Discrimination

  • January 16, 2025

    FedEx Return-To-Office Push Draws EEOC Disability Bias Suit

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission hit FedEx with a disability bias suit Thursday in New York federal court, claiming it pushed dispatchers to return from COVID-19 remote work assignments while ignoring concerns that their disabilities prevented them from working in office.

  • January 16, 2025

    Sole EEOC Republican Leads Surge In Commissioner Charges

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's only Republican appointee — who observers expect to take over as the agency's chair — has demonstrated a willingness to lodge commissioner charges by dispatching nearly 40 in recent years, contributing to a general spike in these filings. 

  • January 16, 2025

    Law Prof Accuses Penn Of Race Bias Over Disciplinary Action

    A white Jewish law professor accused the University of Pennsylvania in federal court Thursday of harshly punishing her for making observations about Black student achievement while allowing other faculty members to get away with disparaging and threatening Jews and Israelis, in violation of federal law.

  • January 16, 2025

    Ex-MGM Worker Awarded $133K In COVID Vax Bias Suit

    A Michigan federal jury on Thursday awarded $133,000 to a fired MGM Grand Detroit warehouse worker who had alleged he was improperly denied religious accommodation from the company's COVID-19 vaccine policy.

  • January 16, 2025

    Leon Black Rape Case Halted As Wigdor Faces Sanctions Bid

    A Manhattan federal judge froze discovery Thursday in a sexual assault case against ex-Apollo Global Management CEO Leon Black to allow him to file a sanctions motion against the Jane Doe plaintiff and Wigdor LLP, pointing to sealed documents.

  • January 16, 2025

    Christian Org. Fights EEOC Abortion, Gender Identity Regs

    A Christian business organization told the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in a lawsuit filed in North Dakota federal court that the agency is forcing religious employers to choose between their convictions and complying with EEOC directives on workplace abortion accommodations and gender identity issues.

  • January 16, 2025

    County Can't Scuttle Religious Bias Suit Over Vax Exemptions

    A California county can't escape a lawsuit claiming it treated employees' religious exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine differently from other employees' health exemptions, a federal judge ruled, though the court suggested the county's bid to decertify the class action may have legs.

  • January 16, 2025

    Abruzzo Memo Outlines How NLRA Overlaps With EEO Laws

    The National Labor Relations Board's lead prosecutor laid out guidance Thursday for instances in the workplace when the National Labor Relations Act and equal employment opportunity laws intersect, explaining how employers can tweak workplace rules and approach investigations to comply with these statutes.

  • January 16, 2025

    GoDaddy, Black Ex-Director To Resolve Bias Suit In Arbitration

    Web-hosting provider GoDaddy and a Black former director will head to arbitration to resolve his federal lawsuit in New Jersey alleging he was fired after complaining about race discrimination.

  • January 16, 2025

    Ogletree Hires Jackson Lewis Atty, Former NBA Counsel

    Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC has hired a former Jackson Lewis PC attorney, who also has experience working in-house for the National Basketball Association as an associate counsel, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • January 16, 2025

    DOL Says Workers Received Millions In Back Wages In FY24

    Workers got back millions of dollars in the last fiscal year while unlawfully employed minors received the protections they deserved after the U.S. Department of Labor stepped in, Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda said in her office's last enforcement report before the new presidential administration takes office.

  • January 16, 2025

    Networking App, Ex-VP End Suit Alleging Maternity Leave Bias

    A former executive and a social networking app agreed to end her sex bias suit claiming she was fired for taking maternity leave after the company raised bogus concerns about her performance, according to a filing in New York federal court.

  • January 15, 2025

    Ruling On Fla. Gender Law Animus Is Flawed, 11th Circ. Told

    Florida urged an Eleventh Circuit panel on Wednesday to overturn an order declaring the state's ban on certain types of medical treatment for gender dysphoria unconstitutional, arguing the lower court wrongly used the condition as a proxy for transgender individuals in ruling that the prohibition was proof of discriminatory animus.

  • January 15, 2025

    Davis Wright Atty Says Firm Is Trying To Push Him Out

    An attorney employed by Davis Wright has launched a pro se employment discrimination lawsuit in Washington state court, accusing the firm of trying to "strong-arm" him into leaving after he reported what he described as misconduct by a partner and banishing him from its Seattle office when he threatened legal action.

  • January 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Eyes Undoing Trans Patients' Win In ACA Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit seemed inclined Wednesday to strike down a trial court win for patients who challenged Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois' administration of their employer-provided health plans containing gender-affirming care exclusions, with two judges questioning why those employers weren't part of the case. 

  • January 15, 2025

    Paralegal's Suit Claiming City Sabotaged Benefits Falls Short

    A federal judge tossed a former paralegal's suit claiming a Colorado city attempted to sabotage her unemployment benefits after a dustup over a disability accommodation caused her to lose her job, ruling that her allegations weren't properly pled under the laws she invoked.

  • January 15, 2025

    Supervisor Can't Exit Remote Ex-Worker's Gay Bias Suit

    A federal judge declined to cut a supervisor from a former software company worker's suit claiming he was fired after his boss found out he is gay, stating the Arizona-based supervisor can still be sued in Michigan even though he managed the ex-employee remotely.

  • January 15, 2025

    Maine Chamber, Shipyard Challenge State Paid Leave Rule

    The Maine State Chamber of Commerce and U.S. shipyard Bath Iron Works told a state court that certain provisions of the rule for the state medical leave program are illegal, arguing that employers will shell out conspicuous amounts into a fund they won't use.

  • January 15, 2025

    10th Circ. Upholds USPS Win Over Ex-Carrier's Bias Suit

    The Tenth Circuit refused Wednesday to revive a former mail carrier's lawsuit alleging the U.S. Postal Service changed his route and ultimately fired him because he's Hispanic, ruling he hadn't demonstrated that the Postal Service overreacted by terminating him after an altercation with his boss.

