Discrimination

  • March 03, 2026

    Inova Defeats Nurses' COVID Vax Bias Suits At 4th Circ.

    The Fourth Circuit refused Tuesday to revive suits from nurse anesthetists who said they faced religious and disability discrimination when they were fired for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, ruling that nonprofit healthcare provider Inova wasn't their employer.

  • March 03, 2026

    NC Town Must Face Firefighter's Retaliation, Free Speech Suit

    A former part-time fire chief who accused a North Carolina town of terminating him after he sought to improve firefighter pay and benefits can proceed with his retaliation lawsuit, as a North Carolina federal court said it's too early to know if his ex-employer is immune from the suit.

  • March 03, 2026

    6th Circ. Says Fired Opera Singer's UMich Suit Came Too Late

    The Sixth Circuit declined Tuesday to revive a lawsuit against the University of Michigan claiming the school unfairly sacked a star opera singer after allegations surfaced that he and his husband had sexually assaulted another singer years before.

  • March 03, 2026

    McDermott Must Trim 'Vastly Overbroad' Subpoena In Atty Suit

    A Black attorney who is suing McDermott Will & Schulte LLP for racial bias secured a court order Tuesday quashing the law firm's subpoena for some of her previous employment records, as a federal judge called the request "vastly overbroad" and directed the firm to narrow it.

  • March 03, 2026

    Commanders Settle With DC AG Over Workplace Allegations

    The Washington Commanders will pay $1 million to settle a 2022 lawsuit from the Washington, D.C., attorney general alleging that the team violated the city's consumer protection laws when it misled residents about its internal investigation into sexual assault claims under former owner Dan Snyder.

  • March 03, 2026

    4th Circ. Backs Toss Of Ex-Air Marshal's Disability Bias Suit

    The Fourth Circuit backed the dismissal Tuesday of an ex-air marshal's disability bias suit claiming the government made her transfer positions instead of accommodating her vision condition, ruling her case falls flat because her medical issues prevented her from flying — a core duty of her role.

  • March 03, 2026

    EEOC, Health Co. Reach Accord In Pregnancy Bias Suit

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and an infusion therapy provider have reached a tentative deal to end the agency's suit accusing the company of unlawfully refusing a pregnant nurse's requests for shorter commutes, according to a filing Tuesday in Massachusetts federal court.

  • March 03, 2026

    Housing Worker Blocked From Reinstating Claims After Trial

    A former coordinator for Charlotte's public housing authority can't reinstate retaliation and punitive damages claims that were thrown out before her hostile work environment trial, a North Carolina federal judge ruled, saying that the motion was misguided and that she could have uncovered the supposedly new evidence beforehand.

  • March 03, 2026

    Limo Co. To Pay $95K To End EEOC Sex Harassment Probe

    A Kentucky transportation company has agreed to pay $95,000 after a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation found support for claims that it ignored a male employee's sexual harassment of female workers, the agency said Tuesday.

  • March 02, 2026

    Worker's Heart Issues Can't Save Vax Bias Suit, 5th Circ. Says

    The Fifth Circuit declined to revive a worker's bias suit claiming he was forced out of an oil and gas services company because his heart condition prevented him from complying with its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, ruling his case falls flat because his heart issues don't amount to a disability.

  • March 02, 2026

    Ex-Chipotle Worker Can't Rebut Roach Rationale In Firing Suit

    The Tenth Circuit on Monday refused to reopen a former Chipotle manager's lawsuit claiming he was fired because he was in his 50s, saying he couldn't overcome the fast casual restaurant chain's argument that he was let go because of a cockroach infestation.

  • March 02, 2026

    NFL Teams Ask Judge To Revisit Flores Suit Arbitration Ruling

    Three NFL teams have asked a New York federal judge to reverse a decision she made two weeks ago and allow their dispute with former head coach Brian Flores to be decided in arbitration instead of in court.

