Employment

  • May 06, 2024

    Ikea Sanctioned For Deleting Emails In Age Bias Suit

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Monday sanctioned Ikea for deleting four email accounts it had a duty to preserve in a proposed collective action alleging the furniture retailer discriminated based on age, saying Ikea was grossly negligent, the plaintiffs were prejudiced and the retailers' subsequent "strategy of delay and obfuscation" was "offensive."

  • May 06, 2024

    Judge Weighs Discovery Need On McD's No-Poach Standard

    No-poach antitrust litigation against McDonald's is getting back underway in Illinois federal court following the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal of the fast food giant's appeal, spurring the district court judge to consider whether more discovery might be needed to determine the appropriate standard that will govern the case.

  • May 06, 2024

    Ex-JetBlue Attendant Can't Have Neurological Exam Recorded

    A New York federal judge said Monday that a former flight attendant for JetBlue Airways Corp. who said she suffered brain injuries from being exposed to toxic fumes can't have a neurological examination recorded, saying she hadn't established special conditions that would warrant it.

  • May 06, 2024

    Pet Food Co. Hill's Sues Exec In Del. To Block Freshpet Job

    Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc. asked Delaware's Court of Chancery on Monday to bar its former U.S president from taking a position with smaller industry competitor Freshpet Inc., saying the hiring was imminent and urging fast-track proceedings to block the move.

  • May 06, 2024

    Bridgewater Fights To Keep Bias Claims Under Wraps

    Connecticut asset management firm Bridgewater Associates LP fought Friday to keep dispute with two terminated employees over alleged discrimination in arbitration, saying the Federal Arbitration Act bans its ex-workers from using state court procedures contrary to private dispute resolution agreements, and from airing grievances in public.

  • May 06, 2024

    Employer's Good Faith Axes Paystub Fine, Calif. Justices Rule

    The California Supreme Court on Monday held that if an employer had a good faith belief it was providing complete and accurate wage statements to its employees, it has not knowingly and intentionally violated state labor law, meaning workers cannot recover civil penalties offered for intentional violations of wage statement requirements.

  • May 06, 2024

    5th Circ. Revives Airline Workers' Hearing-Loss Suit

    A pair of flight attendants seeking to hold Boeing liable over hearing loss they suffered due to an aircraft's allegedly faulty smoke alarm have successfully convinced a Fifth Circuit panel to allow them to refile their case, bringing their claims back from the brink almost three years after the appeals court tossed them.

  • May 06, 2024

    7th Circ. Backs Ford In Black Ex-Plumber's Bias Suit

    The Seventh Circuit on Monday upheld Ford Motor Co.'s defeat of a former plumber's lawsuit alleging she was punished for reporting she'd been treated harshly by her supervisor because she's a Black Muslim woman, finding nothing wrong with a lower court tossing the case.

  • May 06, 2024

    9th Circ. Hints Walmart Can't Avoid Jury In Disability Bias Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel indicated Monday that it doubted Walmart Inc. was being honest when it told a vision-impaired employee seeking to come back from a leave of absence that no jobs were available, with one judge suggesting a jury should decide if the retail giant lied to the worker.

  • May 06, 2024

    Home Builder Beats NC Trade Secrets Suit

    The North Carolina's business court scrapped an interior designer's claims that a competitor stole cabinetry designs and customer information when it hired a former employee, sparing only an accusation that the ex-worker embezzled money.

  • May 06, 2024

    Workday Defeats In-House Atty's Bias Suit, For Now

    A California magistrate judge on Monday dismissed, for now, a lawsuit by a Workday Inc. in-house attorney who accused the company of discriminatory and retaliatory behavior, which included pay inequities and calling the police to conduct an unnecessary wellness check at his house when he was hospitalized. 

  • May 06, 2024

    Chicago To Pay $6M To End Water Workers' Race Bias Suits

    The city of Chicago will pay nearly $6 million to end several lawsuits accusing its water management department of allowing racism to go unchecked and subjecting Black employees to harsher discipline than white workers, counsel for the workers said Monday.

