Discrimination

  • July 22, 2024

    Globetrotters' Parent & Media Cos. Want Out Of Sex Bias Suit

    The parent and media companies of the Harlem Globetrotters want out of a female former player's sex bias and harassment suit, telling a Georgia federal court she failed to exhaust her administrative remedies by not first filing her complaints against them with the EEOC and obtaining a right-to-sue letter.

  • July 22, 2024

    State Street Sets Aside $4.2M To Address Wage Discrimination

    Federal financial services provider State Street agreed to set aside $4.2 million to make wage adjustments in the future as part of a settlement to resolve allegations that it discriminated against some women managing directors with its base pay and bonuses, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Monday.

  • July 22, 2024

    Wells Fargo Flouted Director's Dignity, Jury Told In ADA Trial

    Wells Fargo chose to lay off a longtime managing director to avoid dealing with his request to continue working from home to cope with his bladder and colon condition as the bank readied for a return to office after the pandemic, a federal jury in Charlotte heard Monday.

  • July 22, 2024

    Mich. Justices Say Fired Safety Whistleblowers Can Sue

    Michigan's highest court revived a former Fiat Chrysler employee's lawsuit against the automaker Monday, saying that occupational safety laws don't preempt his claims that he was fired because he raised concerns about potential asbestos at his jobsite.

  • July 22, 2024

    American Airlines Aims To Block Disabled Worker Class Cert.

    American Airlines Group Inc. has said a disabled worker aims to have a Texas federal court certify an "unprecedented nationwide class of all disabled American flight attendants" who can't maintain a regular work schedule and has asked the court to strike the plaintiff's class allegation.

  • July 22, 2024

    GOP States Tell 8th Circ. To Revive PWFA Rule Challenge

    A group of Republican state attorneys general urged the Eighth Circuit to revive their lawsuit challenging the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Pregnant Workers Fairness Act regulations, arguing courts shouldn't defer to the agency's interpretation of the law under fresh U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

  • July 22, 2024

    BlackBerry Sex Harassment Plaintiff May Lose Anonymity

    A former BlackBerry executive claiming CEO John Giamatteo sexually harassed her on his way up to the top job while she was fired for reporting his actions may not be able to proceed with her suit anonymously, a California federal judge said Monday.

  • July 22, 2024

    Transfer To D-II Should End HBCU Race Bias Suit, NCAA Says

    The basketball player claiming that the NCAA's Academic Performance Program discriminates against historically Black colleges and universities is no longer harmed by the program after transferring to a lower-division college, the NCAA has argued to an Indiana federal court.

  • July 22, 2024

    9th Circ. Backs Arbitration In Former AmEx Workers' Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit said Monday that a group of former American Express employees must arbitrate their suit claiming the company's diversity initiatives discriminated against white people, rejecting their argument that they were being unlawfully blocked from seeking relief that would benefit others.

  • July 22, 2024

    Approval Sought For $1.2M Deal In Labor Trafficking Suit

    A car parts manufacturer, two recruiting agencies and a group of Mexican engineers who alleged the companies lured them to the U.S. with false promises of high-paying jobs before forcing them to work manual labor for long hours and low wages have reached a tentative $1.2 million settlement.

  • July 22, 2024

    Wash. Jury Says Seattle Port Owes Fired Police Chief $24.2M

    A Washington state jury said Monday that the Port of Seattle owes its ex-police chief $24.2 million, capping off a six-week trial on his claims that the port axed him as punishment for complaining about lack of due process in workplace misconduct investigations.

  • July 22, 2024

    9th Circ. Backs TSA's Win In Ex-Worker's Retaliation Suit

    The Ninth Circuit declined to reinstate a lawsuit alleging the Transportation Security Administration fired an officer for complaining that he faced a hostile work environment, saying he failed to overcome the agency's assertion that he was terminated for refusing to comply with an investigation into alleged criminal activity.

  • July 22, 2024

    SAG-AFTRA Beats Vax Mandate Suit In Calif. Federal Court

    A California federal judge has tossed a group of SAG-AFTRA members' claims that the union betrayed them by allowing studios to impose vaccine mandates after the pandemic, saying the workers' state-level claims are preempted by the Labor Management Relations Act and a federal-level claim is untimely.

  • July 22, 2024

    Ex-NJ Judge Wants Chief Justice Deposed In Pension Suit

    A former Bergen County Superior Court judge told a New Jersey state court that she must be allowed to depose Chief Justice Stuart Rabner of the New Jersey Supreme Court because he has information about the state's decision to deny her disability benefits application that no one else has.

  • July 22, 2024

    US Bank Must Face Post-Stroke Disability Bias Suit

    An Ohio appeals court revived a former U.S. Bank finance director's suit alleging he was denied a more flexible schedule and workspace modifications to help deal with post-stroke impairments, saying a lower court held his complaint to an overly strict standard.

