Discrimination

  • May 13, 2025

    Ex-Defender Can't Block Mystery Info In Sex Bias Case Appeal

    The federal government can submit additional documents from a district court case record in an appeal by a former assistant public defender in North Carolina who accused the federal judiciary of sex bias, the Fourth Circuit ruled Tuesday over the assistant public defender's objections.

  • May 13, 2025

    Democracy Forward Picks Up 4 More Ex-DOJ Attys

    The legal advocacy group Democracy Forward has brought on four former U.S. Department of Justice litigators, adding to a string of hires the organization has made from the federal government as it takes on the Trump administration in court.

  • May 13, 2025

    Venable Wants Out Of 'It Ends With Us' Subpoena

    Venable LLP asked a D.C. federal judge to toss a subpoena of the firm stemming from litigation between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni over the movie "It Ends with Us," accusing Baldoni and his production company of embarking on an "unwarranted fishing expedition."

  • May 13, 2025

    Black Va. Cop Gets $7.25M Jury Win In Promotion Bias Suit

    The city of Alexandria, Virginia, should pay $7.25 million to a Black police officer who claimed he lost out on a promotion because white colleagues complained that he was going to get the job only to advance diversity, a federal jury found.

  • May 12, 2025

    Mass. Court Says NIH Grant Disruption Suit Is In The Right Place

    A Massachusetts federal court ruled Monday that it has jurisdiction over several states' lawsuit challenging delays and cancellations of federal grant programs linked to issues they say are "disfavored" by the Trump administration, rejecting the federal government's contention that the claims instead belonged in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

  • May 12, 2025

    Ex-Ga. Teacher Aims To Keep COVID Leave Claims Alive

    A former Fulton County, Georgia, teacher who said she was forced out of her job by her district's refusal to accommodate her disability during the COVID-19 pandemic has urged a federal judge to keep her suit alive, objecting to a magistrate judge's finding that she waited too long to act on her allegations.

  • May 12, 2025

    6th Circ. Says Worker Must Arbitrate Sex Harassment Suit

    A former retail employee must arbitrate her lawsuit claiming her male supervisor belittled her because she's a woman, the Sixth Circuit ruled Monday, saying the worker's admission that an agreement applied trumps the trial court's invocation of a federal law keeping sex harassment cases out of arbitration.

  • May 12, 2025

    New Pope's Name Signals Focus On Work Issues

    The choice of the name Leo XIV signals the new pope intends to make workers' rights a pillar of his papacy as the rise of artificial intelligence presages a workplace shake-up like that of the manufacturing revolution under the last pope to bear the moniker.

  • May 12, 2025

    Ex-Liberty VP Can Shield Health Info In Bias Suit, For Now

    A Black former Liberty Mutual vice president and senior talent adviser got a temporary sealing order Monday in her race bias suit against the insurer, with a North Carolina magistrate judge stating that certain documents including her personal health information would be protected until her permanent sealing bid is resolved.

  • May 12, 2025

    Puerto Rico Insurer Strikes Deal In EEOC Disability Bias Suit

    A Puerto Rico insurance company has agreed to pay $100,000 to shutter a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission disability bias suit claiming the company refused to immediately transfer an employee to another role to accommodate her fibromyalgia, the EEOC said Monday.

  • May 12, 2025

    Law Students Say Trump Orders Imperil Their Future Careers

    More than 1,000 law students voiced support for Jenner & Block's bid to invalidate an executive order targeting the firm, arguing Monday that the Trump administration's directive threatens to compromise the legal profession and derail their careers before they can begin.

  • May 12, 2025

    BigLaw Student Fellowship Faces Discrimination Charge

    A new legal advocacy organization alleged that a decades-old program that partners with dozens of BigLaw firms to support incoming law students is racially discriminatory.

  • May 12, 2025

    Will Justices Finally Rein In Universal Injunctions?

    The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to address for the first time Thursday the propriety of universal injunctions, a tool federal judges have increasingly used to broadly halt presidential orders and policy initiatives, and whose validity has haunted the high court's merits and emergency dockets for more than a decade.

