Employment

April 23, 2025
Ex-Exec Says Centene Harassed Him Over Void Noncompete

A former vice president at Centene claims in a new Illinois federal court lawsuit that the company has engaged in a campaign of harassment, threats and bullying directed at him and his new employer, based on a noncompete agreement he alleges is void.
April 23, 2025
Wash. AG Tries To Move O'Reilly Pregnancy Bias Suit To Trial

The Washington State Attorney General's Office is fighting O'Reilly Auto's recent bid to avoid trial in an employment discrimination case, pointing to evidence it claims shows the company "mocked and otherwise discriminated against pregnant workers, and retaliated against them for being pregnant."
April 23, 2025
Airport Contractor Fails To Provide Breaks, Worker Says

An aviation services contractor fails to provide workers with mandatory 10-minute rest periods and declines to compensate them for this missed time, a proposed class action filed Wednesday in Colorado state court said.
April 23, 2025
Audi Dealership Says Former Manager Lured Away Workers

A Massachusetts Audi dealership said a former general manager violated a nonsolicitation agreement by going to work for another Audi dealership 15 miles away and convincing six others to join him.
April 23, 2025
Trulieve Resolves Ex-Manager's Age Bias Firing Suit

Nationwide cannabis company Trulieve Inc. has resolved a suit in Florida federal court by a former regional manager who alleged he was fired based on his age and in retaliation for assisting in another employee's discrimination charge.
April 23, 2025
Musk's X Settles Age Bias Suit Over Layoffs

A California federal judge dismissed a certified collective action filed against Elon Musk's social media company X on Wednesday that alleges workers aged 50 and older were disproportionately targeted for layoffs, issuing the order after the parties reported they reached a settlement.
April 23, 2025
SCOTUSblog Sold Amid Goldstein's Criminal Case

SCOTUSblog has been sold to digital media company The Dispatch, according to announcements from both publications Wednesday, marking a new chapter for the U.S. Supreme Court-focused legal publication while its co-founder Tom Goldstein faces criminal charges.
April 23, 2025
Ex-Atlanta Atty Asks 11th Circ. To Revive Sex Harassment Suit

A former attorney for the city of Atlanta urged the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday to revive her sexual harassment and disability discrimination suit against the city alleging she was fired after complaining that her boss, a prominent civil rights lawyer, made sexual advances towards her.
April 23, 2025
Weinstein Challenges Accusers' Credibility As Retrial Begins

Harvey Weinstein's attorney told a majority-women jury in his sexual assault retrial Wednesday that the "casting couch is not a crime scene" and that he merely had "mutually beneficial" relationships with aspiring actresses who later accused him of rape and sexual violence.
April 23, 2025
Ex-Ky. Dinsmore L&E Atty Joins Cozen O'Connor In Chicago

Cozen O'Connor announced Wednesday that an employment and appellate litigator from Dinsmore & Shohl LLP is joining its Chicago office after 15 years practicing in Kentucky.
April 23, 2025
5th Circ. Nixes Order Letting Union Join NLRB Challenge

The Fifth Circuit has walked back an order allowing the Office and Professional Employees International Union to intervene in a high-profile case challenging the National Labor Relations Board's constitutionality, saying the union's interests are adequately spelled out in its amicus brief and represented by the board.
April 23, 2025
GOP Leader Proposes Modernizing Contractor Rules

U.S. Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., on Wednesday unveiled proposals he says will modernize the independent contractor model without hindering workers' flexibility and profit opportunities, suggesting several changes Congress could take.
April 23, 2025
Saladworks Operator Must Face Worker's Unpaid OT Suit

A Pennsylvania-based franchisee of fast-casual salad eatery Saladworks cannot escape a proposed collective action accusing it of misclassifying assistant managers as overtime-exempt, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, rejecting the company's argument that there aren't enough assistant managers to support a collective.
April 23, 2025
Vanderbilt QB Fights To Protect NCAA Eligibility At 6th Circ.

