ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ

Discrimination

  • May 08, 2025

    Judge Seems To Favor Susman Godfrey In Trump Challenge

    A D.C. federal judge appeared poised Thursday to allow Susman Godfrey LLP's challenge to President Donald Trump's executive order targeting the firm to proceed or to grant the firm a summary judgment win altogether, after she pressed a government attorney on the president's basis for alleging discrimination at the firm.

  • May 08, 2025

    Panel Says Colo. Hospitals Need Notice Of Retaliation Claims

    A Colorado appeals court on Thursday sided with a Denver health system in a precedential ruling, finding healthcare workers who sue public hospitals under a state anti-retaliation statute must warn hospitals about their claims.

  • May 08, 2025

    Judge Allows WWE Accuser To Add SEC Settlement To Suit

    A former World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. staffer, who has accused ex-CEO Vince McMahon of assault and sex trafficking in Connecticut federal court, was allowed to include in an amended complaint the settlement McMahon reached with the federal government regarding payments he made to her and another woman over alleged misconduct.

  • May 08, 2025

    6th Circ. Seems Open To Reviving Ex-Ford Worker's Bias Suit

    The Sixth Circuit appeared skeptical Thursday of Ford Motor Co.'s arguments that a fired Muslim and Middle Eastern employee had not laid out sufficient facts to keep his bias and retaliation lawsuit alive, indicating plaintiffs needn't meet a high bar in the early stages of a case.

  • May 08, 2025

    Ex-Tesla Worker Can't Upend Arbitrator's Race Bias Decision

    A former Tesla assistant store manager can't upend an arbitration award in favor of the company on claims that he was harassed and passed over for promotion because he's Black, a California federal judge ruled, saying the arbitrator didn't abuse her powers by limiting the number of depositions.

  • May 08, 2025

    Wayfair Beats Software Engineer's Age Bias Suit

    A Massachusetts state jury has cleared Wayfair in a discrimination case brought by a 53-year-old software engineer who was terminated in the early months of the pandemic after he requested flexibility to care for his school-age children.

  • May 08, 2025

    Fogo De Chao Hit With Wage, Age Bias Suit In NY

    Brazilian steakhouse chain Fogo de Chao failed to properly pay servers and forced them to share tips with owners and managers while also discriminating against a former employee for his age, according to a proposed class and collective action filed Thursday in New York federal court.

  • May 08, 2025

    Judge Asks DOJ To Define DEI In Health Grant Case

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Thursday ordered U.S. Department of Justice lawyers to provide the Trump administration's definitions of diversity, equity and inclusion, saying he needs to know so he can consider whether that is a valid basis for pausing federal health research grants.

  • May 08, 2025

    11th Circ. Won't Revisit Ga. City Atty's Sex Harassment Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit refused Thursday to reopen a lawsuit from a former Atlanta city attorney who claimed she was fired for complaining about her boss' sexual advances, saying it found no issues with a trial court's decision to toss the case.

  • May 08, 2025

    Landry's To Pay Iranian Server $95K In EEOC Harassment Suit

    Seafood restaurant chain Landry's will pay $95,000 to wrap up a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it fired an Iranian server under false allegations that she came to work drunk after she complained about harassment, according to a Colorado federal court filing.

  • May 08, 2025

    Quorum Would Let EEOC Fully Embrace Trump Agenda

    Confirmation of the Republican attorney nominated by President Donald Trump to join the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission would likely herald a swift overhaul of Biden-era policies along with an uptick in EEOC lawsuits and amicus briefs championing conservative priorities.

  • May 08, 2025

    Pa. Jury Awards $165K To Teachers In Equal Pay Suit

    A Pennsylvania jury awarded a total of $165,000 in damages to two female teachers who claimed they had been unfairly paid less than their male counterparts in the Central Bucks School District Thursday.

  • May 08, 2025

    DOJ Civil Rights Appellate Leader Joins Crowell & Moring

    Crowell & Moring LLP hired the acting deputy chief of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division's Appellate Section as a senior counsel who will be based in Washington focusing on a range of higher education matters, the firm announced Thursday.

