Discrimination

  • March 28, 2025

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Weighs City Worker's Free Speech Suit

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider an attempt from the former city planner for Newburgh, New York, to revive her lawsuit claiming she was fired for advocating that the city adopt antiracism policies for the city's housing initiatives.

  • March 28, 2025

    Judge Sides With Ga. County In DOJ's Racial Slur Suit

    A Georgia federal judge has ended federal prosecutors' suit against a Georgia county claiming it fired two Black employees after they complained of racist treatment from co-workers, finding there was nothing pretextual about their termination for stealing time with bogus reports.

  • March 28, 2025

    NJ Says Banking Dept. Retaliation Suit Still Lacks Facts

    New Jersey urged a state court to dismiss a discrimination and retaliation suit from a former acting director at the state's Department of Banking and Insurance, arguing she hasn't backed her claims she was paid less than her male counterparts and lost out on a promotion due to her gender.

  • March 28, 2025

    Ex-Deputy Wins $250K In Retaliation Suit Over Bias Charge

    A Florida federal jury awarded a former sheriff's deputy $250,000 in his suit claiming he was fired in retaliation for filing a bias charge against the office, claiming it failed to let him take leave for a disability and wear an Islamic cap in accordance with his religious beliefs.

  • March 28, 2025

    2nd Judge Grants Injunction Against DOD's Transgender Ban

    A Washington state federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's ban on transgender troops following a similar move by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., finding that the prohibition blatantly discriminates based on gender status and sex without any justifying evidence.

  • March 28, 2025

    Ill. Judge Blocks Trump's DEI Certification Mandate

    An Illinois federal judge has blocked the U.S. Department of Labor from requiring federal grant recipients to certify that they don't operate programs that violate President Donald Trump's recent executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, saying the mandate puts them "in a difficult and perhaps impossible position."

  • March 28, 2025

    Gannett Wraps Up ADA Suit From Worker With Vision Loss

    Newspaper publisher Gannett agreed to settle a former content strategist's lawsuit claiming he was let go because he has vision loss that requires him to work from home, according to a Friday filing in Florida federal court.

  • March 28, 2025

    Jackson Lewis Names New Leader In White Plains, NY

    Nationwide employment law firm Jackson Lewis PC has promoted Michael L. Abitabilo from office litigation manager to office managing principal in White Plains, New York, the firm has announced.

  • March 28, 2025

    UAW Beats Black Truck Driver's Bias Claim

    The United Auto Workers escaped a former Howmet Aerospace Inc. employee's lawsuit claiming the union failed to adequately challenge his termination because he's Black, with an Ohio federal judge saying he'd failed to identify a non-Black colleague who received the representation he felt he was owed.

  • March 28, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: 9th Circ. Hears Trucker Piece-Rate Args

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for Ninth Circuit oral arguments in a proposed class action that revolves around a transportation company's alleged piece-rate pay policy. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • March 28, 2025

    PruittHealth Ends Gay Ex-Nursing Director's Harassment Suit

    A Georgia PruittHealth location and a former nursing director have resolved his suit accusing the facility of failing to step in when he was harassed for being gay and then firing him after he complained about it, the parties told a Georgia federal court.

  • March 28, 2025

    Judges Block Trump's Jenner & Block, WilmerHale Orders

    Jenner & Block LLP and WilmerHale both won temporary restraining orders late Friday blocking President Donald Trump's executive orders targeting the firms, with two Washington, D.C., federal judges determining the firms have shown the orders are likely retaliation for their representation of certain clients.

  • March 27, 2025

    EEOC's 'Nudge' Keeps ADA Suit Over Leave Policy Alive

    A Pennsylvania federal judge said Thursday the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission put forward just enough detail to sustain a disability bias suit claiming a non-profit health system made workers re-apply and battle for their jobs after taking medical leave.

  • March 27, 2025

    6th Circ. Says Stomach Bug Not Covered By Disability Statute

    A former delivery driver can't reopen his lawsuit claiming he was fired by a manufacturing component company for requesting time off to recover from an illness, the Sixth Circuit ruled Thursday, saying his temporary stomach bug didn't qualify as a disability under federal law.

