Discrimination

  • March 20, 2026

    EEOC Says Sysco Flouted Subpoena In Hiring Bias Probe

    Sysco's failure to turn over information has "hampered" a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation into allegations that the food distributor discriminated against Black and female job seekers, the EEOC told an Illinois federal court.

  • March 20, 2026

    9th Circ. Kicks Software Salesperson's Bias Suit To Arbitration

    A medical software company won't have to face a fired salesperson's disability and age bias claims in court, after the Ninth Circuit ruled that a severability clause in an arbitration agreement didn't nullify language saying questions about the pact's validity should be decided by an arbitrator.

  • March 20, 2026

    Law Firm Trying To 'Overthrow' Ill. City's Counsel, Suit Says

    A Chicago suburb has sued the law firm Odelson Murphey Frazier & McGrath in Illinois state court, asking a Cook County judge to block its involvement in a federal lawsuit brought by a former city employee accusing the mayor of extortion and retaliation and in a dispute involving the Teamsters at the Illinois Labor Relations Board.

  • March 20, 2026

    White House Pushes Congress To Override State AI Laws

    The White House directed Congress to preempt "burdensome" state laws on artificial intelligence in a legislative framework released Friday.

  • March 20, 2026

    Calif. Forecast: Full 9th Circ. To Hear Unions' Work Dispute

    In the next week, attorneys should keep an eye out for Ninth Circuit en banc oral arguments in a jurisdictional dispute involving two unions, the National Labor Relations Board and the precedent known as Kinder Morgan. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • March 20, 2026

    5th Circ. Revives Parking Worker's Bias Suit Over Racial Slur

    The Fifth Circuit said a lower court was too quick to toss a worker's suit claiming a parking company fired him because he complained that he was called a racial slur on the job, ruling his case should be reinstated after finding his allegations were detailed enough to survive dismissal.

  • March 19, 2026

    Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Hit With Gender Bias Action

    The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative LLC run by Meta Platforms Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan discriminated against women by routinely paying them less than men and promoting them with less frequency, according to a proposed class and collective action removed Wednesday to California federal court.

  • March 19, 2026

    No Proof Of Discrimination In Ann Arbor Vax Suit, Judge Says

    A Michigan federal judge ruled on Wednesday that three former Ann Arbor employees suing the city because it did not grant them religious exemptions from its COVID-19 vaccine directive did not provide direct evidence of discrimination.

  • March 19, 2026

    EEOC Seeks Info From Repair Co. In Hiring Bias Probe

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has urged a Florida federal judge to force a home appliance repair company to turn over records as part of an agency investigation into whether its hiring practices were discriminatory.

  • March 19, 2026

    Former McDermott Paralegal Says Age Bias Got Her Fired

    McDermott Will & Schulte LLP unlawfully terminated a paralegal months before her 65th birthday and replaced her with a younger worker based on the "obtuse" assumption that her performance didn't justify her salary, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Texas federal court.

  • March 19, 2026

    Ill. Planned Parenthood Strikes Deal To End Feds' DEI Probe

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Thursday that Planned Parenthood of Illinois has agreed to pay $500,000 to end an agency investigation into claims that it discriminated against white employees through diversity, equity and inclusion trainings.

  • March 19, 2026

    GM, UAW Accused Of Bias Over Disability Leave Limits

    General Motors threatened to fire a longtime employee because of her disability-related absences, the worker told a Tennessee federal court in a lawsuit, which lobs discrimination claims at the company and her union.

  • March 19, 2026

    2nd Circ. Affirms Manufacturing Worker's $770K FMLA Verdict

    The Second Circuit refused Thursday to scrap a $770,000 jury verdict for a worker who claimed he was fired by an electronics component manufacturer for taking medical leave, ruling the company failed to raise its arguments in the trial court before bringing them up on appeal.

  • March 19, 2026

    Plaintiff's Attys Withdraw From Michigan Atty Retaliation Case

    Counsel for an attorney pursuing sexual harassment discrimination and retaliation claims against her former firm and ex-mentor have filed to withdraw their representation, citing a "breakdown in the attorney-client relationship."

  • March 19, 2026

    11th Circ. Says Black Cop's Race Bias Suit Thin On Evidence

    The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday backed the dismissal of a Black ex-cop's suit claiming Miami-Dade County disciplined and fired him for calling out systemic race discrimination in its police department, shutting down a case the appeals court revived in 2020.

  • March 19, 2026

    Cole Scott Escapes Ex-Paralegal's Bias, Retaliation Suit

    Florida law firm Cole Scott & Kissane PA defeated a suit claiming it fired a paralegal for complaining that colleagues harassed her because she was a Black woman in her 40s with fibromyalgia, with a Florida federal judge finding the woman's claims too threadbare to remain in court.

  • March 19, 2026

    4th Circ. Backs $91K Atty Fee For Worker's $5K Bias Verdict

    The Fourth Circuit declined to scrap $91,000 in attorney fees awarded to a former gym bookkeeper who won $5,000 at trial on her claims that she was fired for reporting sexual harassment, ruling the lower court properly evaluated the effort the worker's counsel put into the case.

  • March 18, 2026

    UnitedHealth Customers Denied Class Cert. In PrEP Suit

    Two UnitedHealthcare customers can't turn their Affordable Care Act lawsuit against a company subsidiary into a class action, a Minnesota federal judge ruled Wednesday, denying the pair's bid to represent thousands of customers in litigation accusing the subsidiary of failing to approve full coverage for PrEP.