  • March 02, 2026

    School Mask Rule Warning Cost Director His Job, Jury Told

    A former administrator told a Pennsylvania federal jury Monday that Upper Bucks County Technical School violated his First Amendment rights by firing him for speaking out about the school's purported violation of a statewide mask mandate during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • March 02, 2026

    Adopting EEOC Binary Bathroom Stance Seen As Risky Move

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently declared that it's legal for federal agencies to bar transgender workers from accessing restrooms that match their gender identity, but employment experts said private employers that adopt this approach may be putting themselves in legal jeopardy.

  • March 02, 2026

    Gift Shop Co. Cuts $600K Deal In EEOC Disability Bias Suit

    A hospital gift shop company has agreed to pay $600,000 to end a suit from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming it asked questions on its job applications that illegally screened out workers with disabilities.

  • March 02, 2026

    Nurse Who Won Retaliation Verdict Can't Get Former Job Back

    The First Circuit refused to order a Puerto Rico agency to return a nurse to her previous job even though a jury handed her a six-figure retaliation win, saying unwinding her transfer wasn't justified because the verdict hadn't specifically deemed the move illegal.

  • March 02, 2026

    Pepsi Extinguishes Employee's Tobacco Fee Lawsuit

    Pepsi has defeated a proposed class action claiming it unlawfully charged employees who used tobacco more to obtain health insurance, with a New York federal judge shutting down a worker's argument that the company hadn't given tobacco users a sufficient way to avoid the surcharge.

  • February 27, 2026

    Marshall Dennehey Can't Arbitrate Atty's Sex Harassment Suit

    An Ohio appeals court declined Thursday to send a former Marshall Dennehey PC attorney's sexual harassment suit to arbitration, ruling that mocking comments he faced from a senior lawyer triggered the protection of a law that shields sex misconduct disputes from being kicked out of court.

  • February 27, 2026

    Emory Escapes Fired Worker's Race, Age Bias Suit

    Emory University knocked out a lawsuit from a white former employee who said her race and age got her fired, with a federal judge ruling that she couldn't overcome the school's argument that she'd been terminated for accessing medical records without authorization.

  • February 27, 2026

    3rd Circ. Preview: Janssen, Penn State Prof. Seek Relief

    A packed March argument calendar will put several high‑stakes disputes before the Third Circuit, including a billion‑dollar False Claims Act judgment and challenges at the intersection of academic freedom, DEI programming, cannabis‑sector finance and campus Title IX procedures.

  • February 27, 2026

    4 Argument Sessions Bias Attys Should Watch In March

    A federal judge will consider forcing the University of Pennsylvania to give the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission contact information of Jewish employees who may have endured or witnessed on-campus antisemitism, and the Fourth Circuit will mull whether Liberty University should face a transgender former employee's lawsuit. Here are four oral arguments discrimination attorneys should watch in March. 

  • February 27, 2026

    Haribo Defeats Fired Black Exec's Bias, Retaliation Suit

    A Texas federal jury sided with Haribo in a bias suit filed by a Black former executive who said the candy company unlawfully fired her and accused her of stealing a company car after she complained she'd been treated worse than white male colleagues.

  • February 27, 2026

    Ex-Cybersecurity Staffer Sues Carrier Corp. For Age Bias

    A former security official for HVAC manufacturer Carrier Global Corp. has hit the company with an age discrimination lawsuit in Georgia federal court, alleging he was fired in 2024 alongside a group of older workers, and then saw his job filled by a younger counterpart.

  • February 27, 2026

    School Beats Bias Suit From Ex-Worker Arrested Over Laptop

    The Sixth Circuit declined to reinstate a Black human resources manager's suit claiming the University of Toledo fired him out of race bias and then got him arrested, ruling the university justified its actions based on his performance issues and his refusal to return his work laptop.