  • January 15, 2025

    Poultry Co. Cuts Deal To End Black Ex-Worker's Bias Suit

    A major poultry processor agreed to settle a Black former employee's suit claiming he was targeted for punishment after complaining that a nonwhite worker received a harsher penalty than a white worker for the same safety violation, according to a docket entry in North Carolina federal court.

  • January 15, 2025

    Boston Lawyers Accused Of Bungling Exec's Bias Claim

    A former executive at roofing manufacturer GAF Materials is accusing her former lawyers of mishandling a potential age and gender discrimination case by failing to meet a key procedural deadline, according to a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts state court.

  • January 15, 2025

    Trump Chooses Former DOL Official As Its Deputy Secretary

    President-elect Donald Trump said late Tuesday he plans to nominate former EEOC Commissioner and Department of Labor official Keith Sonderling for deputy labor secretary, the second-in-command at the DOL.

  • January 14, 2025

    'Not Afraid Of Question Presented,' Atty Tells Irked Justices

    As the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday analyzed judicial powers to reopen dismissed cases, a Halliburton attorney sought to steer oral arguments toward questions the high court hadn't agreed to address, testing some justices' patience and eventually prompting the attorney to insist he wasn't "afraid of the question presented."

  • January 14, 2025

    Mastercard Agrees To $26M Deal In Hiring Bias Suit

    Mastercard Inc. has agreed to shell out $26 million and change its hiring practices to put to rest a proposed class and collective action alleging sex, gender, race and ethnicity-based employment discrimination, according to a motion filed Tuesday, the same day the workers sued in New York federal court.

  • January 14, 2025

    4 Tips For Using Wearable Tech Following EEOC Guidance

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently issued guidance cautioning employers about legal risks that come with requiring workers to wear or carry devices that collect sensitive data, a road map that experts say can be useful for businesses as workplaces expand their reliance on technology. Here, management-side experts discuss four tips about deploying wearable technology now that the EEOC has weighed in.

Expert Analysis

  • The Shifting Landscape Of Physician Disciplinary Proceedings

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    Though hospitals have historically been able to terminate doctors' medical staff privileges without fear of court interference, recent case law has demonstrated that the tides are turning, especially when there is evidence of unlawful motivations, say Dylan Newton and Michael Horn at Archer & Greiner.

  • Anti-DEI Complaints Filed With EEOC Carry No Legal Weight

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    Recently filed complaints against several companies' diversity, equity and inclusion programs alleging unlawful discrimination against white people do not require a response from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and should not stop employers from rooting out ongoing discriminatory practices, says former EEOC general counsel David Lopez.

  • How DEI Programs Are Being Challenged In Court And Beyond

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    In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's affirmative action decision last year declaring the consideration of race in university admissions unconstitutional, employers should keep abreast of recent litigation challenging diversity, equity and inclusion training programs, as well as legislation both supporting and opposing DEI initiatives in the workplace, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • What Minority Biz Law Ruling Could Mean For Private DEI

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    A Texas federal court’s recent decision to strike down key provisions of the Minority Business Development Act illustrates the wide-reaching effects of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision across legal contexts, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Texas Hair Bias Ruling Does Not Give Employers A Pass

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    A Texas state court’s recent decision, holding that a school could discipline a student with locs for refusing to cut his hair, should not be interpreted by employers as a license to implement potentially discriminatory grooming policies, says Dawn Holiday at Jackson Walker.

  • Broadway Ruling Puts Discrimination Claims In The Limelight

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    A New York federal court's recent decision in Moore v. Hadestown Broadway that the employers' choice to replace a Black actor with a white actor was shielded by the First Amendment is the latest in a handful of rulings zealously protecting hiring decisions in casting, say Anthony Oncidi and Dixie Morrison at Proskauer.

  • Breaking Down California's New Workplace Violence Law

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    Ilana Morady and Patrick Joyce at Seyfarth discuss several aspects of a new California law that requires employers to create and implement workplace violence prevention plans, including who is covered and the recordkeeping and training requirements that must be in place before the law goes into effect on July 1.

  • Studying NY, NJ Case Law On Employee Social Media Rights

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    While a New Jersey state appeals court has twice determined that an employee's termination by a private employer for social media posts is not prohibited, New York has yet to take a stand on the issue — so employers' decisions on such matters still need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis, say Julie Levinson Werner and Jessica Kriegsfeld at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Eye On Compliance: Employee Social Media Privacy In NY

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    A New York law that recently took effect restricts employers' ability to access the personal social media accounts of employees and job applicants, signifying an increasing awareness of the need to balance employers' interests with worker privacy and free speech rights, says Madjeen Garcon-Bonneau at Wilson Elser.

  • Draft Pay Equity Rule May Pose Contractor Compliance Snags

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    The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council's recently proposed rule that would prohibit government contractors from requesting certain job applicants' salary history seems simple on the surface, but achieving compliance will be a nuanced affair for many contractors who must also adhere to state and local pay transparency laws, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • What Texas Employers Should Know After PWFA Ruling

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    After a Texas federal judge recently enjoined federal agencies from enforcing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act against the state of Texas, all employers must still remain sensitive to local, state and federal protections for pregnant workers, and proactive in their approach to pregnancy-related accommodations, says Maritza Sanchez at Phelps Dunbar.

  • AI In Performance Management: Mitigating Employer Risk

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    Companies are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence tools in performance management, exposing organizations to significant risks, which they can manage through employee training, bias assessments, and comprehensive policies and procedures related to the new technology, say Gregory Brown and Cindy Huang at Jackson Lewis.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

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    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.