Discrimination

  • August 06, 2025

    Accounting Firm Must Face Ex-Credit Union CEO's Firing Suit

    The largest accounting firm in Connecticut, Whittlesey PC, must face the former CEO of Sound Federal Credit Union's claim that he was fired for following the firm's advice on when to calendar gains from a $1.2 million property sale, a Connecticut trial court judge has ruled.

  • August 06, 2025

    Judge Questions USDA's Climate Grant Cuts

    A D.C. federal judge grilled an attorney for the federal government over why the U.S. Department of Agriculture's climate-focused grants for farmers and food nonprofits were rescinded en masse when they seemingly aligned with the program, but also told recipients that she won't be "rearranging" the agency's priorities.

  • August 06, 2025

    Detroit Tigers Settle Ex-Vice President's Age, Race Bias Suit

    The Detroit Tigers settled an age and race bias lawsuit brought by one of its former vice presidents in Michigan federal court Wednesday, closing the door on more than two years of pointed litigation.

  • August 06, 2025

    Waste Co. Can't Knock Out EEOC Hiring Bias Suit

    A Missouri federal judge declined to toss a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming a waste management company refused to hire a woman for a driver position out of gender bias, ruling a jury needs to decide whether a manager's discouraging comments amounted to prejudice.

  • August 06, 2025

    EEOC, Chevy Dealer Ink Deal In ADA Suit Over Service Dog

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has brokered a $30,000 settlement with a Maryland Chevrolet dealership that the agency accused of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by denying a Navy veteran's request to bring his service dog to work, forcing him to leave his job.

  • August 06, 2025

    7th Circ. Adopts Flexible Standard For Collective Actions

    The Seventh Circuit in a discrimination case against Eli Lilly & Co. laid out a new standard for certifying collective actions, joining the Fifth and Sixth circuits in departing from a two-step analysis courts had used for decades but taking a more middle-of-the-road approach.

  • August 06, 2025

    6th Circ. Won't Restore Auto Worker's $2.3M Age Bias Win

    The Sixth Circuit refused to reinstate a $2.3 million jury award in favor of a former manufacturing employee who claimed he was let go because he was in his 60s, agreeing with a lower court that evidence presented at trial didn't support his age bias claims.

  • August 06, 2025

    Animal Hospital To Pay $20K To End EEOC Retaliation Probe

    A California animal hospital will pay $20,000 to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation into allegations that it illegally fired a worker because he asked to be exempted from a mandatory training seminar that cut against his religious beliefs.

  • August 06, 2025

    7th Circ. Revives Ex-Teacher's Suit Over Trans Student Names

    A split Seventh Circuit panel reinstated a religious bias suit from a Christian teacher who alleged that a school district unlawfully required him to refer to transgender students by their preferred names, with a dissent warning that the ruling created a "perilous precedent" for employers.

  • August 06, 2025

    Flint Will Pay $225K To End Ex-Fire Chief's Firing Suit

    The city of Flint has reached a $225,000 settlement with a former fire chief who has alleged he was fired for refusing to claw back his public recommendation to terminate firefighters for their alleged racist misconduct at a house fire, and the city council is poised to review the agreement at its August meeting.

  • August 06, 2025

    Amazon IT Unit Accused Of Ousting 'Old, White, Bald Guys'

    A 61-year-old Massachusetts man who worked in information technology sales for Amazon Web Services says he was wrongfully terminated last year as part of an alleged companywide campaign to push out older workers.

  • August 06, 2025

    LA Seeks To Nix Attys In Ex-Cop's Military Leave Bias Suit

    Attorneys for a former Los Angeles Police Department lieutenant improperly obtained and tried to use a privileged email between a city attorney and a current LAPD lieutenant in a military bias suit, the city said, urging a California federal court to disqualify them from the case.

