Discrimination

  • December 13, 2024

    Worker Fired For Union Activity, Not Vax Status, Court Agrees

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Friday upheld a National Labor Relations Board decision that a commercial property management firm illegally fired a union supporter, finding "substantial evidence" the firing was based on the worker's union support and not his COVID-19 vaccination status.

  • December 13, 2024

    Calif.'s 1st-Ever Willful Heat Penalty Issued To Landscaper

    The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has levied its first-ever willful heat violation penalty against a landscaping and maintenance business for failing to provide workers with access to water when the temperature exceeded 95 degrees Fahrenheit, two years after it cited the company for similar heat-related safety violations.

  • December 13, 2024

    Pizza Hut Franchisee Fired Harassment Victim, EEOC Says

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission slapped a Pizza Hut franchisee with a suit in Texas federal court, claiming it fired a manager because she complained that her boss began sabotaging her success after she called off her relationship with him.

  • December 13, 2024

    Calif. Justices Won't Undo Judge's Ouster Over Misconduct

    The California Supreme Court has decided not to overturn a state judge's removal from the bench for conducting a campaign of retaliation against court employees he suspected of being "moles."

  • December 13, 2024

    DOL Orders Asia Pacific To Pay $2M To Ex-Pilot Whistleblower

    Asia Pacific Airlines must pay a former pilot over $2 million in wages, damages and attorney fees, as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that the airline had ignored his complaints about the safety of a cargo plane before ultimately firing him, the Department of Labor said.

  • December 13, 2024

    Helicopter Co. Calls Whistleblower Suit 'Premature'

    Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. told a Connecticut state court that a self-described well-known whistleblower failed to turn to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration before filing a lawsuit that accuses the company of firing him for reporting wage and hour and environmental violations, and it urged the court to toss the suit.

  • December 13, 2024

    11th Circ. Won't Revive Cop's Bias Case Over COVID Policies

    The Eleventh Circuit backed a win for Birmingham, Alabama, in a lawsuit claiming it assigned a police officer to the city jail as punishment for requesting an exemption from pandemic face mask policies because of his anxiety, finding he hadn't shown the city was motivated by bias.

  • December 13, 2024

    Calif. Forecast: Apple Wants Wage Collective Decertified

    In the next two weeks, attorneys should keep an eye out for the fate of a decertification bid in a wage and hour collective action against Apple. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • December 13, 2024

    5 Rulings That Brought The EFAA Into Sharper Focus In 2024

    Nearly two years after its enactment, courts' interpretations of the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act are taking shape, though plenty of questions remain. Here's a look back at five rulings this year that helped clarify how judges see the 2022 law.

  • December 13, 2024

    Workers Hit Cisco With Claims Of Anti-Palestinian Bias

    A group of current and former Cisco workers lodged charges with workplace discrimination and labor regulators accusing the company of allowing Palestinian employees to be harassed for criticizing its decision to provide technology to the Israeli military in its war with Hamas.

  • December 12, 2024

    Diddy Hit With 3 New Sexual Assault Suits In NY

    Three men Thursday filed new suits against Sean "Diddy" Combs, each claiming that the hip-hop mogul got them drunk, drugged them and raped them in recent years, according to complaints filed in New York County Supreme Court.

  • December 12, 2024

    Full 9th Circ. To Rehear Late BNSF Worker's Retaliation Claims

    The full Ninth Circuit on Thursday agreed to reconsider retaliation allegations against BNSF Railway Co. brought by the estate of a former BNSF conductor claiming the railroad terminated him, in part, because he conducted a safety test.

  • December 12, 2024

    Wells Fargo Faces ADA Suit Over Post-COVID Office Mandate

    Wells Fargo Bank NA faces a suit brought by a 20-year employee alleging she faced discrimination for working remotely due to health issues as the company sought to bring its workers back to in-person work on the heels of the coronavirus pandemic.

  • December 12, 2024

    Chemical Co. Cleared In EEOC Race Harassment Suit

    A Missouri federal jury has sided with a chemical company in a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging it failed to prevent a Black employee from being harassed and called the N-word by a coworker.

  • December 12, 2024

    Atlanta Private School Should Beat Racism Claim, Judge Says

    A Georgia federal magistrate judge has suggested that an educator's race bias suit against an affluent Atlanta private school be tossed, writing that the former preschool director failed to convincingly argue she was fired over her writing an article on discrimination in education.

  • December 12, 2024

    5th Circ. Backs AI Firm Win In Fired Worker's Retaliation Case

    The Fifth Circuit refused to reopen a lawsuit claiming an artificial intelligence software firm got a 63-year-old former employee fired by a partner company because he'd complained about age discrimination, finding Thursday he failed to challenge the AI firm's explanation for contacting the other company.

  • December 12, 2024

    Amazon Can't Nix Class, Collective Claims In Pay Bias Suit

    A Washington federal judge on Thursday said Amazon cannot throw out proposed class and collective claims that it systematically paid women less than their male counterparts, saying the case is not "so hopeless" that certification is impossible down the road.

