Discrimination

  • June 03, 2025

    Fisher Phillips Brings On Former Gap Counsel In Fla.

    A former in-house attorney for clothing giant Gap Inc. rejoined the private practice space as a partner in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at Fisher Phillips, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • June 03, 2025

    IBM Nixed White Exec's Job Offer, Race Bias Suit Claims

    A white Massachusetts woman has alleged in a racial discrimination suit that she was in the final stages of being hired as an executive at IBM when the job offer was abruptly rescinded and the position was given to a candidate of Indian descent who was an acquaintance of someone involved in the hiring process.

  • June 03, 2025

    T-Mobile Can't Shut Down Ex-Employee's Race Bias Case

    T-Mobile can't end a former employee's suit claiming she was given a minimal bonus and eventually terminated because she's Black, a Washington state federal judge ruled, saying the company's assertion that she had performance issues was inconsistent with the evidence.

  • June 03, 2025

    The Law360 400: A Look At The Top 100 Firms

    A rebound in client work sent the nation’s largest law firms into growth mode last year, driving a wave of hiring, mergers and strategic moves that reshaped the top tier of the Law360 400. Here's a preview of the 100 firms with the largest U.S. attorney headcounts.

  • June 03, 2025

    Fired Mercedes-Benz Apprentice Drops Bias Suit

    A Black former worker at Mercedes-Benz has dropped her remaining claims in a race and sex bias suit that targeted the automaker and a pair of staffing companies, wrapping up a case in which she claimed she was fired from an apprenticeship program after she complained that white men received better treatment.

  • June 02, 2025

    Penn Gets Students' Antisemitism Suit Thrown Out, For Now

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Monday threw out a suit accusing the University of Pennsylvania of fostering a "pervasively hostile educational environment" for Jewish students, ruling that the students haven't plausibly alleged that the university excluded and failed to protect them.

  • June 02, 2025

    9th Circ. Doubts Professor's DEI Free Speech Fight

    A Ninth Circuit panel appeared skeptical Monday of a professor's effort to revive his constitutional challenge of the California Community Colleges Board's diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility regulations, with one judge noting the board hasn't enforced the rules and another judge criticizing the professor for declining to amend his suit.

  • June 02, 2025

    'Doctor Odyssey' Crew Sues Disney Over Sex Harassment

    Disney and Twentieth Century Fox were hit with a sexual harassment and retaliation suit in California state court by crew members on the first season of the ABC series "Doctor Odyssey," alleging they were terminated after complaining about sexual harassment and hostility they endured by the department's managers. 

  • June 02, 2025

    5th Circ. Seems Unsure About Diabetic Worker's Bias Suit

    The Fifth Circuit on Monday appeared hesitant to revive a disability discrimination suit brought against a construction product manufacturer by a diabetic former employee, with several judges questioning whether the worker presented enough evidence that her firing was a pretext for bias.

  • June 02, 2025

    Jenner & Block Ruling 'Meant What It Said,' Judge Tells Feds

    The order striking down the Trump administration's executive order targeting Jenner & Block LLP "meant what it said," a Washington, D.C., federal judge ruled Monday, saying the government must rescind enforcement of all parts of the president's directive.

  • June 02, 2025

    Amazon Gets Sex Bias Claims Cut From Ex-Worker's Bias Suit

    Amazon escaped part of a former executive assistant's lawsuit alleging he was passed over for promotions and belittled by a supervisor because he's Black and gay, with a Georgia federal judge on Monday adopting a report that found several of his claims were filed too late.

  • June 02, 2025

    Ala. Capital Beats Ex-Police Chief's Race Bias, Retaliation Suit

    The city of Montgomery, Alabama, defeated a Black former police chief's lawsuit claiming the mayor forced him out for failing to give preferential treatment to Black employees, with a federal judge saying he couldn't overcome the argument that low morale and a high crime rate spurred the city to seek his resignation.

