Discrimination

  • September 03, 2024

    8th Circ. Says Union Pacific Must Face Color Vision Bias Suit

    The Eighth Circuit revived a former Union Pacific conductor's lawsuit alleging he was unlawfully fired after failing a color vision test, ruling Tuesday that a lower court erroneously said his participation in a defunct class action couldn't save his claims.

  • September 03, 2024

    Ex-Teacher Asks 7th Circ. To Revive Bias Fight Over Pronouns

    An evangelical teacher urged the Seventh Circuit to revive his religious bias lawsuit alleging he was unlawfully fired for refusing to use transgender students' gender-affirming names and pronouns, arguing a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision backs keeping his case in court.

  • September 03, 2024

    Duane Morris Wants Bulk Of Atty's Equal Pay Suit Tossed

    Duane Morris LLP is asking a California federal court to toss most of the claims in a proposed class action alleging the firm systemically underpaid female and nonwhite attorneys, saying the attorney who filed the complaint has been fairly treated and compensated and her claims lack validity.

  • September 03, 2024

    Fla. Judge Faces DQ Bid Over 'Hostility' In Ex-Law Prof's Case

    A former law professor at Florida A&M University wants the federal judge assigned to her retaliation lawsuit against the university to recuse himself, saying he has shown a "pattern of hostility" toward her in multiple court orders, according to a motion filed Tuesday.

  • September 03, 2024

    Packaging Co. Fired Workers Over COVID-19 Vax, EEOC Says

    A gas packaging manufacturer illegally fired 10 employees who refused its COVID-19 vaccine mandate on religious grounds or because they had a disability, according to a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit filed in Oklahoma federal court.

  • September 03, 2024

    Sprouts Fired Worker For Reporting Harassment, Suit Says

    A former employee at an Atlanta-area Sprouts Farmers Market hit the grocery chain with a lawsuit alleging she was unlawfully fired for complaining about harassing comments a co-worker repeatedly made about her sexuality.

  • August 31, 2024

    EEOC's Sonderling Touts AI, Compliance Work As Successes

    Outgoing U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission member Keith Sonderling told Law360 in an exclusive interview that elevating the agency's visibility on the artificial intelligence front and reviving the U.S. Department of Labor's use of opinion letters rank among his top accomplishments during his nearly decadelong stint in federal government.

  • August 30, 2024

    11th Circ. Reinstates Ex-Amerijet Worker's Discrimination Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit revived a former Amerijet employee's lawsuit alleging the cargo airline fired her because she's a Black woman, ruling Friday that a lower court used an erroneously high standard when tossing her claims.

  • August 30, 2024

    WWE Accuser's Discovery Bid Must Fail, Conn. Doctor Says

    The woman accusing World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. and two former executives of sexual abuse and trafficking in Connecticut federal court should lose her separate but related bid for discovery against a celebrity doctor who treated her, the doctor has argued in a motion to dismiss the state court action.

  • August 30, 2024

    NY Forecast: Hotel Bid To Toss Workers' WARN Act Suit

    This week a New York federal judge will consider attempts from the operators of Four Seasons Hotel New York to toss a class action that claims the hotel violated state and federal law by furloughing them without notice.

  • August 30, 2024

    Ex-NC Sheriff's Deputies Win $1M In Retaliation Case Trial

    A North Carolina federal jury has awarded two former Wake County deputies $1 million, finding former Sheriff Gerald Baker fired them for speaking up about homophobic and racially charged language in a training session.

  • August 30, 2024

    More Bias Claims Lobbed At Philly Legal Org, This Time Racial

    A Black former public defender has sued the Defender Association of Philadelphia for racial bias, claiming the organization fired her based on her race and that it treats Black employees differently than White ones.

  • August 30, 2024

    Calif. Forecast: $5M Walmart COVID Deal Up For Approval

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for the potential final approval of a $5.2 million deal in a wage and hour class action against Walmart alleging the retail giant failed to pay for time workers spent in COVID-19 health screenings. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • August 30, 2024

    EEOC 'Exaggerates' Harassment Claims, Auto Parts Co. Says

    An auto parts company urged a North Carolina federal judge to toss a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit for good, arguing that the agency "exaggerates the evidence" in an effort to prove that a former employee was sexually harassed out of her job.

  • August 30, 2024

    State & City Roundup: Wage And Hour News To Watch

    This fall Alabama is set to increase penalties for child labor violations, and Maryland will expand its pay transparency requirements. Here, Law360 explores these and other state and local wage and hour developments attorneys should know.

  • August 30, 2024

    7th Circ. Will Look At 2-Step Cert. In Eli Lilly Age Bias Suit

    The Seventh Circuit said it would take up a midsuit appeal from Eli Lilly challenging a lower court's ruling granting collective certification to a sales representative in her age discrimination lawsuit, backpedaling from an order in July that declined to take up the dispute because of its incomplete record.

  • August 30, 2024

    Ex-Oxy Worker Can't Nix Arbitration Ruling, Texas Court Says

    A former Occidental Petroleum Corp. employee can't upend an arbitrator's determination that the company didn't violate an agreement settling claims that she was sexually assaulted at work, with a Texas appellate court finding she agreed to arbitrate employment disputes when she accepted two stock grants.

  • August 30, 2024

    Staples Latest To Face Suit Over Job-Seeker Polygraph Notice

    A Massachusetts man applying for jobs with Staples Inc. filed a proposed class action alleging the company violated a state law that requires companies to notify candidates that the use of lie detectors is banned for hiring decisions, the latest such case targeting a major Bay State employer.