  • May 06, 2024

    Judge Questions Reason For Removing Chem Co. Wage Class

    A Pennsylvania federal judge joined chemical company workers Monday in questioning whether the company had plausibly alleged that there were enough people in a proposed class to remove their wage suit from state court.

  • May 06, 2024

    NJ Justices Erase Gov't Workplace Probe Confidentiality Rule

    The New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday struck down part of a state statute that directs investigators to request, but not require, confidentiality in discrimination or harassment investigations involving state workers, ruling the provision still reached too far and chilled protected speech.

  • May 06, 2024

    Mass. Justices Wary Of Spiking Uber, Lyft Ballot Questions

    Justices on Massachusetts' highest court appeared unlikely Monday to strike down ballot proposals to reinvent app-based drivers' relationships with Uber, Lyft and the like, commenting that the scattershot ideas for voters in March all carry the underlying theme of creating a carveout from the state's worker-friendly employee classification law.

  • May 06, 2024

    Ex-Worker Sues Fla. Krispy Kreme Over Transgender Status

    A former employee at a corporate-owned Krispy Kreme restaurant in Miami has sued the company in Florida state court on allegations of sex and gender discrimination, saying that a manager fired her after learning about her transgender status.

  • May 06, 2024

    Chamber's Noncompete Challenge On Hold For Earlier Case

    A Texas federal court has paused the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's case challenging the Federal Trade Commission's pending ban on noncompetes and encouraged the group to join a case filed a day earlier by tax services and software company Ryan LLC.

  • May 06, 2024

    Colo. High Court Sanctions Ex-Judge Who Harassed Staff

    The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday formally censured a former state judge who sought out relationships with court staff and tried to get another judge to expedite his father's probate case, finding the judge "repeatedly abused his power for self-gain," and ordered him to pay $51,000 in sanctions.

  • May 06, 2024

    Blaze Media Must Show Docs In Harassment Suit, Judge Says

    A Texas federal judge ordered Blaze Media to cough up documents relating to a former commentator accused of sexual harassment, finding that the conservative media company didn't do enough to show that the discovery requests were overly broad and concerned confidential information.

  • May 06, 2024

    Margolis Edelstein Wants Redo Of Malpractice Ruling In Del.

    Margolis Edelstein wants the Delaware Supreme Court to reconsider its decision reviving an insurer's malpractice suit claiming its incompetence caused the insurer to have to settle a case for $1.2 million, and is asking the full court to rehear the matter.

  • May 06, 2024

    Ritz-Carlton Defeats Post-Hurricane Layoff Claims At 1st Circ.

    The First Circuit has said a Puerto Rico federal judge was right to rule in favor of a Ritz-Carlton hotel in a suit by a proposed class of employees who claimed they were wrongfully laid off after the island was decimated by back-to-back hurricanes in 2017.

  • May 06, 2024

    3rd Circ. Won't Revive Ex-Pa. Agency Atty's Firing Suit

    The Third Circuit on Monday declined to revive a former Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development attorney's suit alleging his firing violated his 14th Amendment rights, reasoning that the lawyer failed to show how his termination constitutes a deprivation of property.

  • May 06, 2024

    Prof's Free Speech Suit Over Native Land Statement Falls Flat

    A federal judge has tossed a professor's suit alleging the University of Washington violated his First Amendment rights after he opposed including an acknowledgment of Native Americans in his syllabus for a computer science course, saying his stance created a burden for the school.

  • May 06, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    A record $100 million settlement, a fishy Facebook decision, a canceled Amazon delivery and an upended $7.3 billion sale dispute topped the news out of Delaware's Court of Chancery last week. There were also new cases involving Hess, Microsoft and the 2022 World Cup.

  • May 06, 2024

    Amazon Workers Answer Judge's $5.5M COVID Deal Inquiries

    Amazon employees assured a California federal court that their $5.5 million proposed class action deal is fit for approval, giving additional information on the terms and saying the company backed ending the lawsuit accusing the e-commerce giant of failing to pay for time spent undergoing COVID screenings before shifts.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.

