Employment

  • January 14, 2026

    5th Circ. Says Ex-United Worker Sued IAM Unit Too Late

    A former United Airlines customer service agent who says she was fired because of her continued need for work accommodations cannot sue her union for failing to take her wrongful discharge claim against the company to arbitration, a Fifth Circuit panel held, saying she missed her deadline to sue.

  • January 14, 2026

    Payscale Presses Del. Justices To Revive Noncompete Claims

    The Delaware Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday over whether the state's Chancery Court went too far in dismissing Payscale's lawsuit seeking to enforce an 18-month noncompete clause against a former sales executive, focusing on when a court may decide, at the outset of a case, that a restrictive covenant is unenforceable as written.

  • January 14, 2026

    4th Circ. Keeps Butterball's Win In Wage Dispute

    A Butterball turkey catcher cannot revive his wage and hour claims because he was a piece-rate employee, the Fourth Circuit has ruled, agreeing with a North Carolina federal court that his state and federal law claims couldn't stand.

  • January 14, 2026

    Alternative Asset 401(k) Investing Rule Sent To OMB

    The White House Office of Management and Budget is reviewing a proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm related to fiduciary duties involved with alternative asset investing in 401(k)s, marking the last hurdle before the regulations' release for public comment. 

  • January 13, 2026

    Google Engineer Cut-And-Pasted To Evade Security, Jury Told

    A Google security manager took the stand Tuesday in the criminal trial of an engineer accused of stealing artificial intelligence trade secrets, testifying that his investigation showed that Linwei Ding evaded Google's internal security systems by cutting and pasting the data in a way that stripped information identifying Google's authorship.

  • January 13, 2026

    Ill. Justices Mull COVID Screening Pay Under State Law

    The Illinois Supreme Court should leave decades of understanding surrounding the statutory term "workweek" intact and rule that the state's minimum wage law incorporates federal limitations on compensable preliminary activities, as finding otherwise would revive a short-lived overtime regime Congress considered "disastrous," Amazon argued Tuesday.

  • January 13, 2026

    EEOC Disability Bias Win Stands, But Damages Shrink

    A Florida federal judge declined a senior living facility's bid for a new trial in a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission disability bias suit claiming it wouldn't hire a veteran who has PTSD, but cut a $400,000 jury verdict to $50,000 in line with a damages cap.

  • January 13, 2026

    Starbucks Misled Patrons On Coffee Supplier Ethics, Suit Says

    Two consumers are targeting Starbucks for touting "100% Ethical Coffee Sourcing" on product labels despite reports of forced labor and other human rights violations on supplying farms around the world, according to a proposed class action launched in Washington state federal court Tuesday.

  • January 13, 2026

    Spencer Fane Atty's Advice Challenged In $5M Poaching Suit

    In a $5 million lawsuit over a Connecticut financial adviser's exit, Wealth Enhancement Group LLC on Tuesday challenged a Spencer Fane LLP partner's belief that regulatory and professional ethics rules require both advisers and their former investment firms to contact clients when advisers switch employers.

  • January 13, 2026

    NC Tech Exec Urges 4th Circ. To Delay Sentence Amid Appeal

    A North Carolina software executive convicted of failing to pay employment taxes has asked the Fourth Circuit to delay the start of his 366-day prison sentence while his appeal is pending before the court.

  • January 13, 2026

    DHS Bid To Nix TSA Union After Injunction Gives Judge Pause

    A Washington federal judge pushed back Tuesday against the federal government's insistence that it can proceed with canceling a union deal covering Transportation Security Administration workers despite a June ruling that blocked termination of the same agreement, remarking the move could be seen as an "end-run around an injunction."

  • January 13, 2026

    Flight Attendants Slam United's Arbitration Bid in Wage Suit

    Two current and former United Airlines flight attendants urged a New Jersey federal court not to toss their proposed class action claiming that the airline only pays them for the time they spend flying, arguing that their claims can be resolved without interpreting the terms of the airline's collective bargaining agreement.

  • January 13, 2026

    Workers Seek $126M In Seattle Hospital System Wage Row

    Seattle-area hospital system Swedish Health Services should shell out about $126 million to settle wage violations, after a state court found that the system failed to provide a second meal break on longer shifts and that its rounding practices led to unpaid wages, the workers said.