  • August 29, 2024

    Airline Ducks Liquidated Damages In Military Leave Suit

    A class of pilots accusing American Airlines of violating the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 by denying pay for time spent on military leave can't seek liquidated damages, given a lack of evidence that the airline knew it was breaking the law, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled Thursday.

  • August 29, 2024

    Philly Legal Org. Must Face Atty's EEOC Bias Suit At Trial

    A Pennsylvania federal judge declined Thursday to side with either party on the core claims in a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging a Philadelphia legal services organization fired an attorney who asked for more medical leave, ruling that the case is best fit for trial.

  • August 29, 2024

    Wash. AG Hit Again With Atty's Bias Firing Suit

    A Washington attorney who says he was wrongfully fired from his job with the state's Office of the Attorney General after he was diagnosed with trauma linked to being a closeted gay Mormon youth has filed a new lawsuit after a similar case was tossed by a federal judge last fall.

  • August 29, 2024

    Cheerleader Drops Exploitation Suit Against Northwestern

    A former Northwestern University cheerleader has dropped her Illinois federal lawsuit that accused the school of sexually exploiting her and fellow squad members in order to bring in big dollars from donors.

  • August 29, 2024

    Big EEOC Deals Should Put Construction Firms On Alert

    A pair of hefty U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission settlements on behalf of dozens of construction workers demonstrate the agency's laser focus on systemic discrimination in the sector and should prompt employers in the field to get their houses in order, experts said.

  • August 29, 2024

    NFL, Broncos Say Player's THC Suit Belongs In Arbitration

    The NFL and Denver Broncos said a former player's revised discrimination lawsuit can't avoid arbitration because claims that he was unfairly fined more than $532,000 for using prescribed THC to treat medical conditions still fall under a collective bargaining agreement.

  • August 29, 2024

    Burke Warren Nixed WFH Request, Violating ADA, Suit Says

    A former legal assistant at Burke Warren MacKay & Serritella PC has sued the firm for disability discrimination in Illinois federal court, saying he was illegally fired rather than accommodated when his cancer treatment led him to ask for a permanent work-from-home schedule.

Expert Analysis

  • Why Employers Should Heed High Court Web Designer Ruling

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    While not an employment law ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in the First Amendment case 303 Creative v. Elenis raises serious questions for employers that constitute public accommodations and have related anti-discrimination policies, says Tanner Camp at Foley & Lardner.

  • What To Expect From The EEOC's Proposed Pregnancy Law

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    U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act require accommodations for many conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth, and while the final rule won't be published until the public comment period expires in October, employers should act promptly, says Amy Gluck at FisherBroyles.

  • Employer Best Practices For Pay Transparency Compliance

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    With conflicting pay transparency and disclosure laws appearing across the country, employers must carefully develop different strategies for discussing compensation with employees, applicants, and off-site workers, disclosing salaries in job ads, and staying abreast of new state and local compliance requirements, says Joy Rosenquist at Littler Mendelson.

  • Congress Must Level The Employer Arbitration Playing Field

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    Federal courts have largely eviscerated state bans on arbitration of employment claims through Federal Arbitration Act preemption holdings, and they are also limiting the impact of the federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, so Congress needs to step in and amend both laws, says Alan Kabat at Bernabei & Kabat.

  • What 11th Circ. Revival Of Deaf Employee's Bias Suit Portends

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    The Eleventh Circuit's recent Beasley v. O'Reilly Auto Parts decision, which created a circuit split involving the issue of linking accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act to essential job functions, is a curiosity about the court's analysis at least and a potential game changer for employer duties at most, says John Doran at Sherman & Howard.

  • What To Watch As Justices Take Up Title VII Job Transfer Case

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    With its recent decision to hear Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether an involuntary job transfer can count as employment discrimination under Title VII — an eventual ruling that has potential to reshape workplace bias claims nationwide, says Adam Grogan at Bell Law Group.

  • Parsing EEOC Guidance On Accommodating Low Vision

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    Employers need to examine recent Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance on provisions for employees who are blind or partially sighted, particularly on the consequences of terminating an employee with blindness or low vision without meeting obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, says Amy Epstein Gluck at FisherBroyles.

  • 5 Tips For Employers Handling Generative AI Privacy Risks

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    Employers should carefully consider the privacy implications of using generative artificial intelligence tools, and employ steps to mitigate the risks, such as de-identifying data, providing notice and identifying data flows, say Zoe Argento and Amy Kabaria at Littler.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'The Bear' Serves Up Advice For Managers

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    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper chat with Ernst & Young’s Laura Yehuda about Hulu's "The Bear" and the best practices managers can glean from the show's portrayal of workplace challenges, including those faced by young, female managers.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

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    As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

  • Mass. Age Bias Ruling Holds Employer Liability Lessons

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    The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s recent ruling in Adams v. Schneider Electric — upholding a laid-off employee’s age discrimination claim — is an important reminder that employers may face liability even if a decision maker unknowingly applies a discriminatory corporate strategy, say attorneys at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • Regulating AI: Litigation Questions And State Efforts To Watch

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    In view of the developing legal and regulatory framework for artificial intelligence systems in the U.S., including state legislation and early federal litigation, there are practical takeaways as we look toward the future, says Jennifer Maisel at Rothwell Figg.

  • Regulating AI: An Overview Of Federal Efforts

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    The U.S. has been carefully managing a national policy and regulatory ecosystem toward artificial intelligence, but as AI technology continues to expand into our everyday lives, so too has its risks and the need for regulation, says Jennifer Maisel at Rothwell Figg.