Discrimination

  • June 20, 2025

    DC Circ. Backs Morrison Foerster In Black Atty's Bias Suit

    The D.C. Circuit affirmed Morrison Foerster LLP's win in a lawsuit from a Black lawyer who did contract work for the firm, ruling Friday that he hadn't provided enough details to draw parallels between him and white colleagues he said received opportunities and privileges he was denied.

  • June 20, 2025

    Texas Judge Clears Lockheed Of Worker's Retaliation Claims

    Lockheed Martin escaped retaliation and discrimination allegations from a fired mechanical inspector, a Texas federal judge ruled Friday, concluding the worker had not proved that race bias or whistleblowing led to his termination two years ago.

  • June 20, 2025

    NY Forecast: Judge Weighs Toss Of Doctor's Retaliation Suit

    In the coming week, a New York federal judge will consider a medical clinic's motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a former physician who claims he had his bonus withheld and was fired for complaining about conditions and practices at the clinic. Here, Law360 looks at this and other cases on the docket in New York.

  • June 20, 2025

    Judge Nixes Bias Carveout For Seventh-Day Adventist Orgs

    A Maryland federal judge narrowed a suit from two Seventh-day Adventist church organizations claiming the state's anti-employment bias law illegally prevents them from hiring workers based upon their faith, while also rejecting a bid to shield the organizations' hiring practices from the law.

  • June 20, 2025

    Courts Chip Away At Biden-Era EEOC Policies In 2025

    The first half of 2025 saw federal courts knock down key provisions of U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations and guidance that aimed to safeguard pregnant workers and LGBTQ employees, but experts say the legal underpinnings of those policies are still intact.

  • June 20, 2025

    Trump Taps Atty Dropped By Biden For Eastern Ky. Fed. Court

    President Donald Trump has announced plans to nominate former Kentucky Solicitor General Chad Meredith to serve as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

  • June 20, 2025

    Law School Escapes Prof's Long-COVID Retaliation Suit

    A former Mercer University School of Law professor cannot show that the school refused to accommodate her long-COVID-19 symptoms, a Georgia federal judge ruled, saying her repeated requests to work remotely were not reasonable.

  • June 20, 2025

    Gymnastics Co. Cuts Deal In EEOC Sex Harassment Suit

    A gymnastics business will pay a former coach $50,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming the company's co-owner repeatedly propositioned her and other teen workers for sex, according to a Mississippi federal court filing.

  • June 20, 2025

    Justices Say ADA Doesn't Cover Retirees Who Can't Work

    The U.S. Supreme Court held on June 20 that a former firefighter with Parkinson's disease can't bring an Americans with Disabilities Act case over a rollback in her post-employment health benefits, reasoning that the law covers only those who can still fulfill their job duties.

  • June 20, 2025

    4 ERISA Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2025

    The U.S. Department of Labor's challenge to a pair of injunctions blocking Biden-era regulations that broaden who qualifies as an investment advice fiduciary under federal benefits law tops the list of cases benefits attorneys will be watching in the latter half of the year.

  • June 18, 2025

    Caterpillar Must Face Jury Over Ex-Worker's Age Bias Claim

    The Seventh Circuit reversed Caterpillar's summary judgment win over a former employee's age discrimination claim on Wednesday, saying a jury should decide whether the company reasonably placed the worker on a performance action plan that included a deadline that had already passed.

  • June 18, 2025

    High Court Concurrences Signal Hard Battle For Trans Rights

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court's two most conservative members Wednesday to suggest laws that differentiate based on transgender status should be subject to the lowest level of judicial review, providing guidance to lower courts that will likely make it harder for litigants to vindicate trans rights.

  • June 18, 2025

    2nd Circ. Says NYU Langone Retaliation Verdict Wrongly Axed

    The Second Circuit reinstated a $700,000 jury verdict in favor of a former NYU Langone doctor who claimed her contract wasn't renewed after she complained about supervisors' sexist behavior, ruling Wednesday she'd presented enough evidence to support the jurors' decision.

  • June 18, 2025

    EEOC's Lucas Faces Pointed Questions On Trans Rights

    Acting U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Andrea Lucas faced tough questions from Democratic lawmakers Wednesday about the agency scaling back enforcement efforts on behalf of transgender and nonbinary workers, as she defended the EEOC's alignment with the Trump administration's priorities.

  • June 18, 2025

    Mich. Panel Revives Contract Carpenter's Racial Bias Suit

    A Michigan appellate panel has reopened a Black man's employment discrimination lawsuit against a carpentry company where he claimed to have been called racial slurs by coworkers, saying a trial court was wrong to toss the suit solely because the worker was an independent contractor.

  • June 18, 2025

    Age Bias Taints Kansas Health Dept. Promotions, EEOC Says

    The Kansas Department of Health and Environment overlooked an older worker for promotions to more senior lab tech roles solely because of her age, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told a federal court.

  • June 18, 2025

    Nursing Home Supervisor Mocked Older Workers, EEOC Says

    A New Mexico long-term care facility allowed employees over 40 to be belittled and held to different standards than younger workers, and workers who complained faced termination, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged Wednesday in federal court.

