Discrimination

  • March 14, 2025

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Weighs Scope Of Marital Bias Law

    This week, the Second Circuit will weigh whether New York City law prohibits discrimination on the basis of marriage to a specific person, as it considers a suit brought by Wendy Williams' ex-husband over claims he was fired as a producer on her talk show after she filed for divorce. Here, Law360 looks at this and other cases on the docket in New York.

  • March 14, 2025

    Sheetz Can't Shrink Timeframe In EEOC Criminal Screen Case

    Convenience store chain Sheetz can't reduce the time period targeted by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in a race bias suit over the company's screening of job applicants for criminal convictions, a Pennsylvania federal judge said.

  • March 14, 2025

    Circuits May Tweak Bias Test After High Court Sidestep

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent refusal to reevaluate a long-standing legal framework applied in employment discrimination lawsuits won't tamp down growing frustration with the doctrine, experts said, and lower courts may minimize the test's role even while it remains on the books.

  • March 14, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: Full 9th Circ. To Weigh LA Schools Vax Policy

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for a Ninth Circuit rehearing en banc in a challenge to a Los Angeles Unified School District COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • March 14, 2025

    PGA Beats Fired Christian Worker's COVID Vax Bias Suit

    A former PGA Tour employee did not show religious bias motivated his firing, a Florida federal judge ruled when dismissing the case, finding instead he was let go for shirking COVID-19 testing requirements presented as an alternative to the organization's vaccination mandate.

  • March 14, 2025

    Insurance Co. Unlawfully Nixed Disability Benefits, Suit Says

    Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Co. abruptly cut off a FedEx employee's disability benefits and refused to consider her doctor's conclusion that she's unable to return to work, in violation of federal benefits law, according to a lawsuit filed in Tennessee federal court.

  • March 13, 2025

    Soulja Boy Beat And Raped Assistant, Jury Told As Trial Starts

    The artist known as Soulja Boy physically and sexually abused a live-in personal assistant for nearly two years, jurors in California state court heard on the first day of a civil assault and employment trial against the "Crank That" rapper on Thursday.

  • March 13, 2025

    Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund Beats Accountant's Bias Suit

    The Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund defeated Thursday a former accountant's lawsuit claiming he was passed over for promotions and ultimately fired because he was a Black man in his 60s, with an Illinois federal judge finding it was his declining job performance that cost him the job.

  • March 13, 2025

    Home Chef, Staffing Co. Sued Over Harassment Firing

    A staffing agency and Relish Labs LLC, the legal entity behind meal kit delivery service Home Chef, have been sued in Georgia federal court by a former employee who alleged she was fired after reporting sexual harassment she suffered at the hands of a co-worker.

  • March 13, 2025

    Duke University Must Face Narrowed Race Bias Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge narrowed, but refused to fully dismiss, a suit against Duke University from a Black former worker who said he was fired after complaining that his boss made racially offensive comments, such as telling him he looked "too dark" on a video conference.

  • March 13, 2025

    UPenn Slams White Law Prof's Race Bias Claims

    The University of Pennsylvania's trustees pushed back Wednesday against a law professor's claim that her contract with the school was breached when she was sanctioned for racist remarks, saying it followed disciplinary procedures laid out in the faculty handbook.

  • March 13, 2025

    Navy Escapes Civilian Mechanic's Race Bias Suit

    The U.S. Navy defeated a Black civilian mechanic's suit claiming he was denied training opportunities and humiliated by a racist video in front of white and Hispanic colleagues, with a California federal judge finding the actions didn't negatively impact his employment.

  • March 13, 2025

    Managing Partner Said Atty Was 'Too Old' To Hire, Suit Says

    A managing partner for a law firm told a 59-year-old attorney that she was "too old" to work there, according to a lawsuit the lawyer filed in Illinois federal court, claiming that she was initially rejected for a job due to her age and continually faced harassment once she got in the door.

  • March 13, 2025

    States Sue To Halt Cuts At Education Dept.

    A group of 21 Democratic attorneys general sued the Trump administration Thursday in an effort to halt mass layoffs at the Department of Education, calling it an illegal move that will wreak havoc on states' educational systems.

  • March 12, 2025

    Fox News Cleared Of Sex Assault Claims, But Anchor Isn't

    A New York federal judge on Wednesday agreed to free Fox News from a suit alleging that former host Ed Henry sexually harassed and raped a former producer but held that Henry must face the bulk of her claims before a jury trial set for May.

  • March 12, 2025

    7th Circ. Revives Suit By Law Professor Disciplined Over Exam

    The Seventh Circuit on Wednesday revived a retaliation claim from a University of a law school professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago who was disciplined for including a redacted racist slur on an exam, saying the professor has plausibly alleged that his academic speech is protected by the First Amendment.

  • March 12, 2025

    DC Judge Challenges DOD Over Trans Military Ban Policy

    A D.C. federal judge said at a hearing Wednesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth either intends to ban transgender people from the military entirely or he's "sloppy" and says things on social media that contradict the policy he wrote.

  • March 12, 2025

    Tech Mahindra Urges Justices To Nix White Worker's Bias Suit

    Tech Mahindra asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Third Circuit's ruling reviving a proposed class action claiming the information technology company favored South Asian employees, arguing it deepened a circuit split by greenlighting a case that should have been time-barred.

  • March 12, 2025

    Education Dept. Eyes Appeal After Teacher Grants Revived

    President Donald Trump's administration opened two lines of attack on a Boston federal judge's order temporarily reinstating $250 million in U.S. Department of Education grants for teacher training that were cut last month because of their ties to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, filing an appeal with the First Circuit while also seeking an emergency stay.

