Discrimination

  • June 26, 2025

    DOJ Puts U. Of California Diversity Plans Under Microscope

    The U.S. Department of Justice's civil rights arm said Thursday it's launching an investigation into whether a University of California strategic plan prompted its campuses to discriminate against job applicants and employees based on their race and gender.

  • June 26, 2025

    Ex-McCarter & English Atty Questioned On Bias Pleading

    A New Jersey state judge pressed a former McCarter & English LLP attorney on Thursday to show how his anti-veteran discrimination complaint against the firm met the pleading standards for a whistleblower suit as he faces the firm's motion to dismiss.

  • June 26, 2025

    NY School Gets Bias Suit Narrowed But Must Face Pay Claims

    Hilbert College can escape a former associate professor's gender discrimination and retaliation claims but must face her claims that she was paid less than male colleagues, a New York federal judge ruled, saying a jury should evaluate the school's explanation that other factors could account for the pay disparities.

  • June 26, 2025

    Ex-Truist Banker Says Age Got Her Fired

    A Truist manager subjected a 57-year-old banker to unfair criticism and abruptly fired her, the former employee said in a wage and discrimination suit in Georgia federal court, adding that her direct manager resigned in part to protest her termination.

  • June 26, 2025

    ICE Agents Could Testify Anonymously In 1st Am. Trial

    A Massachusetts federal judge suggested Thursday he is open to allowing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to testify anonymously at an upcoming bench trial in a suit brought by academic groups challenging the detention of noncitizen students and faculty who express pro-Palestinian views.

  • June 26, 2025

    Famed Architect Fired Associate Out Of Age Bias, Suit Says

    Renowned architect Frank Gehry and his firm fired an associate in his 60s out of age discrimination after claiming there was no work for him, even as the firm hired half a dozen employees in their 20s, the associate told a California state court.

  • June 26, 2025

    Fire Chief Says City Got 'Cold Feet' On Race Bias Deal

    A $180,000 settlement resolving a race bias suit should be enforced, a fire chief told a North Carolina federal court, saying he canceled his jury trial against the city of Charlotte because the parties reached a deal, despite the city's argument that no final written agreement exists.

  • June 26, 2025

    Seyfarth Adds Lagasse Branch Employment Litigator In LA

    Seyfarth Shaw LLP is growing its labor and employment team, announcing Wednesday it is bringing in a Lagasse Branch Bell + Kinkead LPP employment litigator as a partner in its Century City office in Los Angeles.

  • June 25, 2025

    Workday Gave 'No Protection' From Harassment, Worker Says

    A former software engineer at human resources software firm Workday Inc. alleged in a Wednesday lawsuit that she was driven out of the company after it "offered no protection or assistance" to her as she faced years of harassment and mistreatment from her manager.

  • June 25, 2025

    Nordstrom Accused Of Anti-Muslim Bias Over Pendant Ban

    Nordstrom refused to let a Muslim employee wear a necklace with the outline of historic Palestine while allowing workers of other faiths to wear jewelry depicting their religious symbols, the worker claimed in a filing with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

  • June 25, 2025

    Georgia College Settles Ex-Groundskeeper's Race Bias Suit

    A Georgia chiropractic school has settled a lawsuit filed by a former groundskeeper who claimed he was fired after reporting his boss for helping his girlfriend steal company time.

  • June 25, 2025

    Trans Worker Says Metal Co.'s Health Plan Discriminatory

    A subsidiary of Kaiser Aluminum discriminated against transgender employees by including an exclusion in its health plan barring coverage for medical treatments related to gender-affirming care, according to a new suit filed in Washington federal court.

  • June 25, 2025

    4th Circ. Backs Johns Hopkins In Vaccine Refuser's ADA Suit

    The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday upheld a Johns Hopkins University lab's defeat of a former engineer's lawsuit claiming she was fired for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine because of a Lyme disease-related immune condition, saying the worker didn't provide enough information to justify a medical exemption.

  • June 25, 2025

    Judge OKs Most Of Attorney Fees In MGM Vax Exemption Suit

    A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday awarded nearly $394,000 in attorney fees to a former MGM Grand Casino worker who won a religious bias suit after being fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, slightly cutting the requested award after reducing hours because of discrepancies between two submissions.

  • June 25, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs EPA's Firing Of 'Disruptive' Whistleblower

    The Federal Circuit upheld a decision finding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would've fired a federal employee even if she wasn't whistleblowing on its failure to submit affirmative employment plans, ruling Wednesday that while there was significant motive to retaliate, there's also evidence the employee was "disrespectful, disruptive and discourteous" toward colleagues.

  • June 25, 2025

    Latino Atty Says Va. Law Firm Axed Him For Flagging Bias

    An employee-side law firm repeatedly stood in the way of a Latino attorney's career advancement, underpaid him, and fired him after he advocated for increasing a Black attorney's pay to match that of a white colleague, a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Maryland federal court said.

  • June 25, 2025

    Muslim Worker Says Meta Censored Pro-Palestinian Views

    Facebook parent Meta disciplined a Muslim employee for statements that supported Palestinians, while declining to penalize those who supported other social and humanitarian movements, according to a new religious bias suit in Texas federal court.

  • June 25, 2025

    Colorado Attorney Settles Bias Suit With DC-Area Firm

    A Colorado lawyer has settled claims she brought against her former employer in December, when she accused the law firm of having "abruptly and unlawfully" terminated her employment due to her age and gender.