  • May 08, 2025

    Jury Says Firm Owes Ex-HR Exec $3.27M In Retaliation Case

    A Tennessee federal jury said a personal injury firm should pay $3.27 million to a former chief people officer who claimed she was fired after raising concerns that female attorneys were being paid less than men.

  • May 08, 2025

    5th Circ. Says Late Filing Dooms Fired Worker's Vax Bias Suit

    The Fifth Circuit declined to revive an ex-Texas Children's Hospital worker's bias suit claiming she was fired for seeking a religious exemption to its COVID-19 vaccination requirement, rejecting her argument that a lost password excused missing a deadline to file the case.

  • May 08, 2025

    Lewis Brisbois Litigator Jumps To FordHarrison In LA

    Management-side labor and employment firm FordHarrison LLP is growing its West Coast team, bringing in a litigator from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

  • May 07, 2025

    DOJ Drops Bias Claims Over NY Fire Dept. Hiring Practices

    The U.S. Department of Justice dropped its claims on Wednesday in long-running federal litigation against New York City over allegedly discriminatory hiring practices against minority firefighter applicants, two weeks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that seeks to end disparate impact as a theory of liability for unlawful discrimination.

  • May 07, 2025

    BNSF Fired Conductor For Seeking Injury Payment, Suit Says

    BNSF Railway Co. has been hit with an employment retaliation suit in Washington federal court by a former conductor who claims he was wrongfully fired based on an unsubstantiated rule violation after he sought compensation for a brake rigging accident that severely injured his hand.

  • May 07, 2025

    Illinois Seeks Exit From Suit Over Demographic Data Law

    Illinois asked a federal judge to toss a lawsuit brought by a group called the American Alliance for Equal Rights that seeks to block the state from enforcing a law requiring nonprofits to publicize their demographic data, saying the organization has no standing to bring the claims.

  • May 07, 2025

    NY Legal Aid Union Accused Of Antisemitism At NLRB, EEOC

    A United Auto Workers affiliate representing attorneys at a New York legal services organization violated federal laws when the union thwarted antisemitism measures in the workplace, a nonprofit alleged Wednesday in announcing charges it filed at the National Labor Relations Board and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

  • May 07, 2025

    9th Circ. Axes Fired University Worker's 1st Amendment Fight

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday refused to revive a lawsuit claiming two former University of Arizona officials fired a health sciences employee because of his husband's criticisms of a hiring process, saying the administrators are immune from the worker's free speech claim.

  • May 07, 2025

    Similar Federal Suit Found To Bar A&M Texarkana Bias Case

    A state appeals court has said Texas A&M University-Texarkana could escape an employment discrimination lawsuit brought by a former employee, ruling that his claims are barred by a nearly identical suit he previously filed in federal court.

  • May 07, 2025

    6th Circ. Weighs Muldrow's Impact On Prof.'s Trans Bias Suit

    The Sixth Circuit wrestled Wednesday with whether the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Muldrow decision warrants giving a transgender Kent State University professor a second chance at lawsuit alleging a promised promotion was revoked because of their gender identity.

  • May 07, 2025

    Veterinary Pathologist's Pay Bias Suit Teed Up For Trial

    A New Jersey federal judge said a jury needs to probe a veterinary pathologist's claims that an animal health company unlawfully paid her less than two male co-workers, ruling there isn't enough proof to definitely say whether they performed equal work.

  • May 07, 2025

    2nd Circ. Backs NYC Win In IT Worker's Bias, Retaliation Suit

    A former New York City telecommunications employee cannot revive her lawsuit alleging she was pushed out after managers scheduled meetings during her lunch because she reported a supervisor's inappropriate touching, the Second Circuit ruled Wednesday, saying there's no evidence the managers knew her migraines necessitated a specific lunch break.

Expert Analysis

  • Key Requirements In New Maryland Pay Transparency Laws

    Author Photo

    Although several jurisdictions now require pay transparency in job advertisements, Maryland's new law is among the broadest in the country, both in terms of what is required and the scope of its applicability, says Sarah Belger at Quarles & Brady.

