Discrimination

  • April 28, 2025

    Saltz Mongeluzzi Hit With 2nd Suit On Heels Of Wage Suit Win

    Days after a civil suit claiming Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky PC violated fair labor standards ended with a jury verdict in favor of the firm, a former paralegal filed a complaint in Philadelphia federal court alleging she was subjected to harassment and discriminating comments up until her resignation.

  • April 28, 2025

    AT&T Cites EO On Disparate Impact In EEOC Obesity Bias Suit

    AT&T urged a Louisiana federal judge to toss a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it discriminated against obese workers through a weight-limit safety policy, pointing to a recent presidential executive order doing away with the disparate impact legal theory underpinning the case.

  • April 28, 2025

    'Give Me A Break': Judge Questions DOJ On Jenner Order

    The Department of Justice on Monday argued for the dismissal of Jenner & Block LLP's lawsuit against the federal government over an executive order targeting the law firm for its selection of clients, with the judge on the case commenting "Give me a break" at one point during the DOJ's turn to speak.

  • April 28, 2025

    Tech Exec Says Littler's 'Unlawful' Advice Led To Suspension

    Littler Mendelson PC shouldn't be allowed to escape a tech executive's lawsuit claiming that she was suspended and ultimately fired for complaining about her boss' sexist comments, the employee told a New York federal court, arguing that the firm's advice directly led to her employer's retaliation.

  • April 28, 2025

    Trucking Co. Settles Firing Suit Over Scantily Clad Co-Worker

    A trucking company agreed to settle a former driver's suit in North Carolina federal court claiming she was fired for filing a sexual harassment complaint against a co-worker whom she saw in a truck yard wearing only his underwear and penny loafers.

  • April 25, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Fired Clorox Worker's Gender Bias Claim

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Friday revived a gender discrimination claim brought by a former employee of The Clorox Co. in Washington who alleged he was wrongfully fired during a reorganization, but the panel ruled against the worker on his race and age discrimination claims.

  • April 25, 2025

    19 AGs Sue Trump Admin Over Anti-DEI School Funding Threat

    Nearly 20 state attorneys general sued the U.S. Department of Education in Massachusetts federal court Friday accusing it of embarking on efforts to withhold funding from educational institutions that engage in vague, undefined, "illegal" diversity, equity and inclusion practices through an agency action passed earlier this month.

  • April 25, 2025

    Boston Consulting Group Hit With Pregnancy Bias Suit In Ga.

    The Boston Consulting Group was hit with a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit Friday from a former payroll worker who alleges her boss told her she "conned" the company by taking parental leave early on in her tenure, only to fire her after she complained about the workplace mistreatment.

  • April 25, 2025

    Harvard Can't Escape Ousted Ice Hockey Coach's Bias Suit

    A Massachusetts federal judge refused to nix a former Harvard University ice hockey coach's sex bias suit alleging she was paid less than her male colleagues, issuing an order Friday that agreed with a magistrate judge's report rejecting Harvard's argument that her claims were filed too late.  

  • April 25, 2025

    Judge Asks How Ed Dept. Can Fulfill Mandates Without Staff

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday appeared skeptical of arguments by the Trump administration that it can continue delivering legally mandated services without reinstating hundreds of U.S. Department of Education employees who were fired last month.

  • April 25, 2025

    Employment Lawyers' Weekly DEI Cheat Sheet

    Harvard University sued the government over its threat to yank billions in funding unless the elite institution undertakes reforms including shuttering diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and three federal judges threw up roadblocks to the U.S. Department of Education's effort to eliminate DEI in public schools.

  • April 25, 2025

    2nd Circ. Says Withdrawn Application Dooms Age Bias Suit

    The Second Circuit refused to reopen a sleep doctor's lawsuit claiming a hospital refused to consider him for a job because he was 66 years old, saying his decision to turn down an interview after receiving a misaddressed email doomed his case.

  • April 25, 2025

    What's Behind The Wider Pay Gap Amid Equal Pay Innovation

    Equal pay laws have evolved at a rapid clip in recent years, yet the pay gap widened, illustrating the lingering impact of COVID-19 on the workforce and the importance of continued innovation, attorneys say.

  • April 25, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: Workday AI Bias Suit Up For Class Cert.

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for arguments regarding conditional collective certification in a discrimination suit against Workday Inc. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • April 25, 2025

    'Computer Glitch' Can't Save Race Bias Suit, 8th Circ. Says

    The Eighth Circuit backed the dismissal of a Black ex-healthcare system worker's suit claiming she was fired out of race bias and for taking medical leave, rejecting her defense Friday that a "computer glitch" pushed her complaint eight minutes past the filing deadline.

  • April 25, 2025

    J&J Unit Sees Claims Trimmed In Engineer's Bias Suit

    A Johnson & Johnson-owned prosthetics company does not have to face claims that an engineer filed his lawsuit, alleging violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act, too late, a Massachusetts federal judge ruled Friday, but determined some of the allegations are timely and can proceed.

  • April 25, 2025

    BigLaw Partners, Judges Back Susman Godfrey In EO Suit

    Hundreds of BigLaw partners and former judges on Friday threw their support behind Susman Godfrey LLP's lawsuit in D.C. federal court over President Donald Trump's executive order targeting the firm, warning that if "the independent bar is cowed into submission" it will threaten "the rule of law itself."

  • April 25, 2025

    Teachers Union Blocks Feds From Freezing Funds Over DEI

    The federal government can't revoke funding from schools associated with the National Education Association and two other educator groups because of the institutions' diversity, equity and inclusion policies, a New Hampshire federal judge ruled, saying the organizations will likely succeed in their suit claiming government guidance was unlawfully vague.