  • February 27, 2026

    Calif. Forecast: Grubhub $25M Wage Deal Heads To Court

    In the next week, attorneys should watch for a preliminary settlement hearing in a long-running Grubhub driver classification suit that went to the Ninth Circuit. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

Expert Analysis

  • The Key Changes In Revised FDIC Hiring Regulations

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    Attorneys at Ogletree break down the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s new rule, effective Oct. 1, that will ease restrictions on financial institutions hiring employees with criminal histories, amend the FDIC's treatment of minor offenses and clarify its stance on expunged or dismissed criminal records.

  • Employer Tips For PUMP Act Compliance As Law Turns 2

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    Enacted in December 2022, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act requires employers to provide reasonable break time and a private space for employees to express breast milk, but some companies may still be struggling with how to comply, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • What To Know About Ill. Employment Law Changes

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    Illinois employers should review their policies in light of a number of recent changes to state employment law, including amendments to the state’s Human Rights Act and modifications to the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, say attorneys at Kilpatrick.

  • Mich. Whistleblower Ruling Expands Retaliation Remedies

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    The Michigan Supreme Court's recent Occupational Health and Safety Act decision in Stegall v. Resource Technology is important because it increases the potential exposure for defendants in public policy retaliation cases, providing plaintiffs with additional claims, say Aaron Burrell and Timothy Howlett at Dickinson Wright.

  • How States Are Approaching AI Workplace Discrimination

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    As legislators across the U.S. have begun addressing algorithmic discrimination in the workplace, attorneys at Reed Smith provide an overview of the status, applicability and provisions of 13 state and local bills.

  • The Risks Of Employee Political Discourse On Social Media

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    As election season enters its final stretch and employees increasingly engage in political speech on social media, employers should beware the liability risks and consider policies that negotiate the line between employees' rights and the limits on those rights, say Bradford Kelley and James McGehee at Littler.

  • 7th Circ. Rulings Offer Employee Vaccine Exemption Guidance

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    Dawn Solowey and Samantha Brooks at Seyfarth explain how two recent Seventh Circuit rulings in Passarella v. Aspirus and Bube v. Aspirus could affect litigation involving employee vaccine exemptions, and discuss employer best practices for handling accommodation requests that include both religious and secular concerns.

  • Employers Should Not Neglect Paid Military Leave Compliance

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    An August decision from the Ninth Circuit and the settlement of a long-running class action, both examining paid leave requirements under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, are part of a nationwide trend that should prompt employers to review their military leave policies to avoid potential litigation and reputational damage, says Bradford Kelley at Littler.

  • Old Employment Law Principles Can Answer New AI Concerns

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    Despite growing legal and regulatory concerns about how artificial intelligence tools may affect employment decisions and worker rights, companies should take comfort in knowing that familiar principles of employment law and established compliance regimes can still largely address these new twists on old questions, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • NYC Wage Info Bill Highlights Rise In Pay Transparency Laws

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    With New York City the latest to mull requiring companies to annually report employee wage data, national employers should consider adapting their compliance practices to comply with increasingly common pay transparency and disclosure obligations at state and local levels, says Kelly Cardin at Littler Mendelson.

  • Workday AI Bias Suit Suggests Hiring Lessons For Employers

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    As state laws and a federal agency increasingly focus on employment bias introduced by artificial intelligence systems, a California federal court's recent decision to allow a discrimination suit to proceed against Workday's AI-driven recruitment software, shows companies should promptly assess these tools' risks, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.

  • How Anti-DEI Bill Could Affect Employers' Diversity Efforts

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    Sen. J.D. Vance's recently introduced Dismantle DEI Act would substantially limit employers’ ability to implement and promote workplace diversity, equity and inclusion, but there are still steps employers can take to support a diverse workforce, says Peter Ennis at Cozen O’Connor.

  • US Labor And Employment Law Holds Some Harsh Trade-Offs

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    U.S. labor and employment laws have evolved into a product of exposure-capping compromise, which merits discussion in a presidential election year when the dialogue has focused on purported protections of middle-class workers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.