Discrimination

  • May 18, 2026

    Ex-Honeywell Director's Religious Bias Suit Cleared For Trial

    A former Honeywell director may bring his religious, age and race discrimination suit to trial after a North Carolina federal judge on Monday denied the conglomerate summary judgment, citing evidence of an HR director's email recommending termination that expressly mentions the director's religious beliefs.

  • May 18, 2026

    EEOC Faults Agency For Denying Christians Vax Exemptions

    The Bureau of Indian Education discriminated against three Christian employees by rejecting their exemption requests to a COVID-19 vaccination mandate based on their religious convictions, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Monday.

  • May 18, 2026

    Justices Won't Revive LA Schools COVID Vaccine Policy Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review whether the Los Angeles Unified School District's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees passes constitutional muster, keeping in place the Ninth Circuit's ruling that relied on a 121-year-old high court precedent upholding a city's smallpox vaccine policy.

  • May 18, 2026

    8th Circ. Won't Revive ADA Suit Against Carbon Fiber Co.

    The Eighth Circuit on Monday backed a carbon fiber manufacturer's win in a suit from a former production operator who said she was fired for asking to sit while working because of a back injury, concluding the ability to stand was an essential requirement of her job.

  • May 18, 2026

    Aetna Denied A Freeze On Trans Facial Surgery Order

    A Connecticut federal judge ordered Aetna to comply with a preliminary injunction requiring it to reconsider coverage denials affecting two transgender health plan participants who sought gender-affirming facial surgery, refusing to stay the insurer's compliance obligations during its pending appeal in the proposed class action.  

  • May 18, 2026

    Legal Assistant Says Atty Sexually Assaulted Her After Party

    A legal assistant at Texas-based personal injury firm Bivona Law PLLC has sued the firm and its owner in Texas state court, saying the attorney used an office Thanksgiving outing, alcohol and a promised Uber home to isolate and force her to have sexual intercourse at the firm's office against her will.

  • May 18, 2026

    Hawaiian Scholarship Suit Imperils $2.2M In Work, Court Told

    An Indigenous nonprofit is seeking to intervene as a defendant in a constitutional challenge to the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program, telling a federal district court that the litigation threatens $2.2 million of annual work that's central to its mission and will impede ongoing collaborations for the upcoming fiscal year.

  • May 18, 2026

    NY Times Editor Wants To Expand EEOC Race Bias Suit

    The white New York Times editor at the center of a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sex and race discrimination case asked a federal court to let him enter the lawsuit, saying he wants to add state and local claims that can't be leveled by the bias watchdog.

  • May 18, 2026

    Social Work Exam Creator Defeats Race Bias Suit At 2nd Circ.

    The Second Circuit won't revive a proposed class action claiming a social worker accreditation nonprofit designed exams that disproportionately failed Black and Hispanic applicants, ruling that the organization can't be sued by the job hopefuls under federal employment bias law.

  • May 18, 2026

    Gas Co. Strikes $4.25M Deal To End EEOC Vaccine Bias Suit

    An Oklahoma federal judge greenlit a $4.25 million settlement Monday between a gas packaging manufacturer and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, ending the agency's suit claiming the business unlawfully fired workers for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine on religious or medical grounds.

  • May 18, 2026

    High Court To Examine Title IX Protections For Coaches, Profs

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a case arguing that Title IX sex discrimination safeguards should be extended to college coaches and professors, tackling a persistent split on the question among circuit courts.

  • May 15, 2026

    Fla. Agency Boss Hit With Sanctions In Suit Over Kirk Meme

    A Florida federal judge penalized a state wildlife agency supervisor with attorney fees and ordered parts of her sworn statement removed, saying she misled the court to deny a preliminary injunction in a former worker's lawsuit alleging wrongful termination for posting a meme satirizing slain right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk.

  • May 15, 2026

    A State Law Cheat Sheet For Discrimination Attorneys

    Connecticut expanded pay transparency and breastfeeding accommodation obligations for employers, while Colorado's governor overhauled and reset the effective date of a novel artificial intelligence law. Here's Law360's biweekly look at state-level legislative developments discrimination lawyers should have on their radar.