  • January 13, 2026

    DC Circ. Upholds NLRB's Ruling Against Mont. Telco

    The D.C. Circuit Tuesday upheld the National Labor Relations Board's finding that a telecom company illegally withheld records of its use of non-union workers from a union, saying the company forfeited its argument that the union took too long to back up its demand. 

  • January 13, 2026

    Blue States Say HHS Conditions Funding On Anti-Trans Bias

    A dozen Democratic state attorneys general sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday, claiming the agency's threat to withhold billions of dollars in funding from states that don't hew to an executive order declaring that gender is immutable conflicts with antidiscrimination law.

  • January 13, 2026

    College Baseball Player Latest To Sue NCAA Over Eligibility

    A pitcher attending Pepperdine University has asked a California federal judge to allow him to play for the baseball team despite NCAA rules barring him from doing so after transferring there from a non-NCAA school.

  • January 13, 2026

    Ill. Judge Suggests Win For Cannabis Cashier In Wage Suit

    A federal magistrate judge recommended a win for a former cashier for an Illinois bakery that sells cannabis products, finding that the employer failed to respond to the entry of default, effectively admitting to overtime and tip violations under federal and state law.

  • January 13, 2026

    NC Judge Leery Of Early Exit Bid In Produce Co. ESOP Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge seemed disinclined Tuesday to toss a lawsuit alleging a "cabal" of lawyers, private equity firms and their founders conspired to drain a produce company's employee stock ownership plan of its value, noting it's a fact-intensive case that will likely require discovery.

  • January 13, 2026

    North Carolina County Tells 4th Circ. It Didn't Underpay EMTs

    A North Carolina federal court correctly ruled that a North Carolina county didn't owe damages to EMS workers because their pay structure included both straight time and overtime, but erred in concluding the county violated federal wage law, the county told the Fourth Circuit.

  • January 13, 2026

    NJ Gov. Says Ex-Elections Chief's Admission Fatal To Case

    New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told a state court judge that a suit by former elections chief Jeffrey Brindle should be completely dismissed because his decision to write a satirical article in his official capacity invalidates his First Amendment claim as it applies to his continued employment in the role.

  • January 13, 2026

    Carnival Urges 11th Circ. To Undo $10M Sexual Assault Verdict

    Cruise line Carnival urged the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday to reverse a decision awarding $10 million to a passenger who was sexually assaulted, arguing it was unfairly prejudiced when FBI evidence rebutting her testimony was admitted during trial after it was previously rejected by the lower court.

  • January 13, 2026

    Firm Can't Shake Legal Assistant's Pregnancy Bias Suit

    A legal assistant's suit accusing a New Mexico-based personal injury law firm of forcing her to resign she disclosed her pregnancy will head to trial to determine whether there were multiple contracts at stake, a federal magistrate judge said.

  • January 13, 2026

    Celebrity-Owned NY Entertainment Venue Hit With Wage Suit

    A New York City sports and entertainment venue owned by Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake improperly relied on a tip credit, kept a portion of employees' gratuities and paid overtime at the wrong rate, according to a proposed class and collective action filed in New York federal court.

  • January 12, 2026

    Aristocrat Inks $127.5M Deal In Slot Machine Trade Secret Suit

    Gambling game company Light & Wonder Inc. has agreed to pay competitor Aristocrat Technologies Inc. $127.5 million to put to rest allegations Light & Wonder misappropriated Aristocrat's trade secrets in developing its Dragon Train and Jewel of the Dragon slot machine games, according to an announcement made Monday.

  • January 12, 2026

    Calif. Judge Trims Antitrust Suit Over High School Athlete NIL

    A California federal magistrate judge on Friday trimmed a high school athlete's proposed antitrust class action against California high school sports regulators and media companies, dismissing for good allegations over amateurism and transfer rules but allowing the plaintiff to amend claims over name, image and likeness tied to athletes' home schools.

Expert Analysis

  • In NY, Long COVID (Tolling) Still Applies

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    A series of pandemic-era executive orders in New York tolling state statutes of limitations for 228 days mean that many causes of action that appear time-barred on their face may continue to apply, including in federal practice, for the foreseeable future, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.