  • Lessons From EEOC Case Of Fla. Worker Fired After Stillbirth

    Author Photo

    A recent federal court settlement between a Florida resort and a fired line cook shows that the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission sees stillbirth as protected under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, also providing four other important lessons, says Gordon Berger at Pierson Ferdinand.

  • Advising Employers As AI Meets DEI And Discrimination

    Excerpt from
    Author Photo

    Though companies can use artificial intelligence tools to develop more diverse and inclusive workforces, counsel should also prepare employers for how AI can stymie these efforts, provoke discrimination claims and complicate resulting litigation, says Emily Schifter at Troutman Pepper.

  • A Look At The Hefty Demands In Calif. Employer AI Draft Regs

    Author Photo

    California's draft regulations on artificial intelligence use in employment decisions show that the California Privacy Protection Agency is positioning itself as a de facto AI regulator for the state, which isn't waiting around for federal legislation, says Lily Li at Metaverse Law.

  • Federal Salary History Ban's Reach Is Limited

    Author Photo

    Though a newly effective Office of Personnel Management rule takes important steps by banning federal employers from considering job applicants' nonfederal salary histories, the rule's narrow applicability and overconfidence in the existing system's fairness will likely not end persistent pay inequities, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • 2nd Circ. Hostile Workplace Ruling Widens Arbitration Pitfalls

    Author Photo

    The Second Circuit’s recent decision, affirming the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act applies to a worker whose workplace hostility claims arose before the law’s 2022 enactment, widens the scope of the law — and the risks of unenforceable arbitration agreements for employers, say attorneys at Hinshaw.

  • Title VII Compliance Lessons From Raytheon Age Bias Suit

    Author Photo

    A Texas federal court’s recent refusal to dismiss age discrimination claims from a former Raytheon employee, terminated after he admitted to acts that Raytheon says violated its harassment policy, nonetheless illustrates strategies employers can use to protect themselves when facing competing Title VII workplace obligations, say attorneys at Segal McCambridge.

  • How The Presidential Election Will Affect Workplace AI Regs

    Author Photo

    The U.S. has so far adopted a light-handed approach to regulating artificial intelligence in the labor and employment area, but the presidential election is unlikely to have as dramatic of an effect on AI regulations as it may on other labor and employment matters, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Eye On Compliance: ADA Accommodations For Obesity

    Author Photo

    As the classification of "obesity" as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act continues to evolve, employers should note federal district and state court deviations from U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines, which have deemed obesity to be a qualifying impairment, no matter the cause, says Lauren Stadler at Wilson Elser.

  • 3rd. Circ. Ruling Shows Employers Where To Put ADA Focus

    Author Photo

    A recent Third Circuit decision in Morgan v. Allison Crane & Rigging, confirming that the Americans with Disabilities Act protects some temporarily impaired employees, reminds employers to pursue compliance through uniform policies that head off discriminatory decisions, not after-the-fact debates over an individual's disability status, says Joseph McGuire at Freeman Mathis.

  • 11th Circ. Ruling Offers Refresher On 'Sex-Plus' Bias Claims

    Author Photo

    While the Eleventh Circuit’s recent ruling in McCreight v. AuburnBank dismissed former employees’ sex-plus-age discrimination claims, the opinion reminds employers to ensure that workplace policies and practices do not treat a subgroup of employees of one sex differently than the same subgroup of another sex, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.

  • Employment Verification Poses Unique Risks For Staffing Cos.

    Author Photo

    All employers face employee verification issues, but a survey of recent settlements with the U.S. Department of Justice's Immigrant and Employee Rights Section suggests that staffing companies' unique circumstances raise the chances they will be investigated and face substantial fines, says Eileen Scofield at Alston & Bird.

  • What To Expect As Worker Bias Suit Heads To High Court

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, which concerns how courts treat discrimination claims brought by majority group plaintiffs, and its decision could eliminate the background circumstances test, but is unlikely to significantly affect employers' diversity programs, say Victoria Slade and Alysa Mo at Davis Wright.