Discrimination

  • 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.

  • June 18, 2025

    Paralegal Says Pregnancy Announcement Got Her Fired

    A personal injury law firm fired a paralegal under the guise of downsizing one month after she informed the firm she was pregnant, a lawsuit in Pennsylvania federal court says.

  • June 18, 2025

    5th Circ. Affirms Nix Of Ex-Hospital Workers' COVID Vax Suit

    The Fifth Circuit backed a Houston hospital's defeat of a lawsuit alleging that hundreds of employees were unlawfully fired when they refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, saying the workers couldn't demonstrate that their right to reject the shot had been violated.

  • June 18, 2025

    Retirement Homes Reach Deal To End EEOC Race Bias Suit

    The operator of three retirement communities in the Washington, D.C., area agreed to pay $85,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit accusing it of illegally passing over a Black worker for promotion and subsequently replacing her with a white employee.

  • June 17, 2025

    6th Circ. Revives Ex-Chili's Manager's Age Discrimination Suit

    The Sixth Circuit Tuesday revived a terminated Chili's restaurant manager's age discrimination case against the casual dining chain, saying the former employee offered enough evidence to rebut the chain's contention he was actually fired for not "living the Chili's way."

  • June 17, 2025

    HHS Says Trump Orders Merit Ending Trans Health Rule Case

    The federal government urged a Mississippi federal court to end a lawsuit challenging a Biden-era rule that protected gender-affirming care under the Affordable Care Act, arguing the Republican attorneys general leading the case can't show imminent harm given the Trump administration's position on the definition of "sex."

  • June 17, 2025

    NFL Coach's Lawyer Faces Scrutiny Over NY Practice Claims

    A federal judge on Tuesday chastised a lawyer defending a former NFL coach in his discrimination suit against the league, ordering him to show why he claimed he could practice in the Southern District of New York even though it appears "that is not accurate."

  • June 17, 2025

    General Motors Says Precedent 'Eviscerates' EEOC Bias Suit

    General Motors urged an Indiana federal judge Tuesday to toss a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it discriminated against older workers by reducing disability benefits if they also received Social Security, arguing the policy says nothing about age, allowing it to stand under high court precedent.

  • June 17, 2025

    Packaging Co. Ex-Worker's Genetic Privacy Suit Dropped

    A former employee claiming a food packaging company unlawfully asked her and other prospective workers about their family medical history have agreed to drop a lawsuit alleging her ex-employer violated Illinois' privacy law, according to a joint filing in Illinois federal court.

  • June 17, 2025

    UMB Says It Granted Ex-VP's Request For More Cancer Leave

    UMB Financial Corp. said an ex-executive's suit claiming she was illegally denied leave to recover from chemotherapy treatments can't stay in Colorado federal court, telling a judge her request to extend her monthslong leave was ultimately approved after the company initially raised concerns about her changing return-to-work date.

  • June 17, 2025

    Ex-Stone Hilton Employee Adds Sexual Harassment Claim

    A onetime executive assistant has expanded a federal lawsuit against her ex-employer Stone Hilton PLLC — founded by former top prosecutors in the Texas attorney general's office — to include a sexual harassment claim after the Texas Workforce Commission found there is reasonable cause.

  • June 17, 2025

    EEOC Says Survey Sent In Walmart ADA Suit Is Privileged

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission shouldn't have to turn over communications with potential class members and third parties in its suit alleging Walmart used a training test to disqualify workers with disabilities, the agency told an Arkansas federal court, arguing that the information is private and protected.

  • June 17, 2025

    Fuel Co. Says Fired CEO's 'Incompetence' Dooms Bias Suit

    A Michigan-based petroleum distributor urged a federal judge to toss its ex-CEO's suit claiming she was fired from the family-run business out of gender and disability bias, arguing that her claims fall flat against evidence that she was sacked for years of lackluster profits under her leadership.

  • June 17, 2025

    2nd Circ. Seems Inclined To Uphold FedEx Race Bias Win

    A Black fired FedEx driver may not have laid out sufficient evidence to get his race discrimination and retaliation suit revived, a Second Circuit panel indicated Tuesday, with one judge saying she wasn't sure how the facts he had presented would be enough for an initial case.

  • June 16, 2025

    Davis Wright Must Face Employment Atty's Defamation Claim

    A Washington state judge refused to toss in their entirety an employment attorney's defamation claims against Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and other firm partners, finding Washington's Uniform Public Expression Protection Act shields the firm from some of the attorney's allegations, but not all.

  • June 16, 2025

    Tyler Perry Hit With 'The Oval' Actor's $260M Sex Assault Suit

    Actor Derek Dixon has accused Tyler Perry of sexually harassing and assaulting him while he was a series regular on the media mogul's political drama, "The Oval," and then retaliating against Dixon when he didn't reciprocate Perry's unwanted advances, according to the actor's $260 million lawsuit filed in Los Angeles.

Expert Analysis

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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

  • 4 Novel Issues From The Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Suits

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    A series of lawsuits arising from actress Blake Lively's sexual harassment and retaliation complaint against her "It Ends With Us" co-star, Justin Baldoni, present novel legal issues that employment and defamation practitioners alike should follow as the litigation progresses, say attorneys at Dorsey & Whitney.

  • Religious Accommodation Lessons From $12.7M Vax Verdict

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    A Michigan federal jury’s recent $12.7 million verdict against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan starkly reminds employers of the risks they face when assessing employees’ religious accommodation requests, highlighting pitfalls to avoid and raising the opportunity to consider best practices to follow, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.