  • March 12, 2025

    Trump Admin Drops Biden Bid To Unfreeze ACA Trans Rule

    The Trump administration asked the Fifth Circuit on Wednesday to dismiss its appeal, filed in July by the Biden administration, of a Texas federal judge's decision to halt a rule protecting access to gender-affirming healthcare.

  • March 12, 2025

    Senate Confirms Trump's Pick For DOL Deputy Leader

    The U.S. Senate on Wednesday in a party-line vote confirmed President Donald Trump's nominee for deputy labor secretary, the second-in-command of the U.S. Department of Labor.

  • March 12, 2025

    Cal State Can Bar Caste Bias, 9th Circ. Affirms

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Wednesday affirmed a lower court's ruling that two California State University professors lacked standing to challenge the university's inclusion of caste as a protected class in its antidiscrimination policy, saying the policy never specifically mentions Hinduism and therefore does not stigmatize the religion or force self-censorship.

  • March 12, 2025

    8th Circ. Backs Conagra In Fired Worker's Race, ADA Bias Suit

    The Eighth Circuit on Wednesday upheld the dismissal of a biracial former Conagra worker's suit claiming the food giant demoted and fired her after she needed an accommodation following a workplace injury, finding her case lacks proof the company wanted to punish her for the request.

  • March 12, 2025

    Manager Says Flagging FMLA Concerns Got Her Fired

    A nonprofit health system fired its Family and Medical Leave Act case manager after she spoke out against the unlawful changes it made to its leave policies that made it more difficult for workers to take time off, a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Indiana federal court said.

  • March 12, 2025

    Judge Blocks Order Limiting Perkins Coie Government Access

    A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday halted enforcement of the Trump administration's executive order against law firm Perkins Coie LLP that cited issues including its representation of Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential run, calling the order "viewpoint discrimination, plain and simple."

Expert Analysis

  • Parsing EEOC Guidance On Accommodating Low Vision

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    Employers need to examine recent Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance on provisions for employees who are blind or partially sighted, particularly on the consequences of terminating an employee with blindness or low vision without meeting obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, says Amy Epstein Gluck at FisherBroyles.

  • 5 Tips For Employers Handling Generative AI Privacy Risks

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    Employers should carefully consider the privacy implications of using generative artificial intelligence tools, and employ steps to mitigate the risks, such as de-identifying data, providing notice and identifying data flows, say Zoe Argento and Amy Kabaria at Littler.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'The Bear' Serves Up Advice For Managers

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    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper chat with Ernst & Young’s Laura Yehuda about Hulu's "The Bear" and the best practices managers can glean from the show's portrayal of workplace challenges, including those faced by young, female managers.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

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    As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

  • Mass. Age Bias Ruling Holds Employer Liability Lessons

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    The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s recent ruling in Adams v. Schneider Electric — upholding a laid-off employee’s age discrimination claim — is an important reminder that employers may face liability even if a decision maker unknowingly applies a discriminatory corporate strategy, say attorneys at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • Regulating AI: Litigation Questions And State Efforts To Watch

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    In view of the developing legal and regulatory framework for artificial intelligence systems in the U.S., including state legislation and early federal litigation, there are practical takeaways as we look toward the future, says Jennifer Maisel at Rothwell Figg.

  • Regulating AI: An Overview Of Federal Efforts

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    The U.S. has been carefully managing a national policy and regulatory ecosystem toward artificial intelligence, but as AI technology continues to expand into our everyday lives, so too has its risks and the need for regulation, says Jennifer Maisel at Rothwell Figg.

  • Justices' Job Transfer Review Should Hold To Title VII Text

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming decision in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis should hold that a job transfer can be an adverse employment action, and the analysis should be based on the straightforward language of Title VII rather than judicial activism, say Lynne Bernabei and Alan Kabat at Bernabei & Kabat.

  • Employer Tips For Fighting Back Against Explosive Verdicts

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    Massive jury verdicts are a product of our time, driven in part by reptile tactics, but employers can build a strategic defense to mitigate the risk of a runaway jury, and develop tools to seek judicial relief in the event of an adverse outcome, say Dawn Solowey and Lynn Kappelman at Seyfarth.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Changing Status Quo In A Union Shop

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    A recent administrative law decision concerning a dispute between Fortune Media and the NewsGuild of New York is an important reminder to employers with unionized workforces to refrain from making unilateral updates to employee handbooks that will change the terms and conditions of employment, says Jennifer Hataway at Butler Snow.

  • What EEOC's 2023 Stats Mean For Future Enforcement

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    The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s unusual burst of spring lawsuits and its new Democratic majority should cue employers and HR personnel to expect EEOC enforcement activity to ramp up to pre-pandemic rates, especially in regions where filings are on the rise and in those areas the agency appears to be targeting, such as workplace discrimination, say Andrew Scroggins and James Nasiri at Seyfarth Shaw.

  • Eye On Compliance: A Shift In Religious Accommodation Law

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    The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Groff v. DeJoy is making it more difficult for employers to deny religious accommodations, and there are three takeaways employers should keep in mind, say William Cook and Matthew High at Wilson Elser.

  • Tick Tock: When Punctuality Raises Employee ADA Questions

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    A recent viral TikTok video — where a user claims they were disrespected by a potential employer when inquiring about accommodations for difficulty with being on time — shows that even in the most seemingly questionable situations, there may be legitimate issues that require Americans with Disabilities Act considerations, says Daniel Pasternak at Squire Patton.