  • June 02, 2025

    Google Wants Ex-Sales Rep's $2M Commission Suit Tossed

    Google urged a Connecticut federal court to ax a former Google Cloud salesman's suit alleging that the company owes him $2 million in commissions and fired him while he underwent cancer treatments to dodge insurance benefits, saying his claims can't stand.

  • June 02, 2025

    3rd Circ. Backs Religious Bias Suit Over Fire Dept. Beard Ban

    The Third Circuit ruled that Atlantic City, New Jersey, may have been able to accommodate a fire department worker who wanted to grow a beard under his Christian beliefs, partially reinstating the worker's suit claiming he was illegally denied a carveout to the grooming policy.

  • June 02, 2025

    Trump Budget Proposes OFCCP Elimination, EEOC Cuts

    President Donald Trump's administration has proposed eliminating the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and shifting some of its remaining responsibilities to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which itself would see a nearly $20 million budget reduction.

  • June 02, 2025

    Defamation Litigation Roundup: Cheetos, NASCAR, OpenAI

    In this month's review of ongoing defamation fights, Law360 looks back on developments in a man's case against Frito-Lay Inc. over what he called the company's defamatory statements disputing his role in the invention of a flavor of Cheetos.

  • June 02, 2025

    Fisher Phillips Adds New Houston Leader From Reed Smith

    Employer-side labor and employment firm Fisher Phillips announced Monday that it has added a new hire in Houston from Reed Smith LLP who will serve as regional managing partner of the office.

  • June 02, 2025

    Performance Issues Doom Pregnancy Bias Suit, 4th Circ. Says

    The Fourth Circuit declined to revive a suit from a medical center worker who said she was fired for requesting an eight-hour workday to manage her pregnancy complications, ruling she failed to overcome ample evidence that recurring performance issues caused her termination.

  • June 02, 2025

    Jackson, Sotomayor Bristle As High Court Skips Bias Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Monday to pass on a Black dancer's race discrimination case sparked objections from Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor, who said the Fifth Circuit's conclusion that the performer filed suit too late was "patently erroneous."

  • May 30, 2025

    Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

    Saying that June's circuit court calendars include important arguments in all practice areas would be hyperbolic — but just slightly. That's because significant showdowns are imminent involving appellate procedure principles, "click-to-cancel" rules, government procurement protests, judiciary employment protections and litigation risk insurance — as well as President Donald Trump's felony convictions and extraordinary deportation measures.

  • May 30, 2025

    11th Circ. Revives Ex-Employment Agency Worker's Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit reopened a former employment agency worker's lawsuit claiming she was unlawfully fired based on rumors she was having an affair with an executive, ruling Friday that a lower court should've given her a chance to amend her case before tossing it for good.

  • May 30, 2025

    What To Know As Trump's Vision Changes EEOC Partnerships

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently said it will stop reimbursing state and local regulators for investigating claims of gender identity and disparate impact discrimination. Here's what experts say workers and employers should know about the EEOC's partnerships and the impact President Donald Trump's directives may have on them.

  • May 30, 2025

    8th Circ. Sends Fired Diabetic Worker's FMLA Claim To Trial

    The Eighth Circuit revived Friday an ex-manager's claim that a Hardee's franchisee interfered with her right to medical leave when she was fired for missing work following a diabetic episode, ruling a jury needs to consider whether the company knew she needed leave when she was sacked.

  • May 30, 2025

    Insurance Cos. Can't Force Arbitration Of Race, Sex Bias Suits

    American Income Life Insurance Co. and a brokerage firm can't make Black and female former employees arbitrate several lawsuits claiming they were forced to endure rampant harassment, a New Jersey state appeals court ruled Friday, saying the workers' arbitration agreement didn't properly explain what they were giving up.