  • June 25, 2025

    4th Circ. Backs Biz Management Co. In Retaliatory Firing Suit

    The Fourth Circuit declined to reinstate a retaliation suit from a maintenance company director who said he was fired for complaining that a female colleague was being sexually harassed, ruling his case lacked evidence that bias, not pandemic-related budget constraints, drove his termination.

  • June 25, 2025

    Restored Quorum Could Jump-Start EEOC In 2nd Half Of 2025

    The potential addition of a new Republican member to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission would give the agency's leader the quorum she needs to launch precedent-setting litigation and overhaul Biden-era policies. Here's what experts expect from the EEOC in the second half of 2025.

  • June 24, 2025

    New EEOC Suits Plummeted In The 1st Half Of 2025

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed 20 fewer lawsuits in the five months since the second Trump administration began than it did during the same time period in 2024. Here’s a look at the cases filed so far by Trump's EEOC.

  • June 24, 2025

    4th Circ. Tosses Trans Man's Appeal Over Canceled Surgery

    The Fourth Circuit declined to revive a transgender man's constitutional claims against a religious hospital run by the University of Maryland Medical System over a canceled hysterectomy for gender dysphoria, concluding Tuesday that it couldn't grant further relief, and refused to consider a "late-breaking" argument for emotional distress damages.

  • June 24, 2025

    X Corp. Fights Ex-Twitter Workers' Arbitration Bid

    X Corp. challenged a request from former Twitter employees in Washington state to make the social media giant arbitrate claims about unpaid severance and bonuses, telling a federal judge that there is a lack of evidence showing the workers have valid arbitration agreements with the company.

  • June 24, 2025

    10th Circ. Says Ex-US Bank VP Can't Relitigate Bias Suit

    The Tenth Circuit backed the dismissal Tuesday of a suit from an ex-U.S. Bank executive who blamed his termination on age bias, ruling his state law allegations could have been addressed when his federal discrimination claim was resolved by a judge.

  • June 24, 2025

    4 State W&H Laws That Moved The Needle So Far In 2025

    In the first half of 2025, states tackled the litigation consequences of some statutes and continued the trend of developing employment laws that go far beyond the federal floor. Here, Law360 highlights four state law developments that stirred debate.

Expert Analysis

  • Preparing For A Possible End To The Subminimum Wage

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

  • What To Expect From Trump's Deputy Labor Secretary Pick

    Author Photo

    President Donald Trump's nominee for deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, Keith Sonderling, has a track record of prioritizing clear guidance on both traditional and cutting-edge issues, which can provide insight into what employers can expect from his leadership, say attorneys at Littler.

  • A Look At Order Ending Federal Contractor Affirmative Action

    Author Photo

    To comply with President Donald Trump's executive order revoking affirmative action requirements in the next 90 days, federal contractors should focus on identification of protected groups, responsibilities of "diversity officer" positions and annual compliance reviews, says Jeremy Burkhart at Holland & Knight.

  • Parsing 3rd Circ. Ruling On Cannabis, Employee Private Suits

    Author Photo

    The Third Circuit recently upheld a decision that individuals don't have a private right of action for alleged violations of New Jersey's Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Act, but employers should stay informed as the court encouraged the state Legislature to amend the law, say attorneys at Mandelbaum Barrett.

  • EEOC Wearable Tech Guidance Highlights Monitoring Scrutiny

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent fact sheet on wearable technologies cautions against potential issues with federal anti-discrimination laws and demonstrates growing concern from regulators and legislators about intrusive technologies in the workplace, say attorneys at Littler.

  • 4 Employment Law Areas Set To Change Under Trump

    Author Photo

    President Donald Trump's second term is expected to bring significant changes to the U.S. employment law landscape, including the potential for updated worker classification regulations, and challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion that are already taking shape, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • What Employment Bias Litigation Looks Like After Muldrow

    Author Photo

    Nine months after the U.S. Supreme Court created an undemanding standard for discrimination claims in Muldrow v. St. Louis, Eric Schnapper at the University of Washington discusses how the Title VII litigation landscape has changed and what to expect moving forward.

  • 10 Key Worker-Friendly California Employment Law Updates

    Author Photo

    New employment laws in California expand employee rights, transparency and enforcement mechanisms, and failing to educate department managers on these changes could put employers at risk, says Melanie Ronen at Stradley Ronon.

  • How PAGA Reform Can Inform Employer Strategies In 2025

    Author Photo

    While recent changes to California's Private Attorneys General Act will not significantly reduce PAGA claims, employers can use the new law to potentially limit their future exposure, by taking advantage of penalty reduction opportunities and more, say attorneys at Thompson Coburn.

  • How Deregulation Could Undermine Trump's Anti-DEI Agenda

    Author Photo

    While rolling back federal agency power benefited conservative policies during the Biden administration, it will likely undermine President Donald Trump's ability to wield agencies like the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives beyond the federal workforce and into the private sector, says Ally Coll at the Purple Method.

  • Trump Should Pass On Project 2025's Disparate Impact Plan

    Author Photo

    The Trump administration should reject Project 2025's call to eliminate the disparate impact doctrine because, as its pro-business Republican creators intended, a focus on dismantling unnecessary barriers to qualified job candidates serves companies' best interests more successfully than the alternatives, says Susan Carle at American University.

  • Expect A Big Shake Up At The EEOC Under 2nd Trump Admin

    Author Photo

    During President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is likely to significantly shift its focus and priorities, especially where workplace DEI initiatives, immigration enforcement, LGBTQ+ rights and pregnancy protections are concerned, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.