Discrimination

  • October 17, 2025

    Plasma Co. Worker Exams Shirk Genetic Privacy, Suit Says

    A global plasma collection company violated Illinois' genetic privacy law by asking job applicants for their family medical histories in preemployment physical exams, a former worker told a federal court in a proposed class action alleging the company used the information to guide employment decisions.

  • October 17, 2025

    GM Parts Co. Wants Out Of Black Worker's Harassment Suit

    A Black employee of a General Motors subsidiary can't support her lawsuit alleging the company did nothing to stop a white co-worker from stalking and harassing her, the company told a New York federal court Friday, arguing she failed to show the colleague's conduct was tied to race, not personal relations.

  • October 17, 2025

    Federal Courts To Scale Back Operations Amid Shutdown

    The federal court system has run out of money and will scale back operations beginning Monday as a result of the ongoing government shutdown, possibly leading to case delays.

  • October 17, 2025

    Early PWFA Ruling Highlights Need For Lactation Education

    A recent court ruling allowing the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to move ahead with a Pregnant Workers Fairness Act case over denied pumping breaks underscores the need for employers to train managers on breastfeeding accommodations, experts said.

  • October 17, 2025

    EEOC Pregnancy Bias Settlement Gets Approval On 4th Try

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission got the green light to end its pregnancy bias case against a child advocacy organization when a Pennsylvania federal judge stood down from his objections to a $30,000 settlement agreement on the agency's fourth bid for approval.

  • October 17, 2025

    Resort Chain To Settle EEOC Sex Harassment Suit For $1.2M

    A Nevada casino and resort chain has agreed to pay $1.2 million to shutter a sexual harassment suit from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming it failed to address frequent groping, sexual comments and on-the-job masturbation, according to a federal court filing.

  • October 17, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: 9th Circ. To Hear Court Exec. Race Bias Args

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for Ninth Circuit oral arguments in a former California state court executive officer's race discrimination case. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in that state.

  • October 17, 2025

    Fired K-9 Officer Drops Bias Suit Against Mich. Hospital

    A former K-9 security officer for a Michigan hospital agreed to drop her claims that she was fired after disclosing that she was in a same-sex relationship and asking for back pay earned while caring for the dog, according to a Friday order.

  • October 16, 2025

    RI Insurance Co. Escapes Fired Worker's Retaliation Suit

    A Rhode Island federal judge tossed a Black worker's suit Thursday claiming a health insurance company placed her on leave and ultimately fired her for complaining about missed diversity metrics and harassment, ruling she failed to rebut the organization's position that her continuous leave prompted her termination.

  • October 16, 2025

    Wage Reporting Laws Are Useful Deterrents To Pay Inequality

    Equal pay data reporting laws are part of the broader embrace of pay transparency, and though their utility lies in forcing employers to audit their pay practices, the data is imperfect, attorneys said.

  • October 16, 2025

    LA Beats Ex-Police Lt.'s Military Leave Bias Suit Before Trial

    The city of Los Angeles on Thursday beat a proposed class action alleging its police department didn't grant equal sick and vacation time to service members and passed them over for promotions because of their service obligations, weeks before jury trial was set to commence in California federal court. 

  • October 16, 2025

    EEOC Says Challenge To Trans Advocacy Pivot Oversteps

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission urged a Maryland federal judge to toss a suit from an LGBTQ legal advocacy group challenging the agency's move to stop pursuing workplace bias complaints from transgender workers, arguing the courts don't have the authority to interfere with the EEOC's enforcement priorities.

  • October 16, 2025

    Mich. Panel Tosses Black Deputy Wardens' Race Bias Suit

    A Michigan appellate panel has spared the state's corrections agency from a discrimination lawsuit filed by two Black deputy wardens who said they were passed over for warden roles that went to white colleagues.

  • October 16, 2025

    6th Circ. Backs Air Force's Win In Ex-Worker's Race Bias Suit

    The Sixth Circuit refused to reopen a former military salesman's lawsuit alleging the Air Force repeatedly disciplined him and threatened to fire him because he's a Black man, ruling the civilian worker hadn't provided enough evidence to keep his claims in court.