  • March 18, 2026

    2nd Circ. Sides With Car Dealership In Pregnancy Bias Suit

    The Second Circuit declined Wednesday to revive a suit from a former car salesperson who said her bosses sabotaged her ability to land deals after she announced her pregnancy, ruling she hadn't furnished evidence that bias drove her supervisors to try to reduce her income.

  • March 18, 2026

    Worker Fired After Moonshine Mishap Loses ADA Suit

    The Sixth Circuit refused Wednesday to reopen a suit from a former restaurant manager who said he was fired because he had a stroke, ruling he couldn't overcome his former employer's rationale that he'd lost his supervisors' trust after searching colleagues' bags for moonshine.

  • March 18, 2026

    Ga. Officials Must Face Claims They Violated Race Bias Deal

    The Eleventh Circuit ruled that Georgia county school officials can't escape a Black ex-teacher's suit alleging they ignored a race discrimination settlement that required enacting a plan to address hiring bias.

  • March 18, 2026

    White Ex-Penn State Prof Gets Traction In 3rd Circ. Bias Fight

    Penn State University faced headwinds at the Third Circuit on Wednesday as it pushed to preserve its trial court win over a white former professor's race discrimination suit, with one judge taking the school's attorney to task for categorizing the case as a broad attack on diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

  • March 18, 2026

    AFSCME Unit, Pa. DOT Must Face Seniority Dispute

    An American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees unit and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation cannot escape an employee's lawsuit alleging that she was placed on unpaid leave during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic while less senior workers were able to continue working, a state appeals court ruled.

  • March 18, 2026

    Microsoft Attempts To Narrow Atty's Pregnancy Bias Suit

    Microsoft Corp. asked a Washington federal judge to trim an attorney's bias case alleging she was fired shortly after announcing her pregnancy, arguing that some of her claims aren't viable because they fell outside the scope of her pre-suit U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charge.

  • March 18, 2026

    11th Circ. Won't Revive Ex-JetBlue Worker's COVID Mask Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit backed JetBlue's win in a lawsuit claiming the airline violated federal disability bias law when it refused to let a flight attendant work maskless during the COVID-19 pandemic, ruling that she waited too long to file a presuit charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Expert Analysis

  • 9 Considerations For Orgs Using AI Meeting Assistants

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    When deciding to use artificial intelligence meeting assistants, organizations must create and implement a written corporate policy that establishes the do's and don'ts for these assistants, taking into account individualized business operations, industry standards and legal and regulatory requirements, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit

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    The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Determining What 'I Don't Feel Safe' Means In The Workplace

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    When an employee tells an employer "I don't feel safe," the phrase can have different meanings, so employment lawyers must adequately investigate to identify which meaning applies — and a cursory review and dismissal of the situation may not be a sufficient defense in case of future legal proceedings, says Karen Elliott at FordHarrison.

  • How EEOC Enforcement Priorities May Change Under Trump

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has already been rocked by the Trump administration's dramatic changes in personnel and policy, which calls into question how the agency may shift its direction from the priorities set forth in its five-year strategic enforcement plan in 2023, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Back To Basics After Admin Change

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    Having an up-to-date employee handbook is more critical now than ever, given the recent change in administration, and employers should understand their benefits and risks, including how they can limit employers’ liability and help retain employers’ rights, say Kasey Cappellano and Meaghan Gandy at Kutak Rock.

  • What Axed Title IX Gender Identity Rule Means For Higher Ed

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    Following a Kentucky federal court's recent decision in State of Tennessee v. Cardona to strike down a Biden-era rule that expanded the definition of Title IX to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity, institutions of higher education should prepare to reimplement policies that comply with the reinstated 2020 rule, say attorneys at Venable.

  • A Path Forward For Cos. Amid Trump's Anti-DEIA Efforts

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    Given the Trump administration’s recent efforts targeting corporate diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs — including threatening possible criminal prosecution — companies should carefully tailor their DEIA initiatives to comply with both the letter and the spirit of antidiscrimination law, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Workforce Data Collection Considerations After DEI Order

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    Following President Donald Trump's executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, employers should balance the benefits of collecting demographic data with the risk of violating the order’s prohibition on "illegal DEI," say Lynn Clements at Berkshire Associates, David Cohen at DCI Consulting and Victoria Lipnic at Resolution Economics.

  • How DOGE's Severance Plan May Affect Federal Employees

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    President Donald Trump's administration, working through the Department of Government Efficiency, recently offered a severance package to nearly all of the roughly 2 million federal employees, but unanswered questions about the offer, coupled with several added protections for government workers, led to fewer accepted offers than expected, says Aaron Peskin at Kang Haggerty.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • 10 Issues To Watch In Aerospace And Defense Contracting

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    This year, in addition to evergreen developments driven by national security priorities, disruptive new technologies and competition with rival powers, federal contractors will see significant disruptions driven by the new administration’s efforts to reduce government spending, regulation and the size of the federal workforce, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Undoing An American Ideal Of Fairness

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    President Donald Trump’s orders attacking birthright citizenship, civil rights education, and diversity, equity and inclusion programs threaten hard-won constitutional civil rights protections and decades of efforts to undo bias in the law — undermining what Chief Justice Earl Warren called "our American ideal of fairness," says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Employer Tips For Wise Use Of Workers' Biometrics And Tech

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    Employers that collect employee biometric data and operate bring-your-own-device policies, which respectively offer better corporate security and more flexibility for workers, should prioritize certain best practices to protect the privacy and rights of employees and safeguard sensitive internal information, says Douglas Yang at Sheppard Mullin.