Discrimination

  • September 19, 2025

    NFL Warns Arb. Ruling Could Disrupt Sports Dispute Process

    The NFL has asked the Second Circuit for a rehearing on its finding that the league provides arbitration "in name only" because its process lacks neutrality, arguing that the decision will disrupt long-standing procedures across professional sports and undermine a league's authority to resolve disputes.

  • September 19, 2025

    Fed Workers Can Telework For Religious Reasons, DOJ Says

    Federal employees should be allowed to telework occasionally for religious reasons, even after President Donald Trump's January executive order requiring in-person attendance for government workers, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

  • September 19, 2025

    Former Immigration Judge's Bias Suit Gets Trimmed In Fla.

    A Florida federal judge has trimmed multiple counts from a former immigration judge's discrimination lawsuit, finding that she failed to back up her bias claims.

  • September 19, 2025

    11th Circ. Signals Damage Caps Can't Be Waived In Bias Suits

    The Eleventh Circuit on Friday challenged the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's argument that courts can disregard statutory damage limits in workplace discrimination suits if companies don't invoke them early enough in litigation, as one judge declared that "you can't waive law."

  • September 19, 2025

    Fired Public Housing CEO Sues NC City, Alleging Racial Bias

    The former CEO of a North Carolina city's public housing authority has hit the city and authority board with a race discrimination and breach of contract suit, alleging in North Carolina federal court that the defendants violated her work contract because she's an African American woman.

  • September 19, 2025

    Google Must Face Suit Over Mideast Protest Firings

    Google managed to narrow, but couldn't knock out, a proposed class action challenging the firings of employees who protested the company's connections to the Israeli military, as a California federal court said it's too soon to decide if the in-office dissent lost the protection of federal anti-retaliation law.

  • September 19, 2025

    Medical Marijuana Co. Fired Worker Over Seizures, EEOC Says

    A medical marijuana business fired an employee soon after she asked to take breaks at work to accommodate her seizure condition, according to a suit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Florida federal court.

  • September 19, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: Fast-Food Workers Seek Wage Suit Sanctions

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for arguments regarding sanctions in a wage and hour class action against an operator of Jack in the Box restaurants. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • September 18, 2025

    Polsinelli Can't Trim, Arbitrate Atty's Sexual Harassment Case

    Polsinelli PC and two former partners cannot trim and compel arbitration of claims in a $20 million sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit brought by a former equity shareholder, a D.C. federal judge ruled Thursday, saying the shareholder plausibly alleges her claims and isn't required to arbitrate the dispute.

  • September 18, 2025

    Starbucks Accused Of Not Paying For 'Restrictive' Dress Code

    Starbucks employees from Colorado, Illinois and California on Wednesday launched legal actions against the coffeehouse giant for allegedly refusing to reimburse them for clothing and shoes despite requiring a new dress code.

  • September 18, 2025

    EEOC Sues Security Firms Over 'Sexually Hostile' Workplace

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Thursday filed suit on behalf of a Georgia woman who was allegedly discriminated against while working as a security officer and then fired when she complained about the "sexually hostile work environment."

  • September 18, 2025

    DOL Proposal To Nix Bias Regs Draws Over 1,000 Comments

    The public comment window closed Wednesday on a U.S. Department of Labor proposal to scrap decades-old regulations that impose nondiscrimination and affirmative action requirements on federal contractors. Here, Law360 looks at some of the themes from the feedback.

  • September 18, 2025

    7th Circ. Judge Wary Of Ex-Firefighter's Free Speech Position

    A Seventh Circuit judge on Thursday said an attorney for a former Chicago firefighter seeking to revive a suit claiming he was unlawfully fired for a series of memes and other statements posted on Facebook seemed to be making a "hyperbolic" argument that public employers cannot regulate speech outside the workplace.

  • September 18, 2025

    EEOC Says Home Care Co.'s Owner Harassed Female Workers

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged in federal court Thursday that an owner of a Virginia-based home healthcare provider groped female employees and subjected them to unwelcome sexual comments, prompting many to quit.

  • September 18, 2025

    Microsoft Whistleblower Suit Can Proceed, Judge Says

    A former Microsoft worker can keep pursuing his federal whistleblower claim in his suit accusing the company of firing him for flagging compliance issues and misconduct, a Texas federal court ruled in its order determining the employee's alleged failure to utilize administrative proceedings does not bar him from bringing the claims.

