Discrimination

  • May 28, 2026

    Mail Carrier, AGs Press Justices To Hear Firefighter Vax Case

    The former mail carrier behind a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that made it harder for employers to deny religious accommodations and GOP state attorneys general are among a chorus of amici backing a bid for high court review from Washington firefighters who were denied faith-based COVID-19 vaccine exemptions. Here's a look at their arguments. 

  • May 28, 2026

    Tesla Must Face Calif. Agency's Race Bias Fight In July Trial

    A California state judge has mostly rejected Tesla Inc.'s bid for a summary judgment win in the California Civil Rights Department's lawsuit alleging the electric-auto maker has allowed racism to run rampant at its Fremont factory, sending the high-stakes civil rights dispute to a July 20 jury trial.

  • May 28, 2026

    Ex-Southwest HR Worker Alleges Race Bias, Retaliatory Firing

    A former Southwest Airlines employee has sued the airline in Illinois state court, claiming that her supervisor harassed her because of her race and that she was ultimately fired for reporting that disparate treatment, which included departures from standard discipline and various tasks she was expected to perform that her white colleagues were not.

  • May 28, 2026

    UConn Escapes Surgeon's ADA Damages Claim In Bias Suit

    A Connecticut federal judge Thursday dismissed a surgeon's discrimination lawsuit against the University of Connecticut, saying a bid for money damages was barred by sovereign immunity and that a state employment law claim could only be heard in state court, though the doctor is allowed to retool her case.

  • May 28, 2026

    Arkansas Hospital Must Face EEOC's Male Bias Suit

    An Arkansas hospital can't escape a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging that two doctors refused to let a male medical assistant help with childbirth, with a federal judge ruling Thursday that a jury should weigh whether the hospital used patient privacy concerns as cover for bias.

  • May 28, 2026

    Fla. Justices Say Ex-Power Co. Welder Didn't Prove Retaliation

    The Florida Supreme Court rejected a welder's appeal alleging that a power company terminated him in retaliation for blowing the whistle on unsafe work conditions, ruling Thursday he didn't prove beyond a subjective belief that his former employer violated the law. 

  • May 28, 2026

    EEOC Urges 11th Circ. To Restore Sex Harassment Verdict

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said the Eleventh Circuit should reinstate a jury win for a female former host of a Georgia restaurant who claimed that managers failed to stop male coworkers' lewd behavior toward her, faulting the trial court for minimizing the men's conduct.

  • May 28, 2026

    EEOC Set To Scrap Decades-Old Affirmative Action Guidance

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is seeking to roll back guidance outlining how employers can voluntarily implement affirmative action plans that comply with federal civil rights law.

  • May 28, 2026

    2nd Circ. Grapples With Arbitration Shield In Atty's Bias Suit

    A Second Circuit panel closely examined Thursday whether a former Thompson Hine LLP partner's lawsuit falls within the scope of federal law nullifying arbitration agreements in cases of sexual harassment, with one judge signaling some skepticism that the statute applies.

  • May 28, 2026

    7th Circ. Backs Benefits Co.'s Win In Race Bias, Pay Suit

    The Seventh Circuit affirmed a medical benefits management company's win in a Black former business analyst's suit alleging she was denied higher pay and promotions because of her race, saying she failed to show the company's stated reasons were a cover for discrimination.

  • May 28, 2026

    DC Restaurant Owner Fired Pregnant Manager, EEOC Says

    A Washington, D.C., restaurant owner pressured a manager to stop working while pregnant and fired her because she asked for a two-week extension to her maternity leave, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged in federal court.

  • May 27, 2026

    NFL's High Court Loss Is Lesson For Fair Employee Contracts

    The NFL's failed bid at the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve a former coach's racial discrimination claims via arbitration serves as a warning to businesses seeking to draft employment contracts with few options and limited rights for workers.

  • May 27, 2026

    West Point Prof. Wins Speech Injunction Over Approval Rule

    A New York federal court has blocked West Point from requiring civilian faculty to get permission before using their school affiliation in external engagements involving their area of expertise, finding a civilian professor will likely prevail in his First Amendment challenge.

  • May 27, 2026

    Screening Co. Calls EEOC Subpoena Bid 'Fishing Expedition'

    A candidate screening company urged a Colorado federal judge to reject the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's bid to enforce subpoenas seeking information about preoffer assessments for sheriff's office applicants, calling the demand an overbroad "fishing expedition."