  • April 25, 2025

    NJ Firm Says Worker's Discovery Failures Doom Wage Suit

    A former employee of a personal injury law firm has failed to respond to its discovery requests in her lawsuit alleging she was paid less than men and harassed while she was pregnant, and her case should therefore be thrown out, the firm told a New Jersey state court.

  • April 25, 2025

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Hears Suit Over Contract Translation

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider whether to revive a lawsuit brought by a former New York City day care center worker who claims he was denied overtime pay under state and federal law.

  • April 25, 2025

    Wells Fargo Looks To Upend $22M Disability Bias Loss

    Wells Fargo is turning to the Fourth Circuit to challenge a $22.1 million verdict in an Americans with Disabilities Act case claiming the banking giant fired an investment director for requesting telework, according to a North Carolina federal court filing.

  • April 24, 2025

    1st Circ. Revives Honeywell Ex-Manager's Bias Suit

    The First Circuit on Thursday revived a former Honeywell Aerospace manager's employment discrimination claims against the aircraft manufacturer, ruling in a published opinion that a federal court in Puerto Rico erroneously tossed the former employee's case for being untimely.

  • April 24, 2025

    Christian Groups Aim To Back Trump On EEOC Member's Suit

    Two Christian organizations asked a D.C. federal judge Thursday to consider their concerns on ex-EEOC Commissioner Jocelyn Samuels' suit challenging President Donald Trump's decision to remove her from the agency, arguing the Democrat's potential reinstatement and support for certain policies could harm their religious freedom.

  • April 24, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Sealy Factory Worker's Sex Harassment Suit

    The Ninth Circuit reopened a lawsuit Thursday accusing mattress giant Sealy Inc. of not properly addressing a manager's unwelcome sexual advances toward a Washington state factory worker, saying the former employee adequately alleged the company didn't keep a close enough eye on the supervisor.

  • April 24, 2025

    Trump Spurning Disparate Impact Marks Sharp Turn For EEOC

    President Donald Trump's recent executive order repudiating the concept of disparate impact discrimination will change the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's enforcement outlook, but its impact on private litigation will likely be limited, experts say.

Expert Analysis

  • Employer Tips For PUMP Act Compliance As Law Turns 2

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    Enacted in December 2022, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act requires employers to provide reasonable break time and a private space for employees to express breast milk, but some companies may still be struggling with how to comply, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • What To Know About Ill. Employment Law Changes

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    Illinois employers should review their policies in light of a number of recent changes to state employment law, including amendments to the state’s Human Rights Act and modifications to the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, say attorneys at Kilpatrick.

  • Mich. Whistleblower Ruling Expands Retaliation Remedies

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    The Michigan Supreme Court's recent Occupational Health and Safety Act decision in Stegall v. Resource Technology is important because it increases the potential exposure for defendants in public policy retaliation cases, providing plaintiffs with additional claims, say Aaron Burrell and Timothy Howlett at Dickinson Wright.

  • How States Are Approaching AI Workplace Discrimination

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    As legislators across the U.S. have begun addressing algorithmic discrimination in the workplace, attorneys at Reed Smith provide an overview of the status, applicability and provisions of 13 state and local bills.

  • The Risks Of Employee Political Discourse On Social Media

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    As election season enters its final stretch and employees increasingly engage in political speech on social media, employers should beware the liability risks and consider policies that negotiate the line between employees' rights and the limits on those rights, say Bradford Kelley and James McGehee at Littler.

  • 7th Circ. Rulings Offer Employee Vaccine Exemption Guidance

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    Dawn Solowey and Samantha Brooks at Seyfarth explain how two recent Seventh Circuit rulings in Passarella v. Aspirus and Bube v. Aspirus could affect litigation involving employee vaccine exemptions, and discuss employer best practices for handling accommodation requests that include both religious and secular concerns.

  • Employers Should Not Neglect Paid Military Leave Compliance

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    An August decision from the Ninth Circuit and the settlement of a long-running class action, both examining paid leave requirements under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, are part of a nationwide trend that should prompt employers to review their military leave policies to avoid potential litigation and reputational damage, says Bradford Kelley at Littler.

  • Old Employment Law Principles Can Answer New AI Concerns

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    Despite growing legal and regulatory concerns about how artificial intelligence tools may affect employment decisions and worker rights, companies should take comfort in knowing that familiar principles of employment law and established compliance regimes can still largely address these new twists on old questions, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • NYC Wage Info Bill Highlights Rise In Pay Transparency Laws

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    With New York City the latest to mull requiring companies to annually report employee wage data, national employers should consider adapting their compliance practices to comply with increasingly common pay transparency and disclosure obligations at state and local levels, says Kelly Cardin at Littler Mendelson.

  • Workday AI Bias Suit Suggests Hiring Lessons For Employers

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    As state laws and a federal agency increasingly focus on employment bias introduced by artificial intelligence systems, a California federal court's recent decision to allow a discrimination suit to proceed against Workday's AI-driven recruitment software, shows companies should promptly assess these tools' risks, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.

  • How Anti-DEI Bill Could Affect Employers' Diversity Efforts

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    Sen. J.D. Vance's recently introduced Dismantle DEI Act would substantially limit employers’ ability to implement and promote workplace diversity, equity and inclusion, but there are still steps employers can take to support a diverse workforce, says Peter Ennis at Cozen O’Connor.

  • US Labor And Employment Law Holds Some Harsh Trade-Offs

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    U.S. labor and employment laws have evolved into a product of exposure-capping compromise, which merits discussion in a presidential election year when the dialogue has focused on purported protections of middle-class workers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Immigration Insights From 'The Proposal'

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    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper chat with their colleague Robert Lee about how immigration challenges highlighted in the romantic comedy "The Proposal" — beyond a few farcical plot contrivances — relate to real-world visa processes and employer compliance.