit's ruling that plaintiffs claiming anti-heterosexual workplace discrimination need to provide extra "background circumstances" evidence, opining that it improperly imposed special standards on majority-group plaintiffs.

  • June 04, 2025

    Property Manager Fired For Complaint About Meme, Suit Says

    A Texas-based property management company has been sued by a former employee in Georgia who alleged she was fired after reporting a "racially insensitive" meme sent to her by the company's acting vice president.

  • June 04, 2025

    Vanderbilt Prof's Promotion Bias Suit Falls Short At 6th Circ.

    The Sixth Circuit refused Wednesday to revive a Vanderbilt University professor's disability bias suit claiming she was denied a promotion because she took leave to manage her multiple sclerosis, ruling she failed to overcome evidence that her deficient scholarship cost her the job.

  • June 04, 2025

    5th Circ. Revives United Flight Attendant's Age Bias Suit

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday reopened a former flight attendant's lawsuit claiming United Airlines used allegations of misconduct as a pretext to fire her because she was in her 50s, saying a trial court erred in concluding that her case was preempted by federal labor law.

  • June 04, 2025

    Fisher Phillips Snags Labor Atty From Davis Wright In Seattle

    A former Davis Wright Tremaine LLP attorney representing employers in wage-and-hour disputes and traditional labor matters has started as a partner at Fisher Phillips LLP in Seattle, the firm announced, and will remain focused on tackling labor and employment claims for his clients.

  • June 04, 2025

    Ga. Manufacturer Fired HR Exec For Reporting Bias, Suit Says

    An oxygen supply manufacturer has been sued in Georgia federal court by its former global vice president of human resources over allegations it fired her for reporting the harassment of a lesbian employee.

  • June 04, 2025

    DC Judge Weighs Harm In Teen Program Funding Fight

    A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday seemed unconvinced by Planned Parenthood's assertion that new federal grant requirements for a public health initiative aimed at preventing teen pregnancy are harmful enough to warrant a preliminary injunction.

  • June 04, 2025

    Media Co. Ends EEOC Suit Over Deaf Worker's Nixed Interview

    A newspaper publishing company has agreed to pay $100,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it canceled a job interview with an applicant after learning she was deaf and needed an interpreter.

  • June 04, 2025

    Lowe's Ex-Manager Drops Racial Bias, Retaliation Case

    A former Lowe's Companies Inc. manager has agreed to drop her case against the home improvement retailer, in which she alleged she was treated differently, retaliated against and later fired for being Black.

  • June 04, 2025

    SEIU Shirked Black University Worker's Grievance, Suit Says

    A Service Employees International Union local unlawfully provided a Black former university employee with second-rate representation when he challenged his termination over a minor offense despite aggressively supporting white union members who engaged in more serious misconduct, according to a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania federal court.

  • June 04, 2025

    Indiana's AG Targets DEI At Butler, DePauw Universities

    Indiana's attorney general has sent letters to two private universities asking for information about diversity, equity and inclusion-related initiatives, he said Wednesday, alleging that the schools may be unlawfully discriminating by favoring marginalized groups.

  • June 03, 2025

    9th Circ. Skeptical About Nixing Wash. Bias Enforcement Ban

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday appeared hesitant to grant Washington state's bid to wipe out an injunction that bars it from enforcing state anti-discrimination law against a Christian employer that wants to hire co-religionists, but the judges signaled a willingness to depart from the trial court's rationale.

  • June 03, 2025

    WNBA Player Files Amended Discrimination Suit Against Aces

    Women's National Basketball Association player Dearica Hamby on Monday lodged an amended complaint beefing up claims of retaliation in her Nevada federal discrimination lawsuit that accuses the Las Vegas Aces of trading her because she became pregnant.

  • June 03, 2025

    Weinstein Atty Casts Accusers As Abusers In Retrial Closing

    A Manhattan jury on Tuesday heard closing arguments in Harvey Weinstein's retrial on sexual assault charges in New York state court, as his attorney said he was "abused" by "mad," "scorned" ex-lovers who didn't have the talent to make it in show business.

  • June 03, 2025

    3rd Circ. Says Muldrow Can't Save Ex-Teacher's Bias Suit

    The Third Circuit on Tuesday declined to reinstate a Black ex-teacher's bias suit that accused the School District of Philadelphia of sabotaging her job search by placing a disciplinary report in her personnel file, rejecting her argument that the U.S. Supreme Court's Muldrow opinion meant her case should be revived.

