Employment

May 19, 2025
Feds Say Unions' Downsizing Suit Should Be Tossed

The Trump administration urged a federal judge in D.C. to toss a lawsuit challenging three federal downsizing initiatives, arguing that the claims brought by labor unions representing federal employees belong before the agency charged with adjudicating such disputes.
May 19, 2025
Ex-CEO Accuses Omnicom Of Gender, Age Bias In Pay Suit

Omnicom paid the CEO of one of its agencies less than her male counterparts and fired her under the pretext of a restructuring when she complained, the former executive told a Texas federal court, alleging the marketing and communications firm discriminated against her because she's a woman in her 60s.
May 19, 2025
Ex-Workers Want Mercer Global's Info Theft Suit Tossed

Two former employees and their new company have asked a Georgia federal court to dismiss wealth management firm Mercer Global Advisors' lawsuit accusing them of stealing confidential information to unlawfully solicit clients and transfer $90 million to their new business.
May 19, 2025
Taxpayer Data Increasingly At Risk From DOGE, Court Told

A group of unions and advocacy organizations trying to block the White House's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing confidential taxpayer data told a D.C. federal court they fear the data is already being shared with federal agencies beyond the IRS.
May 19, 2025
Electric, Nuclear Valve Co. Escape Pension Dispute

A federally owned electric company and a contractor were not required to make pension fund contributions to a plumbers and steamfitters union because the contracted valve work was an exempt specialty contract, a Tennessee federal judge ruled in a lawsuit Monday.
May 19, 2025
Coast Guard Told To Revisit Forced Retirees' Service Dates

The U.S. Coast Guard can't retroactively apply a policy to speculate that a class of 200-plus service members who were involuntarily retired through an unlawful process would have been involuntarily retired anyway, a Court of Federal Claims judge said Friday.
May 19, 2025
NCAA Defends Latest NIL Deal Revisions In Bid For Approval

Contrary to claims by some athletes that they will be harmed by roster limitations in a proposed $2.78 billion name, image and likeness settlement, the NCAA has told a California federal judge the latest changes will ensure "beyond a doubt" those athletes are treated fairly.
May 19, 2025
Atty Says Texas Firm Fired Her For Taking Protected Leave

A former associate at a prominent Texas personal injury firm who claims she was fired after she took medical leave for a disabling eye condition and bereavement leave upon her mother's death has brought a disability discrimination suit against the firm and associated entities in federal court in Houston.
May 19, 2025
Ex-Seton Hall President Says University Seeks To 'Muzzle' Him

Seton Hall University's former president told a New Jersey state court that he should be allowed to take part in an investigation into whether the school's current president knew of sexual abuse allegations and failed to report them.
May 19, 2025
'Self-Dealing' Ex-CEO Must Lose Theft Case, Biotech Says

The fired CEO of a Wyoming-based flavoring and aromas business engaged in "clear self-dealing" by transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars to himself after refusing to work, the company said Monday in seeking summary judgment in its Connecticut lawsuit against him.
May 19, 2025
Split DC Circ. Pauses Halt On Trump's Union Rights Order

A divided D.C. Circuit panel greenlighted President Donald Trump's request to pause a lower court decision that blocked the implementation of an executive order aimed at ending collective bargaining rights for federal employees, concluding the injunction ruling "ties the government's hands."
May 19, 2025
Ex-Staffer Fights NJ Law Firm Blume Forte's Arbitration Bid

A former staff member who is suing personal injury law firm Blume Forte Fried Zerres & Molinari PC, alleging disability discrimination, is disputing an assertion that she signed a valid arbitration agreement with the firm, arguing that any such agreement is unenforceable in New Jersey state court.
May 19, 2025
Ex-Litigator Settles Disability Bias Suit Against Wilson Elser

A former Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP litigator on Monday agreed to permanently drop his federal disability bias suit against the firm, after the sides came to a confidential resolution.
May 19, 2025
Pepsi Arbitration Costs Bid Not For Court, Workers Say

A Pepsi distributor told a New York federal court that forcing him to pay arbitration-related costs in a wage case against the company would undermine federal and state wage laws' protective purposes, urging the court to deny the company's request to enforce the terms of the arbitration pact.
May 19, 2025
'Stark' Pay Data May Revive NY Court Interpreters' Bias Suit

Second Circuit judges Monday signaled interest in reviving a pay discrimination case brought by interpreters working for the New York State Unified Court System, as one jurist remarked on "stark" data showing they're "underpaid" and voiced curiosity about what discovery might reveal.
May 19, 2025
Justices Won't Hear White Ga. Coach's Bias Suit

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review an Eleventh Circuit decision that ended a white Georgia high school football coach's claims that Black school board members declined to renew his contract on account of his race.
May 16, 2025
DC Circ. Judges Skeptical Of Blockade On CFPB Mass Layoffs

A D.C. Circuit panel majority Friday sounded inclined to lift lower court restrictions on what the Trump administration contends is its lawful push to "radically downsize" the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, potentially clearing the way for mass layoffs of its staff.
May 16, 2025
ASPCA Ex-CFO Links Firing To His Whistleblower Complaints

The former chief financial officer of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has alleged that he was fired in retaliation for raising questions about the nonprofit's expenditure of donor funds and misuse of animal transport vehicles, in violation of New York's whistleblower law and New Jersey's Conscientious Employee Protection Act.
May 16, 2025
Workday Hiring Bias Suit Wins Collective Status