  • June 18, 2025

    Senate Panel Sets Vote On Trump Nominees For EEOC, DOL

    A Senate panel announced on Wednesday a June 26 vote that will affect who will chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Trump administration's picks to lead the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and employee benefits arm.

  • June 18, 2025

    Paralegal Says Firm Fired Her For Cancer Recurrence

    A paralegal alleged in North Carolina federal court that The Driscoll Firm PC fired her one day after she informed her superiors about the recurrence of her ovarian cancer, violating federal disability and state wage laws.

  • June 18, 2025

    NJ Judiciary Hit With Pregnancy Bias Suit From Court Exec

    A court executive has claimed that the New Jersey judiciary is guilty of retaliating and discriminating against her by allegedly reducing her pay raise because she went on maternity leave, according to a new state complaint.

  • June 18, 2025

    5th Circ. Won't Undo GM's Win In Worker's Disability Bias Suit

    The Fifth Circuit refused to reinstate an ex-General Motors worker's suit claiming the company refused to accommodate a concussion she got on the job and then fired her, ruling she failed to show she could perform any open positions after taking issue with the roles she was transferred to.

  • June 18, 2025

    Ex-Public Defender Says Bogus Bias Reports Got Her Fired 

    The former chief public defender for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, said Wednesday in a lawsuit that she was wrongfully accused of racial bias and unilaterally fired by the county manager, rather than by the county executive who had appointed her.

  • June 18, 2025

    Steptoe & Johnson Adds Ex-Buchanan Atty In Pittsburgh

    An employment attorney looking to expand his services beyond litigation moved his practice recently to Steptoe & Johnson PLLC's Pittsburgh office after more than four years with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC.

  • June 18, 2025

    Applebee's Franchise Settles NY Pay Disparity Claims

    The operator of New York City-area Applebee's restaurants entered into a National Labor Relations Board settlement after a former server claimed he was fired after complaining about Black workers getting paid less than white employees, advocacy group One Fair Wage announced Wednesday.

  • June 18, 2025

    UPS Denied Promotion Over Sabbath Request, Suit Says

    A Boston man has brought a lawsuit against UPS in Massachusetts state court, alleging the shipping company denied him a higher-paying job as a driver because as a Seventh-day Adventist he could not work Friday night or Saturday.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Unprecedented Firings And The EEOC's Shifting Agenda

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    While President Donald Trump's unprecedented firing of Democratic Equal Employment Opportunity Commission members put an end to the party's voting majority, the move raises legal issues, as well as considerations related to the EEOC's lack of a quorum and shifting regulatory priorities, says Ally Coll at the Purple Method.

  • What Trump Admin's Anti-DEI Push Means For FCA Claims

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    President Donald Trump's recent rescission of a 60-year-old executive order imposing nondiscrimination requirements on certain federal contractors has far-reaching implications, including potential False Claims Act liability for contractors and grant recipients who fail to comply, though it may be a challenge for the government to successfully establish liability, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

  • It Starts With Training: Anti-Harassment After 'It Ends With Us'

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    Actress Blake Lively's recent sexual harassment and retaliation allegations against her "It Ends With Us" co-star, director and producer, Justin Baldoni, should remind employers of their legal obligations to implement trainings, policies and other measures to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, say attorneys at Morrison Cohen.

  • What Day 1 Bondi Memos Mean For Corporate Compliance

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    After Attorney General Pam Bondi’s flurry of memos last week declaring new enforcement priorities on issues ranging from foreign bribery to diversity initiatives, companies must base their compliance programs on an understanding of their own core values and principles, says Hui Chen at CDE Advisors.

  • 5 Things For Private Employers To Do After Trump's DEI Order

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    Following President Donald Trump's recent executive order pushing the private sector to narrow, and even end, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, employers should ensure DEI efforts align with their organization's mission and goals, are legally compliant, and are effectively communicated to stakeholders, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Zuckerberg's Remarks Pose Legal Risk For Meta Amid Layoffs

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    Within days of announcing that Meta Platforms will cut 5% of its lowest-performing employees, Mark Zuckerberg remarked that corporations are becoming "culturally neutered" and need to bring back "masculine energy," exposing the company to potential claims under California employment law, says Andi Mazingo at Lumen Law Center.

  • Preparing For A Possible End To The Subminimum Wage

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    The U.S. Department of Labor's proposed rule to end the subminimum wage for employees with disabilities may significantly affect the community-based rehabilitation and training programs that employ these workers, so certified programs should be especially vigilant about compliance during this period of evaluation and scrutiny, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'Harry Potter' Reveals Magic Of Feedback

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    Troutman Pepper's Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter chat with Wicker Park Group partner Tara Weintritt about various feedback methods used by "Harry Potter" characters — from Snape's sharp and cutting remarks to Dumbledore's lack of specificity and Hermione's poor delivery — and explore how clear, consistent and actionable feedback can transform workplaces.