Discrimination

  • February 05, 2026

    Harvesting Co. To Pay $6.1M To Settle Calif. Wage Suit

    A California-based harvesting company and related entities will pay over $6.1 million for failing to tell farmworkers about their paid sick leave options and stiffing them on their full wages, the California Labor Commissioner's Office has said.

  • February 04, 2026

    OSU's Defensive Analyst Says Gender Bias Got Him Fired

    Ohio State University was sued Tuesday in federal court by a former football program employee alleging it applied "gendered assumptions about credibility, aggression and victimhood" against him and fired him after he complained about a female colleague's hostile behavior.

  • February 04, 2026

    Colo. Court Considers Hospital's Gender-Affirming Care Halt

    The families of patients of Children's Hospital Colorado who allege it is discriminating against their children through its suspension of gender-affirming medical care for youth patients told a Colorado state court Wednesday the stoppage has significantly harmed their children.

  • February 04, 2026

    9th Circ. Seems Reluctant To Keep Netflix Bias Case In Court

    The Ninth Circuit zeroed in on timing Wednesday as a former Netflix worker pushed to keep her sexual harassment suit out of arbitration, appearing sympathetic to the streaming company's argument that her dispute began before a law banning mandatory arbitration for sexual harassment claims became effective.

  • February 04, 2026

    EEOC Sues Nike To Pry Loose Info For Anti-White Bias Probe

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Nike in Missouri federal court Wednesday, claiming the sports apparel giant hasn't complied with demands for information in a probe assessing whether Nike discriminated against white workers through diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

  • February 04, 2026

    Ex-Fox News Host Decries Judge Pick's Arbitration Stance

    Gretchen Carlson, a former Fox News anchor and a leading advocate for ending forced arbitration of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace, has come out against a federal judicial nominee for Louisiana for her past comments on the issue.

  • February 04, 2026

    4th Circ. Backs Chicken Processor In Fired Worker's ADA Suit

    The Fourth Circuit declined Wednesday to reinstate a suit from a worker who said a chicken processor unlawfully terminated him after a shooting left him with lingering medical issues, saying he failed to show he could perform the key functions of his job.

  • February 04, 2026

    3rd Circ. Ponders Pa. Professor's Virtual Teaching Denial

    A Third Circuit panel on Wednesday quizzed attorneys in a case involving a Kutztown University professor who was denied remote teaching accommodations about if she should have expected in-person instruction to be an essential function of her position, despite the lack of a job description or written policy saying so.

  • February 04, 2026

    United Says Pilot's Vax Accommodation Should End Dispute

    United Airlines has urged an Illinois federal judge to hand it a pretrial win over a pilot's accusation that the airline failed to properly handle his religious-based COVID-19 vaccination exemption request, arguing he received an accommodation that should be considered reasonable and defeat his claims.

  • February 04, 2026

    Ex-DLA Piper Partner Aims To Toss Claim He Raped Associate

    Allegations that an ex-DLA Piper partner raped a former Boston-based associate in Delaware in 2022 should be tossed since the Massachusetts state court the case was filed in has no jurisdiction over the Delaware claim, according to the accused former partner.

  • February 04, 2026

    Fired Boston Staffer's Suit Trimmed As Mayor Ducks Claims

    A federal judge has dismissed most of a former Boston City Hall staffer's employment lawsuit, including claims accusing Mayor Michelle Wu of firing her to protect a cabinet official from sexual harassment allegations.

  • February 04, 2026

    Calif. Opens Pay Data Reporting Portal For Large Cos.

    The California Civil Rights Department has opened its portal for employers with 100 or more employees to report pay data from 2025, the agency announced.

  • February 04, 2026

    EEOC Slaps Hotel Co. With Pregnancy, Religious Bias Suit

    A hotel management company refused to provide a pregnant employee with an adequate chair and pushed a front desk clerk to work Saturday overnight shifts even though that conflicted with his duties as an assistant pastor, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged in Illinois federal court.