  • May 12, 2025

    Mass. Jail Employee Says Sexist Colleagues Undermined Her

    A former program manager at a Massachusetts jail has alleged in state court she was repeatedly undermined by a group of male colleagues, then effectively demoted from her role as assistant superintendent in retaliation for complaining.

  • May 12, 2025

    Queens College Purged Jewish Adjunct Faculty, Suit Says

    Queens College unlawfully pushed out six accounting professors under the guise of budgetary concerns and low enrollment in an effort to "clean house" and rid the department of Jewish employees, a former faculty member claimed in New York federal court.

  • May 12, 2025

    BB&K Litigator Joins Jackson Lewis In San Diego

    Employment law firm Jackson Lewis PC is growing its West Coast ranks, bringing in a Best Best & Krieger LLP litigator as a principal in its San Diego office.

  • May 09, 2025

    Ga. Auto Dealer Accused Of Race Bias By Ex-Workers

    A Georgia automobile dealership operator has been sued in Georgia federal court by six Black former employees who allege they were discriminated against because of their race, then were fired for reporting the alleged mistreatment.

  • May 09, 2025

    Wells Fargo Execs Sued In Del. Over 'Sham' Diversity Efforts

    A Wells Fargo stockholder launched a derivative suit on Friday in Delaware's Court of Chancery seeking damages from 17 of the banking giant's directors and officers for potentially billions in costs tied to alleged "sham" diversity-focused recruitment and hiring initiatives.

  • May 09, 2025

    Employment Lawyers' Weekly DEI Cheat Sheet

    A D.C. federal judge appeared skeptical of the Trump administration’s claim that Susman Godfrey LLP violated anti-discrimination law, a Massachusetts federal judge ordered the government to define what it means by “diversity, equity and inclusion” and a new member was nominated to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Here, Law360 looks at notable DEI-related legal developments over the past week.

  • May 09, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Loosen Charge Requirement In Race Bias Case

    The Fourth Circuit backed Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. on Friday in a Black billing contractor's lawsuit claiming he was fired for complaining he was let go for complaining about race bias, saying he hadn't properly named the utility company in his pre-suit discrimination charge.

  • May 09, 2025

    NY Forecast: X Arbitration Fees Dispute At 2nd Circ.

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider social media platform X's attempt to reverse a lower court order requiring it to pay fees for arbitration proceedings with employees who claim they were not paid the full amount of severance they were owed. Here, Law360 looks at this and other cases on the docket in New York.

  • May 09, 2025

    Disney Nears Prelim Approval On $43M Gender Pay Bias Deal

    A California judge said Friday he intends to grant preliminary approval of a $43.25 million class action settlement in a suit alleging Disney paid thousands of women in middle management less than their male colleagues.

  • May 09, 2025

    8th Circ. Won't Reopen IRS Employee's Promotion Bias Suit

    The Eighth Circuit refused Friday to revive an IRS special agent's lawsuit claiming she was denied a promotion because she's a Black woman in her 50s, saying she hadn't demonstrated the agency's decision not to move her up in its ranks was tainted by bias.

  • May 09, 2025

    NY Lawmakers Seek To Close Salary History Loophole

    A New York proposal to bar employers from asking job candidates about their salary expectations shows how states must keep refining and innovating pay disclosure laws as they learn lessons from real-world compliance.

  • May 09, 2025

    Souter's Clerks Remember Him As Humble, Kind And Caring

    Former clerks of retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter are heartbroken over the death of a man many of them remember more for his conscientiousness, humility, kindness and disdain for the spotlight than for his undeniable brilliance as a jurist.

Expert Analysis

  • An Employer's Guide To EEOC Draft Harassment Guidance

    Author Photo

    Rudy Gomez and Steven Reardon at FordHarrison discuss the most notable aspects of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s recently proposed workplace harassment guidance, examine how it fits into the context of recent enforcement trends, and advise on proactive compliance measures in light of the commission’s first update on the issue in 24 years.