  • October 16, 2025

    Judge Rejects Bid To DQ Wash. Atty In Her County Bias Suit

    A Seattle federal judge won't bar an attorney from representing herself in a racial discrimination lawsuit accusing a Washington county of sidelining her from hearing certain cases during her tenure as a part-time judge, rejecting the defense's claims of a conflict of interest.  

  • October 16, 2025

    Wells Fargo To Settle Investors' 'Sham' Hiring Case For $85M

    Wells Fargo & Co. has agreed to pay $85 million to exit an investor class action accusing it of conducting "sham" job interviews to meet diversity quotas, settling a yearslong dispute before it could reach trial in California federal court.

  • October 16, 2025

    5th Circ. Calls For Narrow Sanctions In Southwest Bias Fight

    The Fifth Circuit stood by its decision to scuttle a contempt order mandating religious bias training for attorneys representing Southwest Airlines in a flight attendant's discrimination suit, but tweaked a May panel ruling to instruct a trial court to impose "narrowly tailored" sanctions.

  • October 16, 2025

    US Bank Wants Out Of Ex-AI Chief's Race Bias Suit

    U.S. Bank has doubled down on its efforts to escape a race bias suit brought by the former head of its artificial intelligence efforts, saying he waited more than 100 days too long to file a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

  • October 16, 2025

    2nd Circ. Hints EFAA Shields Entire Suits From Arbitration

    A Second Circuit panel appeared ready Thursday to endorse the view that a worker's entire suit could remain in court — including allegations beyond those of sexual harassment — if a claim within the litigation triggered the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Act.

  • October 16, 2025

    Tech Co. Gets Ex-Employee's Bias Suit Shipped To Texas

    An information technology services company must face a Black former employee's lawsuit claiming she was fired for complaining about a supervisor's racist remarks, an Illinois federal judge ruled, but said the case should be sent to Texas based on the worker's employment agreement.

  • October 15, 2025

    6th Circ. Backs EV Charging Co. In Ex-Manager's Bias Suit

    The Sixth Circuit refused Wednesday to reopen a former production manager's lawsuit claiming he was fired by an electric vehicle charger company because he's Black and Muslim, ruling he couldn't overcome the manufacturer's explanation that his poor performance, not bias, cost him the job.

  • October 15, 2025

    Conn. Hospital Had Cause To Fire Lawmaker, Judge Confirms

    A Connecticut judge has confirmed an arbitrator's finding that Norwalk Hospital had "just cause" to fire a now-former state lawmaker, Anabel Figueroa, from her job as a unit coordinator after she made allegedly antisemitic remarks on the campaign trail.

  • October 15, 2025

    Bankruptcy Can't End Caterpillar Privacy Suit, Ex-Worker Says

    A former Caterpillar employee urged an Illinois federal judge on Tuesday not to let his bankruptcy spell doom for his lawsuit claiming the machinery manufacturer illegally collects applicants' family medical histories, arguing he properly used a 'wildcard exemption' to shield his assets from creditors.

  • October 15, 2025

    11th Circ. Denies Veteran's Appeal Of Bias Suit Dismissal

    The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a district court's ruling against a veteran who said he faced disability discrimination, retaliation and a hostile work environment at the IRS after the agency failed to accommodate his request to work from the office during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • October 15, 2025

    Tech Co. Beats Pakistani Ex-Employee's Discrimination Suit

    An information technology services company defeated a former regulatory affairs employee's lawsuit alleging he was fired because he is Pakistani and was in his 50s, with an Illinois federal judge saying he failed to identify a comparable colleague who was treated better.

Expert Analysis

  • 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

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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.

  • Eye On Compliance: ADA Accommodations For Obesity

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    As the classification of "obesity" as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act continues to evolve, employers should note federal district and state court deviations from U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines, which have deemed obesity to be a qualifying impairment, no matter the cause, says Lauren Stadler at Wilson Elser.