  • December 12, 2024

    Garth Brooks Can't Yet Move Rape Claims Out Of California

    A California federal judge has denied, for now, Garth Brooks' bid to toss his former hair and makeup artist's Los Angeles rape suit in favor of dealing with the allegations in the Mississippi court where the country music star is leveling related extortion claims.

  • December 12, 2024

    Lawmaker Sues Over Firing For Remarks On Jewish Rival

    Outgoing Connecticut State Rep. Anabel Figueroa, a Democrat representing Stamford, is suing her ex-employer Nuvance Health Inc. claiming it wrongly fired her over purportedly antisemitic comments she made in a radio interview about her successful primary challenger that she said were taken out of context.

  • December 12, 2024

    2nd Circ. Won't Revive Indian Surgeon's Bias, Retaliation Suit

    The Second Circuit backed an upstate New York medical group's win over an Indian surgeon's lawsuit alleging he was given fewer resources than a white colleague and fired when he complained, ruling Thursday he hadn't shown that he and the coworker were comparable.

  • December 12, 2024

    Sony, Bungie Face $200M Defamation Suit Over Exec's Ouster

    Former Bungie Inc. gaming software director and designer Christopher Barrett sued the company and parent Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC for $200 million in damages in Delaware's Court of Chancery on Thursday, claiming defamation and constructive dismissal while accusing the companies of leaking false sexual misconduct allegations.

  • December 12, 2024

    Farmers Market Wraps Up Ex-Worker's Harassment Suit

    An Atlanta-area Sprouts Farmers Market has struck a deal with an ex-employee who said she was fired for calling out a co-worker's offensive comments about her sexuality, according to a filing in Georgia federal court.

  • December 12, 2024

    Woody Allen Axed Private Chef Over Military Duties, Suit Says

    Filmmaker Woody Allen fired a personal chef because he repeatedly complained he wasn't being properly paid and had to take time off to participate in military exercises as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, according to a lawsuit filed in New York federal court.

  • December 11, 2024

    Mortgage Co. Can't Dodge EEOC Disability Bias Suit

    A Washington federal judge declined Wednesday to toss a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming a mortgage and financial services company wouldn't hire a woman because of pain medication she took to treat her disability, stating a jury needs to iron out fact issues in the case.

  • December 11, 2024

    Kroger Unit Can't Dodge EEOC Suit Over Clerk's Harassment

    Supermarket chain Fred Meyer must face a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit claiming it allowed a male sales clerk to leer at and stalk female colleagues, a Washington federal judge said Wednesday, rejecting the superstore chain's argument that the commission's complaint wasn't detailed enough.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Justices' Job Transfer Review Should Hold To Title VII Text

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming decision in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis should hold that a job transfer can be an adverse employment action, and the analysis should be based on the straightforward language of Title VII rather than judicial activism, say Lynne Bernabei and Alan Kabat at Bernabei & Kabat.

  • Employer Tips For Fighting Back Against Explosive Verdicts

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    Massive jury verdicts are a product of our time, driven in part by reptile tactics, but employers can build a strategic defense to mitigate the risk of a runaway jury, and develop tools to seek judicial relief in the event of an adverse outcome, say Dawn Solowey and Lynn Kappelman at Seyfarth.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Changing Status Quo In A Union Shop

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    A recent administrative law decision concerning a dispute between Fortune Media and the NewsGuild of New York is an important reminder to employers with unionized workforces to refrain from making unilateral updates to employee handbooks that will change the terms and conditions of employment, says Jennifer Hataway at Butler Snow.

  • What EEOC's 2023 Stats Mean For Future Enforcement

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    The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s unusual burst of spring lawsuits and its new Democratic majority should cue employers and HR personnel to expect EEOC enforcement activity to ramp up to pre-pandemic rates, especially in regions where filings are on the rise and in those areas the agency appears to be targeting, such as workplace discrimination, say Andrew Scroggins and James Nasiri at Seyfarth Shaw.

  • Eye On Compliance: A Shift In Religious Accommodation Law

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    The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Groff v. DeJoy is making it more difficult for employers to deny religious accommodations, and there are three takeaways employers should keep in mind, say William Cook and Matthew High at Wilson Elser.

  • Tick Tock: When Punctuality Raises Employee ADA Questions

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    A recent viral TikTok video — where a user claims they were disrespected by a potential employer when inquiring about accommodations for difficulty with being on time — shows that even in the most seemingly questionable situations, there may be legitimate issues that require Americans with Disabilities Act considerations, says Daniel Pasternak at Squire Patton.

  • Tips For Making And Maintaining Employee Resource Groups

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    Employers should consider creating employee resource groups to create a workplace that can flourish in the new remote work reality, and keep in mind three best practices to avoid potential legal pitfalls and challenges that come with them, say Tyler Paetkau and Catarina Colón at Husch Blackwell.