  • February 03, 2026

    Guam Defends Bid To Appeal Loss Of Military Leave Suit

    A retirement fund for Guam government employees fired back at the federal government's attempt to prevent it from appealing an order finding the fund and Guam liable for shortchanging pension contributions for employees who take paid leave while serving in the military. 

  • February 03, 2026

    6th Circ. Backs Chemical Co.'s Win In Disability Bias Suit

    A Sixth Circuit panel kept a Michigan chemical facility operator's win Tuesday in a former worker's suit claiming that he was fired because of his disability, finding that the worker could no longer perform all of his job duties.

  • February 03, 2026

    Palm Steakhouse Chain, Black Ex-GC Resolve Race Bias Case

    The owners behind The Palm steakhouse chain and a Black former general counsel who said she was fired after being diagnosed with lung cancer have agreed to end her federal race bias lawsuit, according to a Tuesday filing in New York federal court.

  • February 03, 2026

    ESPN Wants Worker's COVID Vaccine Bias Lawsuit Dismissed

    ESPN has asked a judge to dismiss a former remote video operator's religious bias lawsuit stemming from a COVID-19 booster vaccine mandate, saying the onetime worker exaggerated its corporate parent's links to the government when accusing the company of being an arm of the state.

  • February 03, 2026

    Calif. Food Cos. To Pay $900K To End EEOC Harassment Suit

    A California produce processing operation has agreed to pay $900,000 to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging higher-ups looked the other way while female employees faced pervasive sexual harassment. 

  • February 03, 2026

    Clorox Settles Male Worker's Gender Bias Suit On Eve Of Trial

    Clorox has settled a gender discrimination suit from a former employee who claimed he was fired because the company wanted more women managers, right before the case was set to go to trial and just under a year after it was revived by the Ninth Circuit.

  • February 02, 2026

    Calif. Justices Revive 'Unreadable' Arbitration Agreement Suit

    In a 6-1 decision, the California Supreme Court clarified on Monday that courts must "closely scrutinize the terms of difficult-to-read contracts for unfairness or one-sidedness," but the "illegibility" — font size, placement, prominence, etc. — of agreements do not themselves indicate that it is unconscionable.

  • February 02, 2026

    Bikini Barista Boss Says Wash. AG Defamed Him In Wage Suit

    The owner of Seattle-area Paradise Espresso stands slammed the Washington State Office of the Attorney General on Monday for filing a wage theft and employment discrimination lawsuit "containing known falsehoods" and disparaging his bikini barista business in a related press release.

  • February 02, 2026

    8th Circ. Rejects Minn. Health Worker's COVID-19 Suit

    The Eighth Circuit ruled Monday that the Minnesota Department of Human Services didn't illegally fail to exempt a Catholic employee from mandatory weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated individuals, saying the pandemic-era requirement was lawful.

  • February 02, 2026

    6th Circ. Says High Court Ruling Buoys Bias Suit Against GM

    The Sixth Circuit reinstated a male General Motors worker's sex bias suit claiming he got harsher discipline than a female colleague, ruling Monday that his case needs a second look after the U.S. Supreme Court clarified the standards for discrimination cases brought by workers in majority groups.

  • February 02, 2026

    Curaleaf Can't Ditch All Ill. Whistleblower Act Claims

    An Illinois magistrate judge on Monday mostly denied a bid from Curaleaf Inc. to throw out a former regional director's Illinois Whistleblower Act claims, saying the complaint is sufficient to allege that he was retaliated against for reporting compliance violations to the state government.

  • February 02, 2026

    EEOC Calls School Board's Bias Probe Challenge Premature

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission urged a New Mexico federal judge to toss a school board's challenge to an agency investigation into alleged hiring discrimination against Native Americans, arguing the case is procedurally out of line.