  • What Employers Can Learn From EEOC's 2023 ADA Priorities

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    Between a spike in Americans with Disabilities Act suits filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2023 and the agency’s newly released priorities, the EEOC has provided employers a preview of several ADA issues — like web accessibility, pregnancy discrimination and inflexible policies — it will likely focus enforcement on next year, says Stacy Bunck at Ogletree.

  • Hoopers In NCAA Suit Respark Eligibility Framework Debate

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    A decision by two brothers involved in a recent antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA — to play college basketball rather than go professional after graduating from the Overtime Elite league — has aimed the spotlight on what exactly the NCAA deems permissible compensation under its current framework, say Brady Foster and Dan Lust at Moritt Hock.

  • Practical Insights For Employers Using AI

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    Keeping up with the relentless pace and evolution of regulatory and legislative artificial intelligence in 2023 has been a challenge for employers, but there are four takeaways employers using AI in the workplace should consider by looking toward developments like the European Union's AI Act and President Joe Biden's AI executive order, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Lessons From DOJ's Wave Of Labor Market Prosecutions

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    Attorneys at Patterson Belknap consider lessons learned and future meaningful challenges following the U.S. Department of Justice's first six criminal antitrust cases targeting employee no-poach and wage-fixing agreements, in which just one case resulted in a guilty plea.

  • Starbucks Raise Ruling Highlights Labor Law Catch-22

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    A National Labor Relations Board judge recently ruled that Starbucks violated federal labor law when it gave raises to nonunion employees only, demonstrating that conflicts present in workforces with both union and nonunion employees can put employers in no-win situations if they don't consider how their actions will be interpreted, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

  • 5 Steps For Healthcare Companies After Biden's AI Order

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    Rather than simply monitoring for the issuance of agency guidelines on artificial intelligence in the wake of President Joe Biden's October executive order, health and life sciences companies should take action now and begin building internal operational and technical infrastructures designed to govern the use of AI, says Joy Sharp at Faegre Drinker.

  • Del. Ruling Shows Tension Between 363 Sale And Labor Law

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    The Delaware federal court's ruling in the Braeburn Alloy Steel case highlights the often overlooked collision between an unstayed order authorizing an asset sale free and clear of successor liability under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code and federal labor law imposing successor liability on the buyer, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • A New Wave of Guidance For Safer Seas Act Compliance

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    Since Congress passed the Safer Seas Act, its ambiguous requirements have left stakeholders unsure how to fulfill the law's goals of making U.S.-flagged vessels safer for crews and passengers — but recent guidance from the U.S. Coast Guard should help owners and operators achieve compliance, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Navigating Issues Around NY Freelancer Pay Protection Bill

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    New York’s recently signed Freelance Isn’t Free Act was designed to protect freelance workers, but leaves business to navigate challenges such as unclear coverage, vague contract terms and potentially crushing penalties, says Richard Reibstein at Locke Lord.

  • How AI Executive Order Aims To Compete For Foreign Talent

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    Immigration provisions within the Biden administration's executive order on artificial intelligence take a strategic approach to promoting the U.S. as a destination for AI and STEM talent by streamlining visa processing, enhancing educational and exchange programs, and improving current visa programs and pathways to permanent residency, says Eric Bord at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape

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    The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.

  • The Key To Defending Multistate Collective FLSA Claims

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    Federal circuit courts are split on the reach of a court's jurisdiction over out-of-state employers in Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions, but until the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to review the question, multistate employers should be aware of a potential case-changing defense, say Matthew Disbrow and Michael Dauphinais at Honigman.

  • Ill. Temp Labor Rules: No Clear Road Map For Compliance

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    While the delay of a particularly thorny provision of the Illinois temporary worker law will provide some short-term relief, staffing agencies and their clients will still need to scramble to plan compliance with the myriad vague requirements imposed by the other amendments to the act, say Alexis Dominguez and Alissa Griffin at Neal Gerber.

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