  • May 27, 2026

    Colo. Panel Questions Trial Court's Reading Of Wage Laws

    The Colorado Court of Appeals appeared poised Wednesday to revive the retaliation claims of a former human services caseworker against the county department she had worked for, pushing back on a lower court's interpretation of statutes meant to close gender pay gaps.

  • May 27, 2026

    Fla. Judge Strikes Ex-Chartwell Atty's Sanctions Motion

    An attorney who claims Chartwell Law Offices LLP fired her over social media posts about Gaza won't win sanctions against the firm after a Florida federal judge on Wednesday struck her motion as unfounded and said she would consider monetary sanctions over hallucinated AI citations in the motion.

  • May 27, 2026

    7th Circ. Backs Tortilla Co.'s Defeat Of Harassment Suit

    A split Seventh Circuit panel on Wednesday backed a tortilla manufacturer's win over an employee's lawsuit claiming it was slow to act when a male colleague inappropriately touched her on the job, concluding she hadn't shown the company's response was inadequate.

  • May 27, 2026

    Pope's Warning Raises Prospect Of AI, Faith Friction At Work

    Pope Leo XIV's recent call for employers to deploy artificial intelligence humanely is the latest signal that companies should be ready for workers to seek faith-based exceptions to using the technology, experts said.

  • May 27, 2026

    Judge Suggests Calif. Law Applies In Workday AI Bias Suit

    A California federal judge suggested Wednesday that Workday was wrong when it argued California civil rights law didn't apply in a lawsuit alleging its artificial intelligence tools discriminated against job applicants, ordering the company and workers to address her tentative conclusion at a hearing.

  • May 27, 2026

    MGM Knocks Out Most Of Waitress's Footwear ADA Suit

    A Maryland MGM resort largely defeated a former cocktail waitress's lawsuit alleging it unlawfully revoked her request to wear sneakers instead of heels because of her Achilles tendinitis, though a federal judge said the casino must face claims it deterred her from pursuing a promotion because of her disability.

  • May 27, 2026

    NJ Pot Law Lets Workers Sue Over Hiring Bias, Panel Finds

    A New Jersey appeals panel has found that the state's cannabis law grants a private right of action to employees who allege they were fired or denied work solely because of a positive cannabis test, reviving a woman's suit alleging she was denied a job because of her recreational cannabis use.

  • May 26, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Revive Wash. City Workers' Vax Mandate Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel Tuesday put an end to city workers' lawsuit challenging Bellingham, Washington's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, ruling that a lower court appropriately dismissed the action and barred the workers from amending their claims.

  • May 26, 2026

    Seattle Hospital Loses Appeal Of Dr.'s $21M Race Bias Verdict

    A Washington Court of Appeals panel Tuesday upheld a $21 million verdict against Seattle Children's Hospital in a Black ex-medical director's lawsuit claiming he faced racism in the workplace and retaliation for complaining about systemic inequities, ruling "substantial evidence" justified the jury's findings and damages award.

  • May 26, 2026

    Judge Says Ex-City Prosecutor's Bias Suit Should Be Tossed

    A Texas federal judge recommended Tuesday that a bias and retaliation suit against the city of Corpus Christi by a former assistant city attorney be tossed because he failed to show that comparable workers were treated better or that the city's performance-based reasons for firing him were false.

  • May 26, 2026

    EEOC, Health System Ink $325K Deal To End Flu Vax Probe

    Northwestern Medical Group will pay $325,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation into whether it unlawfully denied workers' requests for faith-based exemptions from an influenza vaccination policy, the agency announced Tuesday.

Expert Analysis

  • How The Tide Of EEOC Litigation Rolled Back In FY 2024

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    An analysis of the location, timing and underlying claims asserted in U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission-initiated cases during fiscal year 2024 shows that the commission saw a substantial decrease in litigation activity after a surge last year, but employers should not drop their guard, say Christopher DeGroff and Andrew Scroggins at Seyfarth.

  • The Key Changes In Revised FDIC Hiring Regulations

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    Attorneys at Ogletree break down the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s new rule, effective Oct. 1, that will ease restrictions on financial institutions hiring employees with criminal histories, amend the FDIC's treatment of minor offenses and clarify its stance on expunged or dismissed criminal records.

  • 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.