  • May 15, 2026

    Texas Oil Co. Defeats Race And ADHD Bias Claims

    A Texas federal judge on Friday ended a former Apache Corp. employee's race and disability discrimination suit before jurors could deliberate, granting motions for judgment by the company and its parent that said the ex-employee was not able to offer evidence on any of her claims.

  • May 15, 2026

    Spokane Firefighters Denied Early Win In Vax Exemption Suit

    A federal court refused Friday to hand a quick win to a group of firefighters who said the city of Spokane, Washington, refused to accommodate their religious objections to a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, ruling they hadn't provided enough information about their beliefs.

  • May 15, 2026

    Chili's Parent Urges 8th Circ. To Back Its Win Over EEOC Suit

    Restaurant giant Brinker International asked the Eighth Circuit Friday to uphold the dismissal of a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit faulting the business for letting a Chili's Grill & Bar cook harass teen workers, arguing it can't be held liable because it shut down the alleged misconduct.

  • May 15, 2026

    Bag Maker Settles Workers' Race Bias Suit As Trial Looms

    About two months after losing a summary judgment bid, a plastic and paper bag manufacturer has settled a lawsuit claiming it punished two Black workers for complaining about colleagues' racist comments, Connecticut federal court records show.

  • May 15, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Revisit Wash. Professor Free Speech Ruling

    The Ninth Circuit won't revisit a decision saying the University of Washington violated a computer science professor's First Amendment rights after he voiced opposition to the school's policy that acknowledges Indigenous tribes as the traditional caretakers of the campus' land.

  • May 15, 2026

    CSU Cuts $12M Deal To End Fired Admins' Sex Bias Suit

    Two female former California State University administrators announced Friday that CSU will pay them $12 million to resolve their suit claiming they were fired for protesting gender bias and pay discrimination, after a jury awarded one of the women $6 million on her harassment claims.

  • May 15, 2026

    Ex-HR Director Drops FMLA Suit Against Telehealth Co.

    A former human resources manager who alleged she was not given the chance to take paid leave and was fired by Iris Telehealth after suffering a miscarriage last summer has voluntarily dismissed her suit, according to Georgia federal court records.

  • May 15, 2026

    Calif. Forecast: Union Pacific Bias Case Returns To 9th Circ.

    In the week ahead, attorneys should watch for Ninth Circuit oral arguments in a disability discrimination suit against Union Pacific Railroad Co. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • May 15, 2026

    Former Google Employee Alleges Racial Bias Behind Firing

    A former Google employee sued the tech giant in Illinois state court, claiming he suffered pervasive racial discrimination from his direct supervisor that ultimately culminated in his termination, purportedly for poor productivity, even when he was at a pace to meet or exceed his revenue targets.

  • May 15, 2026

    Soda Bottler Strikes Deal To End EEOC Disability Bias Suit

    A North Carolina soft drink bottling company has agreed to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging it refused to permanently hire a probationary employee with multiple sclerosis, according to a federal court filing.

  • May 15, 2026

    6th Circ. Backs Machinery Dealer In Fired Worker's FMLA Suit

    The Sixth Circuit declined to revive a worker's suit claiming a heavy machinery dealer fired him for seeking leave to manage his mental health and that his union failed to challenge his termination, ruling he lacked evidence that prejudice informed his firing rather than his performance issues.

  • May 15, 2026

    Atlanta Court Clerk Says City Fired Her After Maternity Leave

    A former court clerk sued the city of Atlanta and several officials in Georgia federal court, alleging she was fired less than a month after returning from maternity leave in retaliation for whistleblowing, taking leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act and complaining about workplace misconduct.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • How Anti-DEI Bill Could Affect Employers' Diversity Efforts

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    Sen. J.D. Vance's recently introduced Dismantle DEI Act would substantially limit employers’ ability to implement and promote workplace diversity, equity and inclusion, but there are still steps employers can take to support a diverse workforce, says Peter Ennis at Cozen O’Connor.

  • US Labor And Employment Law Holds Some Harsh Trade-Offs

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    U.S. labor and employment laws have evolved into a product of exposure-capping compromise, which merits discussion in a presidential election year when the dialogue has focused on purported protections of middle-class workers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Immigration Insights From 'The Proposal'

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    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper chat with their colleague Robert Lee about how immigration challenges highlighted in the romantic comedy "The Proposal" — beyond a few farcical plot contrivances — relate to real-world visa processes and employer compliance.