  • August 05, 2025

    5th Circ. Wipes Out Honeywell Win In Worker's Vaccine Fight

    The Fifth Circuit on Tuesday resurrected a former Honeywell employee's suit claiming he was fired for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine after his request for a religious exemption was denied, ruling that a jury could indeed determine that the worker faced religious discrimination.

  • August 05, 2025

    Grocery Chain Ralphs Wins $7M Employment Bias Trial

    A California jury cleared Kroger-owned Ralphs Grocery Co. of liability in a Muslim worker's $7 million bias suit after hearing that the worker simply refused to use the scheduling software to keep his Saturdays free for religious activities and that he had been suspended multiple times for insubordination.

  • August 05, 2025

    Biz Prof's Pay Based On Experience, Not Bias, 6th Circ. Told

    Michigan Technological University told the Sixth Circuit on Monday that a former accounting professor was paid less than her husband because he had more teaching experience and better evaluations, urging the court to reject her appeal challenging the dismissal of pay disparity claims and racial or gender discrimination.

  • August 05, 2025

    Teamsters Win Toss Of Member's Tom Hanks Film Hiring Row

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Tuesday threw out age bias and retaliation claims from a longtime Teamsters member who alleged his union and two production companies conspired not to hire him for a Tom Hanks film, finding the worker failed to show he experienced an adverse employment action.

  • August 05, 2025

    Harassment Case Immunity Ruling Too Abrupt, 10th Circ. Says

    The Tenth Circuit on Tuesday largely upheld a trial court's refusal to toss a Salt Lake City firefighter's lawsuit claiming she was subjected to undue scrutiny because she's a woman, but said the lower court was too quick to say her colleagues' conduct was clearly unconstitutional.

  • August 05, 2025

    Calif. Cafe Chain Settles EEOC Sexual Harassment Suit

    A cafe chain told a California federal judge Tuesday that it has agreed to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming a manager created a sexually hostile work environment by inappropriately touching and commenting on young workers' bodies.

  • August 05, 2025

    Reporter Drops Suit Over CBS Station's Gaza Coverage

    A Palestinian Arab-American television journalist has ended his lawsuit claiming a CBS News Detroit station fired him because of his complaints that the station favored Israeli perspectives in its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

  • August 05, 2025

    Ex-Patent Examiner Fights USPTO Exclusion At High Court

    A former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office examiner wants the U.S. Supreme Court to review his exclusion from practicing before the agency, saying the justices should look at issues relating to a suspension he received and also federal civil rights protections.

  • August 05, 2025

    Blake Lively Wants Baldoni's Atty Sanctioned For Comments

    Actress Blake Lively has asked a Manhattan federal judge to sanction the attorney representing "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni in her ongoing defamation case, alleging the lawyer repeatedly defied a February court order blocking extrajudicial statements likely to prejudice the case.

  • August 05, 2025

    5th Circ. Backs Logistics Co.'s Defeat Of Pregnancy Bias Suit

    The Fifth Circuit upheld a logistics company's win in a former operations manager's lawsuit claiming she was fired months before her scheduled maternity leave, ruling she couldn't overcome her ex-employer's argument that safety lapses had cost her the job.

  • August 05, 2025

    Law Profs Urge 11th Circ. To Toss Judge-Shopping Sanctions

    A group of seven law school professors is urging the Eleventh Circuit to toss a sanctions ruling against three attorneys for judge shopping, arguing that federal law does not forbid the practice and citing the "potentially chilling effect the order will have on counsel, especially those involved in pro bono representation."

  • August 05, 2025

    Ex-Officer Says LAPD Withheld Info In Military Leave Bias Suit

    A former Los Angeles Police Department officer claiming he was passed over for a promotion because of his military status said he has not received the records he requested containing information about similarly situated employees. 

  • August 05, 2025

    5th Circ. Judge Seems Reluctant To Restore $70M Bias Verdict

    A Fifth Circuit judge said Tuesday that he had a "hard time" understanding how the evidence in a group of former telecommunications employees' race discrimination case warranted a $70 million jury award, a result a trial court threw out last year.

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.