Discrimination

  • November 12, 2024

    High Court Turns Away Fired Cop's Race Discrimination Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court refused Tuesday to review a Black police officer's suit alleging a New York town unlawfully fired her after she hurt her back, leaving in place the Second Circuit's determination that she lacked evidence of white men being treated better.

  • November 08, 2024

    BCBS Hit With $12.7M Verdict In Worker's Vax Mandate Suit

    A Michigan federal jury on Friday awarded $12.69 million to a former Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan employee who said she was fired after her employer failed to accommodate her religious beliefs, which she said prevented her from getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

  • November 08, 2024

    Worker Advocates Will Be On Defense In Trump's 2nd Term

    Worker-side lawyers are buckling up for a challenging four years under President-elect Donald Trump, during which they anticipate a rollback of civil rights regulations and a gutting of federal enforcement agencies. But they also say they're more prepared to fight than they were in 2016. Here, Law360 speaks with the lawyers about major challenges they're anticipating and some of their early plans.

  • November 08, 2024

    Ex-Elanco IP Lawyer Lodges Gender Discrimination Suit

    A female former in-house intellectual property lawyer at Elanco Animal Health Inc. sued the pharmaceutical company for gender discrimination in Indiana federal court, alleging she was passed over for a promotion in favor of a less qualified man who later mistreated the women on staff.

  • November 08, 2024

    NYC Water Worker Alleges Retaliation For Off-Duty Pot Use

    A municipal water treatment worker has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the New York City Department of Environmental Protection claiming he was wrongly punished for his legal off-duty use of cannabis and wrongly terminated for refusing to take a drug test when he was actually suffering a medical emergency.

  • November 08, 2024

    DOJ Says Miss. Senate Stiffed Black Atty On Equal Pay

    The U.S. Department of Justice alleged in a race bias suit filed in Mississippi federal court Friday that the state Senate paid a Black attorney at times less than half of what her white colleagues were paid even though they completed the same work.

  • November 08, 2024

    DLA Piper's Performance Critique Is Bogus, Fired Atty Says

    A former DLA Piper associate told a New York federal court that her pregnancy bias case against the firm should be heard by a jury, arguing the firm's assertion that she was fired for careless work is contradicted by bonuses she was given and a lack of disciplinary records.

  • November 08, 2024

    Ga. Man Says City Was Quick To Fire Him For Being 'Slow'

    A 20-year employee of Roswell, Georgia, hit the Atlanta-area city with a disability discrimination lawsuit Thursday, claiming it fired him rather than accommodate his known cognitive disabilities aggravated by a workplace injury two decades earlier.

  • November 08, 2024

    Jackson Lewis Adds Veteran UB Greensfelder Atty In Ohio

    Jackson Lewis PC has expanded its employment counseling and litigation capabilities in Cleveland with the addition of a longtime UB Greensfelder LLP attorney.

  • November 08, 2024

    Ex-NJ Judge Gets More Time To Make Discrimination Case

    A New Jersey court gave a former state workers' compensation judge challenging her removal from the bench more time to make her case, according to a court order.

  • November 08, 2024

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Weighs NLRB Constitutionality

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider a nursing home's attempt to block a National Labor Relations Board case against it on the grounds that the agency is unconstitutionally structured. Here, Law360 looks at this and other cases on the docket in New York.

  • November 08, 2024

    9th Circ. Affirms Union Longshoreman's Promotion Denial

    A union-represented longshoreman who left his job to serve in the U.S. Air Force for nine years is ineligible for a promotion he might have received if he served five years or less, the Ninth Circuit affirmed, saying he didn't qualify for an exception to the years requirement.

  • November 08, 2024

    UPMC Health Plan Beats Bias Suit Over Black Worker's Firing

    A University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-affiliated health plan defeated a former service coordinator's suit claiming she was fired because she's Black, with a Pennsylvania federal judge finding she couldn't overcome the employer's explanation that her job performance put patients in danger.

  • November 08, 2024

    Calif. Forecast: $16M Delta Pay Stubs Deal Heads To Court

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for potential final approval of a nearly $16 million settlement for Delta Air Lines flight attendants alleging wage claims. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • November 08, 2024

    Judge 'Baffled' By Muldrow Omission In Sex Bias Suit

    A Kansas federal judge declined to toss a former medical center worker's suit claiming she was forced to resign due to sexual harassment, while chiding the center for failing to take into account recent high court precedent clarifying the legal standards around Title VII sex bias claims.

  • November 07, 2024

    Trans Patients Say Fla. Ban On Care Should Be Bias Tested

    A proposed class of transgender individuals asking for the reversal of a ruling blocking Florida's ban on Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care told the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday that hostile discrimination analysis of statutes applies to classes beyond those recognized as "suspect" or "quasi-suspect."

  • November 07, 2024

    11th Circ. Affirms Judgment Against Fired Ga. Tech Coach

    The Eleventh Circuit declined to revive longtime women's basketball coach MaChelle Joseph's discrimination and retaliation claims against Georgia Tech, concluding Thursday that Title IX does not provide an implied right of action for sex discrimination in employment.

  • November 07, 2024

    ACLU Asks 11th Circ. To Back Ga. Deputy's Trans Health Win

    The full Eleventh Circuit shouldn't roll back a transgender deputy's win in her lawsuit challenging a Georgia county's refusal to pay for gender-affirmation surgery, the American Civil Liberties Union and legal groups argued Thursday, saying the U.S. Supreme Court's Bostock decision made clear that such policies violate federal law.

  • November 07, 2024

    HSBC, Exec Agree To End Racial Bias Promotion Row

    An HSBC executive has agreed to end her racial discrimination lawsuit against her employer over an allegedly denied promotion, the parties informed a Manhattan federal court Thursday.

  • November 07, 2024

    WNBA, Aces Urge Toss Of Suit Over Traded Pregnant Player

    The WNBA has asked a Nevada federal court to toss the lawsuit of a female basketball player, arguing that the suit, which claims the Las Vegas Aces traded her to a less prestigious team after learning she was pregnant, failed to show the league was her employer.

  • November 07, 2024

    What FTC's Lyft Fine Can Teach Us About Pay Transparency

    The Federal Trade Commission's more than $2 million penalty against Lyft over claims that the ride-hailing giant misled prospective drivers about their earning potential on the platform provides lessons for employers about pay transparency compliance, including the need to manage expectations and create clear compensation plans, attorneys say.

  • November 07, 2024

    11th Circ. Backs Bombardier In Mechanic's Race Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit upheld a Bombardier unit's win Thursday in a retired Black worker's suit claiming he was forced to leave his mechanic role because of the racism he experienced on the job, finding he hadn't alleged any mistreatment serious enough to sustain his case.

  • November 07, 2024

    Wilson Sonsini Accused Of Wrongfully Firing Legal Assistant

    A former practice group assistant at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC has filed a wrongful termination suit in California state court, accusing the firm of discriminating against her because of her disabilities and firing her in retaliation for raising hostile work environment and other concerns.

  • November 07, 2024

    Polsinelli Adds Reed Smith Employment Litigator In DC

    Polsinelli PC has hired a new shareholder in Washington, D.C., who spent more than two decades with Reed Smith LLP, which included time as that firm's global labor and employment chair.

  • November 07, 2024

    Medical Device Co. Inks $57K Deal In OFCCP Sex Bias Probe

    The U.S. Department of Labor's federal contractor watchdog said Thursday it reached a $57,000 deal with a medical supply company to resolve allegations that it didn't consider promoting women to a certain role. 

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.