  • To Responsibly Rock Out At Work, Draft A Music Policy

    Author Photo

    Employers may be tempted to turn down the tunes after a Ninth Circuit decision that blasting misogynist music could count as workplace harassment, but companies can safely provide a soundtrack to the workday if they first take practical steps to ensure their playlists don’t demean or disrespect workers or patrons, says Ally Coll at the Purple Method.

  • 5 Surprises In New Pregnancy Law's Proposed Regulations

    Author Photo

    Attorneys at Baker McKenzie examine five significant ways that recently proposed regulations for implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act could catch U.S. employers off guard by changing how pregnant workers and those with related medical conditions must be accommodated.

  • How Employers Can Take A Measured Approach To DEI

    Author Photo

    While corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs are facing intense scrutiny, companies need not abandon efforts altogether — rather, now is the time to develop an action plan that can help ensure policies are legally compliant while still advancing DEI goals, say Erin Connell and Alexandria Elliott at Orrick.

  • Courts Should Revisit Availability Of Age Bias Law Damages

    Author Photo

    Federal courts have held that compensatory damages, including for emotional distress, are unavailable in Age Discrimination in Employment Act cases, but it's time for a revamped textualist approach to ensure plaintiffs can receive the critical make-whole remedies Congress intended the law to provide, say attorneys at Sanford Heisler.

  • Employers Should Take Note Of EEOC Focus On Conciliation

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent strategic plan signals that the agency could take a more aggressive approach when verifying employer compliance with conciliation agreements related to discrimination charges, and serves as a reminder that certain employer best practices can help to avoid negative consequences, says Jacqueline Hayduk at Foley & Lardner.

  • 7th Circ. Ruling May Steer ADA Toward Commuter Issues

    Author Photo

    Employers faced with commuting-accommodation requests from employees who do not require on-site modifications under the Americans with Disabilities Act should consider the Seventh Circuit's recent reopening of a lawsuit alleging unlawful refusal of a night-vision-challenged worker's request to extend a shift change, says Robin Shea at Constangy.

  • How Calif. Ruling Extends Worker Bias Liability To 3rd Parties

    Author Photo

    The California Supreme Court's recent significant decision in Raines v. U.S. Healthworks Medical Group means businesses that provide employment-related services to California employers can potentially be held liable for California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act violations, says Ryan Larocca at CDF Labor.

  • Anticipating The Impact Of 2 Impending New Title IX Rules

    Author Photo

    Two major amendments to Title IX — which the U.S. Department of Education is expected to finalize next month — would substantially alter the process schools must use for sexual discrimination complaints and limiting student participation in athletics based on gender identity, says Rebecca Sha at Phelps Dunbar.

  • Despite Regulation Lag, AI Whistleblowers Have Protections

    Author Photo

    Potential whistleblowers at companies failing to comply with the voluntary artificial intelligence commitments must look to a patchwork of state and federal laws for protection and incentives, but deserve comprehensive regulation in this field, say Alexis Ronickher and Matthew LaGarde at Katz Banks.

  • FCRA Legislation To Watch For The Remainder Of 2023

    Author Photo

    If enacted, pending federal and state legislation may result in significant changes for the Fair Credit Reporting Act landscape and thus require regulated entities and practitioners to pivot their compliance strategies, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • A Closer Look At Another HBCU Race Bias Suit Against NCAA

    Author Photo

    The National Collegiate Athletic Association's Academic Performance Program has become a lightning rod for scrutiny, as seen in the recently filed class action McKinney v. NCAA — where statistics in the complaint raise questions about the program's potential discriminatory impact on student-athletes at historically Black colleges and universities, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Employer Defenses After High Court Religious Bias Decision

    Author Photo

    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Groff v. DeJoy — which raised the bar for proving that a worker’s religious accommodation presents an undue hardship — employers can enlist other defense strategies, including grounds that an employee's belief is nonsectarian, say Kevin Jackson and Jack FitzGerald at Foley & Lardner.