Discrimination

  • April 03, 2025

    DLA Piper Can't Escape Vax Refuser's Religious Bias Suit

    An Illinois federal judge rejected DLA Piper's bid to shut down a suit accusing the firm of firing a Christian worker for shirking its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, saying it was too early to tell if the firm offered him a reasonable accommodation.

  • April 03, 2025

    Jackson Walker Adds Chamberlain Hrdlicka Labor Duo In Texas

    Jackson Walker LLP has strengthened the firm's labor and employment offerings with a pair of lawyers in Houston who came aboard from Chamberlain Hrdlicka White Williams & Aughtry.

  • April 03, 2025

    6 Argument Sessions Bias Attys Should Watch In April

    A trio of age bias cases will be argued at federal appeals courts in April, as the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh circuits are scheduled to hear from a geologist, a Chili's restaurant general manager and a United Airlines worker who say they were pushed out of jobs because they're over 40 years old. Here's a look at these and three other argument sessions that attorneys should watch this month.

  • April 03, 2025

    Harvard Says Judge Ignored Time Limits In Coach's Bias Suit

    A Massachusetts federal judge got it wrong when she recommended keeping in play a former ice hockey coach's sex bias lawsuit, Harvard University said, arguing that the judge's findings that the statute of limitations could be extended essentially allow limitless Equal Pay Act claims.

  • April 03, 2025

    Ally Bank, White Ex-Worker End Suit Alleging Illegal Quotas

    Ally Bank and a white, male former employee have agreed to end his discrimination suit alleging he was passed over for a senior role in favor of a woman with less experience so the company could check off diversity quotas, according to a North Carolina federal court filing.

  • April 02, 2025

    Perkins Coie Urges Court To End Trump's 'Assault' On Firm

    Perkins Coie LLP on Wednesday asked a D.C. federal judge to permanently block enforcement of President Donald Trump's "unconstitutional assault" on the firm and the rule of law, filing a summary judgment bid the same day the federal government pushed for the firm's suit to be tossed.

  • April 02, 2025

    6th Circ. Says Jury Form Issues Don't Merit New Pay Bias Trial

    A lower court didn't err by accepting a jury's finding that a Tennessee school board gave a legitimate reason for offering a female school psychologist lower pay than a previous male candidate, the Sixth Circuit ruled Wednesday, saying inconsistencies on the verdict form didn't warrant a new trial.

  • April 02, 2025

    Retired Calif. Judges Unlikely To Revive Age Bias Suit

    A California appellate court tentatively ruled against seven retired California state court judges accusing California's Judicial Council of age discrimination due to rules limiting the time retired judges can spend on temporary assignments, saying plaintiffs haven't shown a statistically significant impact to judges over 70, among other concerns.

  • April 02, 2025

    Labor Solicitor Pick Wrote Conservative Wage Policy Blueprint

    President Donald Trump's choice to be the U.S. Department of Labor's top lawyer helped write Project 2025's book outlining policy suggestions for a future conservative administration, and that document provides a glimpse into how the nominee might approach wage and hour issues if confirmed.

  • April 02, 2025

    What To Know As EEOC Highlights Pitfalls Of 'Diverse Slates'

    Recent guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice flagged employers’ use of so-called diverse slates — pools of job applicants that deliberately include people of diverse backgrounds — as potentially unlawful. Here are two things experts say attorneys should know. 

  • April 02, 2025

    Amazon Worker Can't File Amended Military Leave Suit

    It's too late for a former Amazon employee to add a claim that the company put up barriers for workers requesting active duty leave in her suit accusing the commerce giant of failing to fully provide the paid leave for service member employees, a New York federal judge ruled.

  • April 02, 2025

    Ex-Kirkland Atty To Drop Bias Suit, Appeal Atty Firing Ruling

    A former Kirkland & Ellis LLP intellectual property associate is expected to drop her claims against the law firm and related defendants, while also appealing a ruling that precluded her from firing her attorney in the case, the parties told a California federal court Tuesday.