  • May 30, 2025

    Employment Lawyers' Weekly DEI Cheat Sheet

    A federal judge struck down a presidential executive order against the law firm WilmerHale in a forceful decision, the state of Missouri fought to keep its anti-DEI lawsuit against Starbucks alive and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management laid out a blueprint for steering the federal hiring system away from what it called bureaucratic "'equity' quotas." ​​​​​​​Here, Law360 looks at notable DEI-related legal developments over the past week.

Expert Analysis

  • The Shifting Landscape Of Physician Disciplinary Proceedings

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    Though hospitals have historically been able to terminate doctors' medical staff privileges without fear of court interference, recent case law has demonstrated that the tides are turning, especially when there is evidence of unlawful motivations, say Dylan Newton and Michael Horn at Archer & Greiner.

  • Anti-DEI Complaints Filed With EEOC Carry No Legal Weight

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    Recently filed complaints against several companies' diversity, equity and inclusion programs alleging unlawful discrimination against white people do not require a response from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and should not stop employers from rooting out ongoing discriminatory practices, says former EEOC general counsel David Lopez.

  • How DEI Programs Are Being Challenged In Court And Beyond

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    In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's affirmative action decision last year declaring the consideration of race in university admissions unconstitutional, employers should keep abreast of recent litigation challenging diversity, equity and inclusion training programs, as well as legislation both supporting and opposing DEI initiatives in the workplace, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • What Minority Biz Law Ruling Could Mean For Private DEI

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    A Texas federal court’s recent decision to strike down key provisions of the Minority Business Development Act illustrates the wide-reaching effects of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision across legal contexts, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Texas Hair Bias Ruling Does Not Give Employers A Pass

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    A Texas state court’s recent decision, holding that a school could discipline a student with locs for refusing to cut his hair, should not be interpreted by employers as a license to implement potentially discriminatory grooming policies, says Dawn Holiday at Jackson Walker.

  • Broadway Ruling Puts Discrimination Claims In The Limelight

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    A New York federal court's recent decision in Moore v. Hadestown Broadway that the employers' choice to replace a Black actor with a white actor was shielded by the First Amendment is the latest in a handful of rulings zealously protecting hiring decisions in casting, say Anthony Oncidi and Dixie Morrison at Proskauer.

  • Breaking Down California's New Workplace Violence Law

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    Ilana Morady and Patrick Joyce at Seyfarth discuss several aspects of a new California law that requires employers to create and implement workplace violence prevention plans, including who is covered and the recordkeeping and training requirements that must be in place before the law goes into effect on July 1.

  • Studying NY, NJ Case Law On Employee Social Media Rights

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    While a New Jersey state appeals court has twice determined that an employee's termination by a private employer for social media posts is not prohibited, New York has yet to take a stand on the issue — so employers' decisions on such matters still need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis, say Julie Levinson Werner and Jessica Kriegsfeld at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Eye On Compliance: Employee Social Media Privacy In NY

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    A New York law that recently took effect restricts employers' ability to access the personal social media accounts of employees and job applicants, signifying an increasing awareness of the need to balance employers' interests with worker privacy and free speech rights, says Madjeen Garcon-Bonneau at Wilson Elser.

  • Draft Pay Equity Rule May Pose Contractor Compliance Snags

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    The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council's recently proposed rule that would prohibit government contractors from requesting certain job applicants' salary history seems simple on the surface, but achieving compliance will be a nuanced affair for many contractors who must also adhere to state and local pay transparency laws, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • What Texas Employers Should Know After PWFA Ruling

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    After a Texas federal judge recently enjoined federal agencies from enforcing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act against the state of Texas, all employers must still remain sensitive to local, state and federal protections for pregnant workers, and proactive in their approach to pregnancy-related accommodations, says Maritza Sanchez at Phelps Dunbar.

  • AI In Performance Management: Mitigating Employer Risk

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    Companies are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence tools in performance management, exposing organizations to significant risks, which they can manage through employee training, bias assessments, and comprehensive policies and procedures related to the new technology, say Gregory Brown and Cindy Huang at Jackson Lewis.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

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    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.