  • How Calif. Law Cracks Down On Algorithmic Price-Fixing

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    Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws this month significantly expanding state antitrust enforcement and civil and criminal penalties for the use or distribution of shared pricing algorithms, as the U.S. Department of Justice has recently wielded the Sherman Act to challenge algorithmic pricing, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • 3rd Circ. Ruling Forces A Shift In Employer CFAA Probes

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    The Third Circuit's recent ruling in NRA Group v. Durenleau, finding that "unauthorized access" requires bypassing technical barriers rather than simply violating company policies, is forcing employers to recalibrate insider misconduct investigations and turn to contractual, trade secret and state-level claims, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    High Court, Not A Single Justice, Should Decide On Recusal

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    As public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court continues to decline, the court should adopt a collegial framework in which all justices decide questions of recusal together — a reform that respects both judicial independence and due process for litigants, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Series

    Traveling Solo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Traveling by myself has taught me to assess risk, understand tone and stay calm in high-pressure situations, which are not only useful life skills, but the foundation of how I support my clients, says Lacey Gutierrez at Group Five Legal.

  • Opinion

    DOJ's Tracing Rule For Pandemic Loan Fraud Is Untenable

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    In conducting investigations related to COVID-19 relief fraud, the government's assertion that loan proceeds are nonfungible and had to have been segregated from other funds is unsupported by underlying legislation, precedent or the language establishing similar federal relief programs, say Sharon McCarthy, Jay Nanavati and Lasya Ravulapati at Kostelanetz.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Client Service

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    Law school teaches you how to interpret the law, but it doesn't teach you some of the key ways to keeping clients satisfied, lessons that I've learned in the most unexpected of places: a book on how to be a butler, says Gregory Ramos at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • Loper Bright's Evolving Application In Labor Case Appeals

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bright v. Raimondo, which upended decades of precedent requiring courts to defer to agency interpretations of federal regulations, the Third and Sixth Circuits' differing approaches leave little certainty as to which employment regulations remain in play, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • How DHS' H-1B Proposal May Affect Hiring, Strategic Planning

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    For employers, DHS’ proposal to change the H-1B visa lottery from a random selection process to one favoring higher-wage workers may increase labor and compliance costs, limit access to entry-level international talent, and raise strategic questions about compensation, geography and long-term workforce planning, says Ian MacDonald at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Where 4th And 9th Circ. Diverge On Trade Secret Timing

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    Recent Fourth and Ninth Circuit decisions have revealed a deepening circuit split over when plaintiffs must specifically define their alleged trade secrets, turning the early stages of trade secret litigation into a key battleground and elevating the importance of forum selection, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: 3 Tips On Finding The Right Job

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    After 23 years as a state and federal prosecutor, when I contemplated moving to a law firm, practicing solo or going in-house, I found there's a critical first step — deep self-reflection on what you truly want to do and where your strengths lie, says Rachael Jones at McKool Smith.

  • Series

    Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Painting trains me to see both the fine detail and the whole composition at once, enabling me to identify friction points while keeping sight of a client's bigger vision, but the most significant lesson I've brought to my legal work has been the value of originality, says Jana Gouchev at Gouchev Law.

  • H-2A Rule Rollback Sheds Light On 2 Policy Litigation Issues

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    The Trump administration’s recent refusal to defend an immigration regulation implemented by the Biden administration highlights a questionable process that both parties have used to bypass the Administrative Procedure Act’s rulemaking process, and points toward the next step in the fight over universal injunctions, says Mark Stevens at Clark Hill.

  • What's At Stake At High Court For Presidential Removal Power

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    Two pending U.S. Supreme Court cases —Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v. Cook — raise fundamental questions about the constitutional separation of powers, threaten the 90-year-old precedent of Humphrey's Executor v. U.S. and will determine the president's authority to control independent federal agencies, says Kolya Glick at Arnold & Porter.

  • Employer Considerations As Ill. Ends Mandatory Fact-Finding

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    Illinois recently eliminated mandatory fact-finding conferences, and while such meetings tend to benefit complainants, respondent employers should not dismiss them out of hand without conducting a thorough analysis of the risks and benefits, which will vary from case to case, says Kimberly Ross at FordHarrison.

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