  • April 02, 2025

    MLB Club Settles Deaf Job Seeker's Discrimination Suit

    The Atlanta Braves agreed to settle a suit alleging they turned down an information technology director candidate because they believed his deafness would have caused issues for the organization, according to a filing in Georgia federal court.

  • April 02, 2025

    Health Center Cuts Deal To Resolve EEOC Pay Bias Probe

    A California-based health center agreed to pay three female employees $195,000 to wrap up a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation into claims that they were paid less than a male colleague out of sex discrimination.

  • April 02, 2025

    3rd Circ. Says CVS Sex Bias Arbitration Fight Needs 2nd Look

    The Third Circuit on Wednesday rejected a former CVS worker's argument that a 2022 federal law shielded her sex harassment case from mandatory arbitration, but it revived her suit to give the trial court a chance to explore whether the arbitration pact at issue was valid.

  • April 01, 2025

    Ex-Microsoft Manager Says He Was Fired For Whistleblowing

    A former project manager for Microsoft says he was fired after flagging compliance issues and misconduct, including being forced to leak sensitive data from client Freddie Mac's workforce platform and being asked to falsify a report to cover up fraud, according to a suit filed Monday in Texas federal court.

  • April 01, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Revive Wash. Atty's Bias Firing Suit

    An attorney can't revive his complaint alleging the Washington State Attorney General's Office fired him based on his PTSD diagnosis linked to being a closeted gay Mormon youth, after the Ninth Circuit said the case was time-barred and was an attempt to relitigate claims already tossed.

  • April 01, 2025

    Nurse's Job Denial Dispute With Senior Home Stays In Court

    A senior living home operator must face a federal lawsuit claiming it violated the New York City Human Rights Law by retracting a nurse's job offer because she refused to consent to a credit check, a New York federal judge ruled, denying the company's bid to compel arbitration.

  • April 01, 2025

    7th Circ. Revives Officer's Back Pay Bid In ADA Row

    The Seventh Circuit reinstated Tuesday a former corrections officer's back pay request that was rejected by a lower court after a jury found the county sheriff he worked for violated disability bias law by subjecting him to an unnecessary medical exam, but didn't owe him any damages.

  • April 01, 2025

    Ex-Exec Accuses Deutsche Bank Of Audit Lies, Retaliation

    A former high-ranking official with Deutsche Bank has sued the bank for whistleblower retaliation and libel over what he said was a false human resources complaint concocted to fire him for cause after he flagged the bank's alleged lies to federal regulators about operational control issues.

  • April 01, 2025

    NBA Wants No Extra Shot At Vax Discrimination Claim For Ref

    Former NBA referee Leroy Richardson lost in a "final and binding" arbitration of his religious discrimination claim against the league, and thus should not be awarded a win in his suit over his firing for refusing a COVID-19 vaccination, the NBA has told a New York federal court.

  • April 01, 2025

    Legal Carveout For Staff Sinks DA Aide's Pregnancy Bias Suit

    A top aide to Atlanta's former district attorney who alleged she was fired for getting pregnant falls under an exception to federal anti-discrimination law as an elected official's staffer, the Eleventh Circuit said Tuesday, backing the dismissal of her bias suit.

  • April 01, 2025

    DC Circ. Ruling Bodes Ill For Potential EEOC Challenges

    A D.C. Circuit panel recently allowed President Donald Trump's dismissal of two agency officials to move ahead, a development experts said darkened the outlook for the potential legal challenges that the fired U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission members may bring over their January ousters.

  • April 01, 2025

    Mich. Justices Urged To Reject Shorter Worker Suit Deadlines

    A trial lawyers' association has advocated for the Michigan Supreme Court to end employers' ability to contractually shorten the limitations period for employee lawsuits, saying such contract terms weaken workers' civil rights protections. 

  • April 01, 2025

    Seattle Schools Must Face Teacher's Retaliation Lawsuit

    A Washington state appeals court breathed new life into a Seattle public schoolteacher's suit claiming she was punished for reporting that elementary school personnel mistreated students of color, faulting a trial court's conclusion that she hadn't done enough to satisfy presuit obligations.

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.