Attorneys for Vanderbilt University quarterback Diego Pavia urged the Sixth Circuit to leave in place a lower court's rebuke of the NCAA's rule limiting eligibility for junior-college athletes, stressing that the disputed restrictions are a flagrant violation of antitrust law.
April 23, 2025
Judge Likely To Block Trump Collective-Bargaining Ban

A D.C. federal judge appeared ready on Wednesday to block President Donald Trump's executive order threatening to strip as many as 100,000 federal employees of their collective bargaining power, saying the order seems to target unions because they've challenged his actions, not because of any purported national security justification.
April 23, 2025
Worker Claims Tech Co. Owes Pay For Time Spent Starting Up

A tech company failed to pay employees for the time they spent booting up and logging into their computers before being able to start their work, a customer service worker said in a proposed class and collective action filed in Michigan federal court.
April 23, 2025
United Flight Attendants Say Airline Owes Overtime Pay

United Airlines pays flight attendants only for the time they work during flights and declines to pay them any wages or overtime for pre- and post-flight tasks they're required to complete, according to a proposed class action filed in Illinois state court.
April 22, 2025
Trump Appointees Raise Eyebrows At Trans Troop Ban

Despite a panel made mostly of Trump appointees, the D.C. Circuit seemed skeptical Tuesday morning as it heard out the government's argument for why it should be allowed to implement its ban on transgender troops in the military while litigation challenging that policy plays out.
April 22, 2025
Texas Court Questions $55M Arbitration Award's Validity

A Texas appeals panel asked why a $55 million arbitration award to the former director of a Dallas alternative asset investment company can't float just because the arbitrator based the damages on securities filings, saying Tuesday that arbitrators have broad discretion to determine damages.
April 22, 2025
Justices Urged To Deny Jan. 6 Cops' Bid To Shield Identities

The U.S. Supreme Court should reject an appeal from Seattle cops who joined the Jan. 6 "Stop the Steal" demonstration in D.C. and now want to stay incognito, according to a former law school student on Tuesday who sought police records identifying the officers and who said U.S. Supreme Court rules require the officers to seek relief in Washington state court.
April 22, 2025
Wash. Appeals Panel Revives State Patrol Commute Pay Suit

Washington state troopers can sue their employer directly in superior court over alleged minimum wage violations before exhausting the grievance process under collective bargaining agreements, an Evergreen State appellate court said Tuesday, distinguishing the challenged policies from the union contracts.
April 22, 2025
Reporters Extend Block On Plan Threatening Voice Of America

A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday extended an earlier order blocking the Trump administration from dismantling the agency that oversees Voice of America, saying the coalition of journalists, unions and a reporter advocacy group seeking the preliminary injunction demonstrated the likelihood of "irreparable harm" absent the relief.
April 22, 2025
Ga. County Freed From Court Worker's Age, ADA Bias Claims

A Georgia federal judge ended a lawsuit against Fulton County, Georgia, brought by a former juvenile court employee who said her firing constituted age and disability discrimination, ruling Tuesday that there was no dispute it was the court — not the county — that she should have sued.
April 22, 2025
Trump Admin Fights Groups' Bid To Stop Library Agency Cuts

The Constitution vests President Donald Trump with the authority to reduce the size of the agency that disburses grants to U.S. libraries, the Trump administration told a Washington, D.C., federal judge, opposing two groups' attempt to reverse recent cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
April 22, 2025
Temp Workers Sue Fresh Express Over Alleged Safety Hazards

Six temporary workers claimed in a potential class action filed Monday that salad kit maker Fresh Express failed to train them to operate dangerous equipment or mitigate safety risks and that the staffing agencies that sent them there failed to pay wages comparable to what their hired employees make in violation of Illinois law.

Expert Analysis

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.
Identifying Deepfakes During Evidence Collection, Discovery

Excerpt from Practical Guidance

Attorneys must familiarize themselves with the tools used to create and detect deepfakes — media manipulated by artificial intelligence to convincingly mimic real people and events — as well as best practices for keeping this fabricated evidence out of court, says Bijan Ghom at Saxton & Stump.