  • March 27, 2025

    UPS, Workers To Take Military Leave Suit To Mediation

    United Parcel Service and a class of employees alerted a Washington federal court that they intend to mediate the workers' lawsuit accusing the company of failing to pay drivers on short-term military leave while paying those who take time off for jury duty and other short-term absences.

  • March 27, 2025

    Raytheon, Black Accounting Workers End Hiring Bias Suit

    Raytheon Technologies Corp. has resolved a lawsuit alleging it refused to permanently hire four temporary Black accountants and replaced them with less qualified non-Black workers, according to a Thursday filing in Texas federal court.

  • March 27, 2025

    Full 7th Circ. Urged To Review Law Prof's Retaliation Suit

    The full Seventh Circuit was asked on Thursday to revisit a panel's ruling reviving a retaliation claim from a law school professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago who was disciplined for including a redacted racist slur on an exam, saying the opinion "raises, without answering, questions of exceptional importance that will have sweeping implications for university officials."

  • March 27, 2025

    Dem Lawmakers Say EEOC Firings Exceeded Trump's Power

    A coalition of 241 Democratic lawmakers urged President Donald Trump on Thursday to reinstate two Democratic members of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, saying the president usurped congressional power and threatened the agency's independence when he fired them in January.

  • March 27, 2025

    Movie Theater Co. Agrees To Settle EEOC Age Bias Suit

    A company that owns movie theaters has agreed to settle an age discrimination suit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming it yanked a worker's health insurance after he turned 65 and later forced him to retire during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • March 27, 2025

    Ex-Troutman Atty Says Racial Bias Suit Should Go To Trial

    A former Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP associate who says she was fired for calling out racial bias told a Washington, D.C., federal judge that the firm's own documents and testimony show it saw her as a valuable attorney, despite saying she was let go over performance.

  • March 27, 2025

    2nd Circ. Ruling Illuminates Overlooked Disability Law Tenet

    The Second Circuit recently made clear that a worker can be qualified for an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act even if they can do their job without one, aligning with its sister circuits on a nuance of discrimination protections that experts say often flies under the radar.

  • March 27, 2025

    Trans Corrections Officer's Harassment Case Cleared For Trial

    A Georgia federal judge said Thursday that the state's corrections department must face a suit from a transgender officer who said he was mocked for transitioning, teeing up a trial on a harassment claim the Eleventh Circuit revived in March 2024.

  • March 27, 2025

    3M Says It's Settled Ex-Worker's Vaccine Retaliation Suit

    3M Co. has reached a settlement with a former employee who claimed she was canned from the company for refusing to comply with its COVID-19 vaccination policy, according to a Wednesday filing in Georgia federal court.

  • March 26, 2025

    IBM Can't Yet Ditch White Man's 'Reverse Discrimination' Suit

    A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday refused to throw out a white male consultant's suit alleging that IBM threatens to punish executives if they don't meet diversity goals, finding that, at least at this stage in the litigation, he's offered enough facts to support a "reverse discrimination" claim.

  • March 26, 2025

    Delta Must Face Ex-Worker's Disability Bias Suit At Trial

    A Tennessee federal judge said a jury needs to determine whether Delta failed to accommodate a former worker's disability by denying his request to use a stool on the job, stating there are too many disputes about whether safety regulations prevented the airline from providing the seating.

Expert Analysis

  • How The Tide Of EEOC Litigation Rolled Back In FY 2024

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    An analysis of the location, timing and underlying claims asserted in U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission-initiated cases during fiscal year 2024 shows that the commission saw a substantial decrease in litigation activity after a surge last year, but employers should not drop their guard, say Christopher DeGroff and Andrew Scroggins at Seyfarth.

  • The Key Changes In Revised FDIC Hiring Regulations

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    Attorneys at Ogletree break down the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s new rule, effective Oct. 1, that will ease restrictions on financial institutions hiring employees with criminal histories, amend the FDIC's treatment of minor offenses and clarify its stance on expunged or dismissed criminal records.

  • 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.