  • September 18, 2025

    Caterpillar Unit Escapes Fired HR Worker's Age Bias Suit

    A Colorado federal judge tossed a suit Thursday from a former human resources manager who said a Caterpillar Inc. subsidiary fired her because she was in her mid-50s, finding she failed to overcome evidence of performance issues that included repeated mistakes and disclosures of confidential information.

  • September 18, 2025

    U. Of Arkansas Must Face Ex-Coach's Equal Pay Claims

    A former assistant softball coach for the University of Arkansas has sufficiently supported her claims that she was paid less than two male coaches, a federal judge said Thursday, keeping her suit in place.

  • September 18, 2025

    Calif. County Deputy DA Loses Free Speech Retaliation Suit

    A California federal judge has tossed a retaliation suit from a former Santa Clara County, California, deputy district attorney.

  • September 18, 2025

    DOJ Tells Austin, Texas, Its Diversity Goals May Be Unlawful

    The U.S. Department of Justice told the Democratic mayor of Austin, Texas, on Thursday that it was launching an investigation into the city's employment practices, saying Austin's stated desire to promote "racial equity" in its workplaces may violate federal antidiscrimination law.

  • September 18, 2025

    Dallas Fed Settles Former Employee's Race Bias Case

    The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas resolved an Indian ex-employee's lawsuit alleging he was let go for complaining to management that he and other employees of color received unfair poor performance ratings from a white supervisor, according to a Thursday filing in Texas federal court.

  • September 18, 2025

    1st Circ. Won't Lift Block On HHS Job, Program Cuts

    The First Circuit on Wednesday rejected a bid by the Trump administration to let it move ahead with cutting 10,000 jobs and end a number of programs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services while it appeals a Rhode Island federal judge's order temporarily barring the plan.

  • September 18, 2025

    Withheld Email Not Enough To Revive Doc's Retaliation Suit

    A psychiatrist failed to convince the Second Circuit to reinstate his suit claiming a New York City-area hospital system forced him out because he raised patient safety concerns, with the appeals court saying he couldn't show the hospital's omission of an email during discovery was purposeful.

  • September 18, 2025

    AMD Can't Sink Bias Suit From Worker With Foreign Accent

    Semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices can't shut down a Romanian former employee's suit claiming he was laid off due to his national origin and because he spoke with an accent, a Colorado federal judge ruled, finding the ex-worker put forward just enough detail to keep his case alive.

  • September 17, 2025

    J&J Whistleblowers Defend $1.6B False Claims Act Win

    Whistleblowers filed a brief Wednesday in the Third Circuit in a closely watched False Claims Act appeal involving a $1.6 billion judgment against Johnson & Johnson unit Janssen as well as the constitutionality of the FCA's "qui tam" whistleblower provisions, arguing that the act's lawfulness has been settled by its "unbroken 162-year history."

  • September 17, 2025

    Ex-Applicant Sues Walmart, Alleging Consumer Report Misstep

    Big box retailer Walmart faces a proposed class action alleging it violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act by running a background check, then rescinding a job offer to an applicant who'd disclosed her criminal record before starting the application process.

Expert Analysis

  • Justices Mull Sex-Based Classification In Trans Law Case

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in U.S. v. Skrmetti this week, it appears that the fate of the Tennessee law at the center of the case — a law banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender adolescents — will hinge on whether the majority read the statute as imposing a sex-based classification, says Alexandra Crandall at Dickinson Wright.

  • Pa. Ruling Highlights Challenges Of Employer Arb. Appeals

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    A Pennsylvania federal court's recent ruling in Welch Foods v. General Teamsters Local Union No. 397 demonstrates the inherent difficulties employers face when seeking relief from labor arbitration decisions through appeals in court — and underscores how employers are faced with often conflicting legal priorities, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 7 Ways To Prepare For An I-9 Audit Or Immigration Raid

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    Because immigration enforcement is likely to surge under the upcoming Trump administration, employers should take steps to ensure their staff is trained in employment eligibility verification requirements and what to do in the event of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement I-9 audit or workplace raid, say attorneys at Littler.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • Disentangling Various Forms Of Workplace Discrimination

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    Pay inequity can be missed where it exists and misidentified due to incorrect statistics, leaving individuals to face multiple facets of discrimination connected by a common root cause, meaning correct identification and measurement is crucial, says Daniel Levy at Advanced Analytical.

  • Key Requirements In New Maryland Pay Transparency Laws

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    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

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    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 Practical Guidance
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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.