Expert Analysis

  • Employer Tips As Deepfakes Reshape Workplace Harassment

    Author Photo

    As the workplace harassment landscape faces the rising threat of fabricated media that hyperrealistically depict employees in sexual or malicious contexts, employers can stay ahead of the curve by tracking new legal obligations, and proactively updating policies, training and response protocols, say attorneys at Littler.

  • How To Balance AI Adoption With Employee Privacy Risks

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    As artificial intelligence transforms the workplace, organizations must learn to leverage AI's capabilities while safeguarding against employee privacy risks and complying with a complex web of regulations, including by vetting vendors, mitigating employee misuse and establishing a governance framework, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • How Ending OFCCP Will Affect Affirmative Action Obligations

    Author Photo

    As President Donald Trump's administration plans to eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which enforces federal contractor antidiscrimination compliance and affirmative action program obligations, contractors should consider the best compliance approaches available to them, especially given the False Claims Act implications, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • Employer Best Practices For Navigating Worker Separations

    Author Photo

    As job cuts hit several major industries, employers should take steps to minimize their exposure to discrimination claims, information leaks and enforcement challenges, such as maintaining sound documentation, strategic planning and legal coordination, says Mark Romance at Day Pitney.

  • Employer Tips For Responding To ICE In The Workplace

    Author Photo

    Increased immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump's administration has left employers struggling to balance their compliance obligations with their desire to provide a safe workplace, so creating a thorough response plan and training for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's presence at the workplace is crucial, say attorneys at Hanson Bridgett.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Shifting Worker Accommodation Rules

    Author Photo

    Since President Donald Trump took office, many changes have directly affected how employers must address accommodation requests, particularly those concerning pregnancy-related medical conditions and religious beliefs, underscoring the importance of regularly reviewing and updating accommodation policies and procedures, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Shifting DEI Expectations Put Banks In Legal Crosshairs

    Author Photo

    The Trump administration's rollbacks on DEI-friendly policies create something of a regulatory catch-22 for banks, wherein strict compliance would contradict established statutory and administrative mandates regarding access to credit for disadvantaged communities, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • Compliance Tips After Court Axes EEOC's Trans Rights Take

    Author Photo

    A Texas federal court's recent decision struck portions of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's 2024 guidance pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity under Title VII, barring their use nationwide and leaving employers unsure about how to proceed in their compliance efforts, say attorneys at Dorsey & Whitney.

  • 5 Insurance Claims That Could Emerge After NCAA Settlement

    Author Photo

    Following the recent NCAA class action settlement that will allow revenue sharing with college athletes, there may be potential management liability for universities, their executive leadership and boards that could expose insurers to tax, regulatory, breach of contract and other claims, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.

  • 8th Circ. Ruling Highlights Complicated Remote Work Analysis

    Author Photo

    The Eighth Circuit’s recent opinion in Kuklenski v. Medtronic USA demonstrates that the applicability of employment laws to remote workers is often a fact-driven analysis, highlighting several parameters to consider when evaluating what state and local laws may apply to employees who work remotely, say attorneys at Vedder Price.

  • Philly Law Initiates New Era Of Worker Protections

    Author Photo

    A new worker protection law in Philadelphia includes, among other measures, a private right of action and recordkeeping requirements that may amount to a lower evidentiary standard, introducing a new level of accountability and additional noncompliance risks for employers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Justices' Ruling Lowers Bar For Reverse Discrimination Suits

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous opinion in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, lowering the evidentiary burden for plaintiffs bringing so-called reverse discrimination claims, may lead to more claims brought by majority group employees — and open the door to legal challenges to employer diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • 4 Midyear Employer Actions To Reinforce Compliance

    Author Photo

    The legal and political landscape surrounding what the government describes as unlawful diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives has become increasingly complex over the past six months, and the midyear juncture presents a strategic opportunity to reinforce commitments to legal integrity, workplace equity and long-term operational resilience, say attorneys at Krevolin & Horst.