Discrimination

  • 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.

  • June 24, 2025

    ByteDance Can't Arbitrate Pay Bias Suit, Calif. Court Says

    A California state appellate court has rejected TikTok parent ByteDance Inc.'s bid to make a former employee arbitrate pay discrimination claims against it, saying that an underlying arbitration agreement was unenforceable for requiring her to arbitrate claims while preserving all the Chinese internet technology company's rights and remedies.

  • June 24, 2025

    Texas A&M Escapes Prof's Pregnancy Leave FMLA Suit

    A state appeals court freed Texas A&M University on Tuesday from a lawsuit brought by a professor who was denied tenure, finding that her pregnancy-related leaves fell under a portion of the Family Medical Leave Act under which the university has immunity.

  • June 24, 2025

    Worker Surveilled By Township Loses FMLA Suit At 6th Circ.

    The Sixth Circuit refused Tuesday to revive a suit from a highway department worker who claimed he was fired for taking medical leave, saying an Ohio township's position that a private investigator saw him doing construction work put the termination on solid ground.

  • June 24, 2025

    Ex-J&J Atty's Race Bias Suit Lacks Facts, Company Argues

    Johnson & Johnson Services Inc. told a New Jersey federal court this week that a former in-house data privacy attorney suing the pharmaceuticals giant for discrimination failed to plead any facts supporting her allegation that the company passed her over for a job in favor of a less qualified candidate.

  • June 24, 2025

    DLA Piper Fired IT Worker Because Of Depression, Suit Says

    DLA Piper fired an information technology employee because of his depression and anxiety, he told a New York federal court, saying the firm cited a poor "culture fit" to gloss over terminating him at the end of his medical leave.

  • June 24, 2025

    Exec Says Event Co. Bosses Called Her Too Old For CFO Job

    A former vice president of finance at an endurance event operator has alleged in Massachusetts state court that the company considered her "too old for the C-suite" when it passed her over for the job of chief financial officer, then fired her in retaliation for complaining about age discrimination.

  • June 24, 2025

    Prior Salaries Not An Excuse For Gender Pay Gap, Vet Says

    An animal health company's argument that paying a female veterinary pathologist less than her male counterparts was not motivated by bias because the employer matched incoming male workers' prior salaries is not an adequate defense, she told a New Jersey federal court.

  • June 24, 2025

    Pregnant Worker Fired After Telework Request, EEOC Says

    A restaurant franchisee fired an employee after she announced she was pregnant and asked to work from home to manage her pregnancy-related nausea, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a suit filed in South Dakota federal court.

  • June 23, 2025

    Okla. Court Says Race Theory Law Excludes College Classes

    A group of civil rights advocates and their opponent, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, are both claiming victory after the state's high court determined that a 2021 law that blocks the teaching of certain racial and gender topics in public classrooms does not apply to academic speech in higher educational settings.

Expert Analysis

  • A Path Forward For Employers, Regardless Of DEI Stance

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    Whether a company views the Trump administration's executive orders ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs as a win or a loss, the change rearranges the employment hazards companies face, but not the non-DEI and nondiscriminatory economic incentive to seek the best workers, says Daniel S. Levy at Advanced Analytical Consulting Group.

  • Bias Suit Shows WNBA Growing Pains On Court And In Court

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    A newly filed disability discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against the Los Angeles Sparks is the latest in a series of employment discrimination disputes filed by WNBA professionals, highlighting teams' obligation to meet elevated workplace expectations and the league's role in facilitating an inclusive work environment, say attorneys at Michelman & Robinson.

  • 2 Areas Of Labor Law That May Change Under Trump

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    Based on President Donald Trump's recent moves, employers should expect to see significant changes in the direction of law coming out of the National Labor Relations Board, particularly in two areas where the Trump administration will seek to roll back the Biden NLRB's changes, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Justices' Revival Ruling In Bias Suit Exceeds Procedural Issue

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Waetzig v. Halliburton allowed the plaintiff in an age discrimination lawsuit to move to reopen his case after arbitration, but the seemingly straightforward decision on a procedural issue raises complex questions for employment law practitioners, says Christopher Sakauye at Dykema.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'Late Night' Shows DEI Is More Than Optics

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    Amid the shifting legal landscape for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Troutman's Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter chat with their firm's DEI committee chair, Nicole Edmonds, about how the 2019 film "Late Night" reflects the challenges and rewards of fostering meaningful inclusion.

  • 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.