Discrimination

  • February 09, 2026

    Boeing Can't Escape Bias Suit Over $12K Bonus

    Boeing must face a proposed class action accusing it of excluding workers on long-term disability leave from a $12,000 bonus, as a Washington federal judge denied the company's dismissal motion and remanded the suit to state court, where it was originally filed.

  • February 09, 2026

    Connecticut Law Firm Can't Duck Title VII Suit Due To Size

    Connecticut law firm Vargas Chapman Woods LLC cannot escape from a harassment and retaliation suit based on the argument that it is not covered by Title VII due to its small size, a Connecticut federal judge has ruled, finding that the firm cast doubt on its own contention about its number of employees.

  • February 06, 2026

    Ex-MSU Employee Claims Retaliation For Harassment Reports

    A former assistant vice president at Michigan State University has sued the university and her former boss in Michigan federal court, alleging that she was fired as payback for reporting claims of sexual harassment.

  • February 06, 2026

    Starbucks Gets Mo.'s 'Speculative' DEI Bias Suit Thrown Out

    A Missouri federal judge dismissed the state's suit claiming that Starbucks' diversity policies discriminate based on race and gender, finding that its complaint is "devoid of non-conclusory and non-speculative allegations establishing any actual, concrete and particularized injuries to Missouri citizens."

  • February 06, 2026

    Trump Admin, States Reach Agreement In School DEI Fight

    The Trump administration has agreed not to condition federal education funding for state and legal education agencies on what a coalition of nearly 20 states alleged was an incorrect interpretation of law in relation to diversity, equity and inclusion, according to a Friday filing in Massachusetts federal court.

  • February 06, 2026

    Verizon Escapes Fired Worker's Suit Over Racial Slur

    A New York federal judge tossed Friday a white former Verizon worker's suit claiming he was discriminated against after he was fired for saying a racial slur on a lunch break, ruling his remaining claims are best left for a state court to resolve.

  • February 06, 2026

    Feds' Shift Doesn't Remove Disparate Impact Risk From RIFs

    The Trump administration has disclaimed disparate impact — a theory of liability that is often at the heart of bias claims arising from reductions-in-force — but employers still face legal jeopardy if reductions-in-force have an outsized impact on protected groups, attorneys say.

  • February 06, 2026

    4th Circ. Says Trump Anti-DEI Orders Are Constitutional

    The Fourth Circuit on Friday lifted a block on President Donald Trump's executive orders that terminated federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs and aimed to encourage government contractors to do the same, saying it's not the court's role to determine if the directives are "sound policy."

  • February 06, 2026

    Ousted Conn. Public Defender Chief Loses Bias Suit

    The commission responsible for Connecticut's public defenders did not violate TaShun Bowden-Lewis' constitutional or legal rights when it removed her as chief of the office in 2024, a state Superior Court judge has ruled, finding no second hearing was necessary before the former top defense lawyer lost her job.

  • February 06, 2026

    NY Forecast: Home Aides Ask For Preliminary OK Of $6M Deal

    This week, a New York federal magistrate judge will consider granting preliminary approval to a $6 million class action settlement resolving allegations from home health aides who claimed a provider did not pay them for all hours they worked during live-in shifts.

  • February 06, 2026

    Paymentus Settles Fintech Atty's Age Bias Suit Ahead Of Trial

    Billing company Paymentus Corp. has settled a former in-house attorney's retaliation, age discrimination and wrongful discharge lawsuit less than two weeks before the case was set to go to trial, court records show.

  • February 06, 2026

    11th Circ. Says Slur Allegations Back Harassment Suit

    A split Eleventh Circuit panel on Friday reinstated a Black truck salesman's harassment suit claiming a supervisor called him "boy" and that his colleagues regularly called nonwhite customers racial slurs, ruling his hostile work environment claims were strong enough to keep his suit alive.

  • February 06, 2026

    Calif. Forecast: 9th Circ. To Hear Utility District Bias Args

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for Ninth Circuit oral arguments in a discrimination case against a utility district. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • February 05, 2026

    Tesla Applicants Fight Uphill To Keep H-1B Visa Bias Suit Alive

    A California federal judge appeared open Thursday to tossing a proposed class action alleging Tesla discriminates against American workers by favoring allegedly underpaid H-1B visa holders, telling counsel repeatedly during a hearing the allegations seem to be "speculation."

  • February 05, 2026

    Colo. Judge Hears Closings In Gender-Affirming Care Halt Suit

    Patients of Children's Hospital Colorado who want a state court to reinstate their gender-affirming medical care told a judge Thursday that the court's enforcement of state law and the rule of law is their only remedy, while the hospital that halted their care has other options.

  • February 05, 2026

    Texas Atty Must Explain AI 'Misuse' In Employment Case

    A prominent civil rights attorney representing a University of Texas at Austin nurse in an employment discrimination case must explain why he shouldn't be sanctioned "for his apparent misuse of artificial intelligence" to research and write a brief, a Texas federal judge ruled.

  • February 05, 2026

    Law Firms Back NFL In Arbitration Clause Suit Before Justices

    Two nonprofit public interest law firms are pressing the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Second Circuit opinion finding the National Football League's arbitration process unenforceable, saying the opinion encourages judges to issue "subjective and arbitrary" decisions on arbitration clauses.

  • February 05, 2026

    EEOC Says Napa Auto Parts Delaying Race Bias Probe

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is investigating whether Napa Auto Parts discriminated against Black job applicants, according to a Texas federal court filing Thursday that accused the company of failing to comply with the agency's demands for information.

  • February 05, 2026

    NJ Panel Backs Treasury Dept. Win In Discrimination Suit

    A New Jersey appellate panel has backed the New Jersey Department of Treasury's win in a disability discrimination suit by one of its employees, ruling her claims are either time barred or lack the necessary evidence to show severe enough conduct by the department.

  • February 05, 2026

    NYC Issues Proposed Rules On Upcoming Sick Time Changes

    The public has until March 2 to comment on recently proposed amendments to New York City's sick leave law, changes that will expand employees' rights to take paid time off for reasons that go beyond illnesses.

  • February 05, 2026

    Arbitration Pact Doesn't Block Race Bias Suit, 6th Circ. Says

    The Sixth Circuit backed a trial court's ruling that an arbitration agreement didn't apply to a Black ex-security officer's suit claiming Detroit's Renaissance Center failed to address concerns that white officers mistreated their Black co-workers, ruling a grammatical decision in the pact keeps his case in court.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Challenging A Class Representative's Adequacy And Typicality

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    Recent cases highlight that a named plaintiff cannot certify a putative class action unless they can meet all the applicable requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, so defendants should consider challenging a plaintiff's ability to meet typicality and adequacy requirements early and often, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • Age Bias Ruling Holds Harassment Policy Lessons

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    A Kansas federal court's recent decision in Holman v. Textron Aviation, rejecting an employee's assertion that his termination for failing to report harassment was pretextual and due to age bias, provides insight into how courts analyze whether actions are pretextual and offers lessons about enforcing anti-harassment policies, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • Employer Tips As Deepfakes Reshape Workplace Harassment

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.