A California federal judge on Friday agreed to certify a collective action of job applicants over 40 who claim they were illegally steered away from jobs by a Workday hiring tool, finding that whether Workday discriminated on the basis of age is a question that "cuts across" the collective.
May 16, 2025
Zurich American Says Ex-Liability Head Poached Workers

Zurich American Insurance Co. has sued its former New York City-based head of management liability for allegedly poaching two employees by luring them to rival Everest Insurance when he took a new gig there, in violation of a one-year nonsolicitation agreement.
May 16, 2025
NJ Transit Calls Unions' Refusal To Cross Picket Line Unlawful

NJ Transit has hit two unions with lawsuits in New Jersey federal court over a rail strike that began Friday, accusing a Teamsters unit and the American Train Dispatchers Association of violating the Railway Labor Act by refusing to cross another Teamsters unit's picket line.
May 16, 2025
SEC's Atkins Previews Possible Changes To CEO Pay Rules

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins announced Friday the agency plans to review rules requiring public companies to report the earnings of CEOs and other high-level executives, highlighting a possible area of regulatory change for the now Republican-led commission.
May 16, 2025
Employment Authority: What Unions Face With Trump EOs

Law360 Employment Authority covers the biggest employment cases and trends. Catch up this week with labor relations experts' take on tactics unions need as they face impacts from President Donald Trump's executive orders, a look at ongoing lawsuits from the legal strategist who pursued the U.S. Supreme Court case that ended affirmative action in college admissions and tips for handling the update to New York's frequency of pay law.
May 16, 2025
Trump Calls On Justices To Stay Block Of Gov't Restructuring

President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to pause a California federal judge's order temporarily halting agencies from implementing an executive order to plan reorganizations and reductions in force, claiming the lower court's decision has caused confusion and wasted taxpayer dollars.
May 16, 2025
NLRB Acting GC Narrows Remedy Asks In Settlement Talks

National Labor Relations Board acting general counsel William Cowen instructed regional officials on Friday to exercise more discretion over the remedies they pursue when seeking to settle cases, walking back instructions from his predecessor to seek maximum remedies in settlements.

Expert Analysis

What To Expect In Higher Ed Enforcement Under Trump

Colleges and universities should prepare for shifting priorities, as President-elect Donald Trump is likely to focus less on antitrust cases and more on foreign relations policy, while congressional oversight of higher education continues to increase, say attorneys at Steptoe.
Series

NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4

In 2024's final quarter, the New York State Department of Financial Services published guidance on mitigating the rising cybersecurity risks of artificial intelligence and remote technology workers with North Korean ties, and the state attorney general launched an antitrust investigation into Capital One's proposed Discover merger, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.
How Trial Attys Can Wield Amended Federal Evidence Rules

Trial lawyers should assess recent amendments to four Federal Rules of Evidence and a newly enacted rule on illustrative aids to determine how to best use the rules to enhance pretrial discovery and trial strategy, says Stewart Edelstein, former litigation chair at Cohen & Wolf.
Series

Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.
Lessons From United's Axed Win In Firing Over Online Pics

In Wawrzenski v. United Airlines, a California state appeals court revived a flight attendant’s suit over her termination for linking photos of herself in uniform to her OnlyFans account, providing a cautionary tale for employers navigating the complexities of workplace policy enforcement in the digital age, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
3 Factors Affecting Retail M&A Deals In 2025

Retailers considering mergers and acquisitions this year face an evolving antitrust environment, including a new administration under President-elect Donald Trump, revised merger guidelines and a precedent set last year by a canceled $8.5 billion handbag merger, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
How Trump Admin May Approach AI In The Workplace

Key indicators suggest that the incoming Trump administration will adopt a deregulatory approach to artificial intelligence, allowing states to fill the void, so it is critical that employers pay close attention to developing legal authority concerning AI tools, say attorneys at Littler.
Top 10 Legal Issues This Year For Transportation Industry GCs

General counsel must carefully consider numerous legal and policy challenges facing the automotive and transportation industry in the year to come, especially while navigating new technologies, regulations and global markets, says Francesco Liberatore at Squire Patton.
Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.
What 2024's Noncompete Turmoil Means For Banks In 2025

A look back at the most significant legal challenges to the enforceability of various restrictive covenants like noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements in 2024 can help financial institutions address the use of these critical tools this year, say attorneys at Maynard Nexsen.
Lessons Learned From 2024's Top FMLA Decisions

Last year's major litigation related to the Family and Medical Leave Act underscores why it is critical for employers to understand the basics of when leave and accommodations are required, say attorneys at Dechert.
New Year, New Risks: 8 Top Cyber Issues For Finance In 2025

As financial institutions forge ahead in 2025, they must strike a delicate balance between embracing technological innovation and guarding against its darker threats, which this year could include everything from supply chain vulnerabilities to deepfakes, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.
Lessons Learned From 2024's Top ADA Decisions

Last year's major litigation related to the Americans with Disabilities Act highlights that when dealing with accommodation requests, employers must communicate clearly, appreciate context and remain flexible in addressing needs, say attorneys at Dechert.
Series

Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.
Lessons From The SEC's 2024 Crackdown On AI Washing

AI washing was the subject of increased scrutiny from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2024 following a surge in the commercial adoption of generative artificial intelligence technologies in 2023, highlighting the importance of transparency, accuracy and accountability when communicating about AI, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.