  • June 03, 2025

    'Devastating' Cuts Would Put EEOC Workforce At 45-Year Low

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's plan to shed hundreds of workers in the coming year and a half would leave it with its leanest workforce since at least 1980, hampering a federal agency that experts say is already stretched thin.

Expert Analysis

  • Employer Pointers As Wage And Hour AI Risks Emerge

    Author Photo

    Following the Biden administration's executive order on artificial intelligence, employers using or considering artificial intelligence tools should carefully assess whether such use could increase their exposure to liability under federal and state wage and hour laws, and be wary of algorithmic discrimination, bias and inaccurate or incomplete reporting, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Race Bias Defense Considerations After 11th Circ. Ruling

    Author Photo

    In Tynes v. Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed that the McDonnell Douglas test for employment discrimination cases is merely an evidentiary framework, so employers relying on it as a substantive standard of liability may need to rethink their litigation strategy, says Helen Jay at Phelps Dunbar.

  • 6 Ways To Minimize Risk, Remain Respectful During Layoffs

    Author Photo

    With a recent Resume Builder survey finding that 38% of companies expect to lay off employees this year, now is a good time for employers to review several strategies that can help mitigate legal risks and maintain compassion in the reduction-in-force process, says Sahara Pynes at Fox Rothschild.

  • NYC Workplace AI Regulation Has Been Largely Insignificant

    Author Photo

    Though a Cornell University study suggests that a New York City law intended to regulate artificial intelligence in the workplace has had an underwhelming impact, the law may still help shape the city's future AI regulation efforts, say Reid Skibell and Nathan Ades at Glenn Agre.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Investigation Lessons In 'Minority Report'

    Author Photo

    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper discuss how themes in Steven Spielberg's Science Fiction masterpiece "Minority Report" — including prediction, prevention and the fallibility of systems — can have real-life implications in workplace investigations.

  • NYC Cos. Must Prepare For Increased Sick Leave Liability

    Author Photo

    A recent amendment to New York City's sick leave law authorizes employees for the first time to sue their employers for violations — so employers should ensure their policies and practices are compliant now to avoid the crosshairs of litigation once the law takes effect in March, says Melissa Camire at Fisher Phillips.

  • Employer Best Practices In Light Of NY Anti-Trans Bias Report

    Author Photo

    A recent report from the New York State Department of Labor indicates that bias against transgender and nonbinary people endures in the workplace, highlighting why employers must create supportive policies and gender transition plans, not only to mitigate the risk of discrimination claims, but also to foster an inclusive work culture, says Michelle Phillips at Jackson Lewis.

  • In Focus At The EEOC: Protecting Vulnerable Workers

    Author Photo

    It's meaningful that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's strategic enforcement plan prioritizes protecting vulnerable workers, particularly as the backlash to workplace racial equity and diversity, equity and inclusion programs continues to unfold, says Dariely Rodriguez at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

  • 4 Steps To Navigating Employee Dementia With Care

    Author Photo

    A recent Connecticut suit brought by an employee terminated after her managers could not reasonably accommodate her Alzheimer's-related dementia should prompt employers to plan how they can compassionately address older employees whose cognitive impairments affect their job performance, while also protecting the company from potential disability and age discrimination claims, says Robin Shea at Constangy.

  • Compliance Tips For Employers Facing An Aggressive EEOC

    Author Photo

    This year, the combination of an aggressive U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a renewed focus on large-scale recruiting and hiring claims, and the injection of the complicated landscape of AI in the workplace means employers should be prepared to defend, among other things, their use of technology during the hiring process, say attorneys at Seyfarth Shaw.

  • Employer Lessons From Nixed Calif. Arbitration Agreement

    Author Photo

    A California state appeals court’s recent decision to throw out an otherwise valid arbitration agreement, where an employee claimed a confusing electronic signature system led her to agree to unfair terms, should alert employers to scrutinize any waivers or signing procedures that may appear to unconscionably favor the company, say Guillermo Tello and Monique Eginli at Clark Hill.

  • EEO-1 Ruling May Affect Other Gov't Agency Disclosures

    Author Photo

    By tightly construing a rarely litigated but frequently asserted term, a California federal court’s ruling that the Freedom of Information Act does not exempt reports to the U.S. Department of Labor on workplace demographics could expand the range of government contractor information susceptible to public disclosure, says John Zabriskie at Foley & Lardner.

  • Workplace Speech Policies Limit Legal And PR Risks

    Author Photo

    As workers increasingly speak out on controversies like the 2024 elections and the Israel-Hamas war, companies should implement practical workplace expression policies and plans to protect their brands and mitigate the risk of violating federal and state anti-discrimination and free speech laws, say attorneys at McDermott.