  • July 22, 2024

    Rising Star: Filippatos' Tanvir H. Rahman

    Tanvir Rahman of Filippatos PLLC secured a $12 million settlement for a former Fox News producer who said she was used as a scapegoat during the network's legal battle with Dominion Voting Systems, earning him a spot among the employment law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 22, 2024

    TikTok Says Arbitration Pacts Doom Former Exec's Bias Suit

    TikTok urged a New York federal court to toss a former marketing executive's suit accusing the company of putting her on a "kill list" of employees to push out because she was a woman nearing 50, saying she agreed to arbitrate any employment-related disputes with the company.

  • July 22, 2024

    Ex-DuPont Workers Settle Age Bias Suit Ahead Of Trial

    DuPont has reached a settlement to avoid trial with two former employees who alleged they were fired and replaced by younger workers after a rigged investigation into allegedly hazardous workplace behavior.

  • July 19, 2024

    4 Lessons As 7th Circ. OKs Honeywell Firing Of DEI Protester

    The Seventh Circuit recently held that Honeywell legally fired a white employee who opposed and then skipped mandatory training that was part of the company's diversity, equity and inclusion program, a ruling that employer-side attorneys say provides valuable insight into how companies should handle objectors. Here, Law360 looks at four lessons that can be gleaned from the appellate court's opinion.

  • July 19, 2024

    9th Circ. Calls Out Wash. AG's Paradox In Christian Charity Suit

    Ninth Circuit judges said Friday that Washington state "wants it both ways" in a Christian nonprofit's case over an antidiscrimination law, with the attorney general arguing that there's no credible enforcement threat to substantiate the suit's filing while also stopping short of pledging that the state won't pursue a case against the organization.

  • July 19, 2024

    3rd Circ. Reverses Court on 90-Day EEOC Clock Ruling

    The Third Circuit has revived a New Jersey state employee's sex harassment lawsuit against her employer, finding that a lower court incorrectly calculated when the 90-day clock for her to file suit started after her attorney learned the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission would not pursue her claim.

  • July 19, 2024

    NFL Antitrust Verdict, WWE Chair Woes Define 2024's 1st Half

    The first half of 2024 saw bombshell allegations and yearslong litigation lurching forward, highlighted by the shocking lawsuit accusing the founder of WWE of horrific sexual conduct, an iconic magazine almost shuttering and two NFL cases reaching significant milestones.

  • July 19, 2024

    US Chess Tolerates Human Trafficking, Champion Claims

    The U.S. Chess Federation provides an arena for human trafficking and retaliated against a whistleblower who reported alleged sexual abuse, a two-time national champion claims in a lawsuit filed in New Jersey state court.

  • July 19, 2024

    Law Profs Throw Flag On NFL's 'Unconscionable' Arbitration

    Allowing the NFL's arbitration system, with commissioner Roger Goodell as the arbitrator, to prevail in Brian Flores' discrimination dispute with the league is "unconscionable" and "egregious," a dozen law professors have told the Second Circuit in an amicus brief supporting the former Miami Dolphins head coach.

  • July 19, 2024

    Hanes Fired Remote Worker Over COVID Vax Refusal, Suit Says

    A former Hanes employee brought a discrimination suit against the clothing company Friday, claiming he was fired after the employer refused to provide religious accommodations regarding its COVID-19 vaccine mandate despite his work-from-home status.

Expert Analysis

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers cases touching on pre- and post-conviction detainment conditions, communications with class representatives, when the American Pipe tolling doctrine stops applying to modified classes, and more.

  • How To Comply With Chicago's New Paid Leave Ordinance

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    Chicago's new Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance went into effect earlier this month, so employers subject to the new rules should update leave policies, train supervisors and deliver notice as they seek compliance, say Alison Crane and Sarah Gasperini at Jackson Lewis.

  • Big Business May Come To Rue The Post-Administrative State

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    Many have framed the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning Chevron deference and extending the window to challenge regulations as big wins for big business, but sand in the gears of agency rulemaking may be a double-edged sword, creating prolonged uncertainty that impedes businesses’ ability to plan for the future, says Todd Baker at Columbia University.

  • A Timeline Of Antisemitism Legislation And What It Means

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    What began as hearings in the House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce has expanded to a House-wide effort to combat antisemitism and related issues, with wide-ranging implications for education, finance and nonprofit entities, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Colo. Ruling Adopts 'Actual Discharge' Test For The First Time

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    After a Colorado court’s recent decision in Potts v. Gaia Children, adopting for the first time a test for evaluating an actual discharge claim, employers must diligently document the circumstances surrounding termination of employment, and exercise particular caution when texting employees, says Michael Laszlo at Clark Hill.

  • It's Time For Nationwide Race-Based Hair Protections

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    While 24 states have passed laws that prohibit race-based hair discrimination, this type of bias persists in workplaces and schools, so a robust federal law is necessary to ensure widespread protection, says Samone Ijoma and Erica Roberts at Sanford Heisler.

  • After Chevron: EEOC Status Quo Will Likely Continue

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    As the legal landscape adjusts to the end of Chevron deference, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s rulemaking authority isn’t likely to shift as much as some other employment-related agencies, says Paige Lyle at FordHarrison.

  • After Chevron: Various Paths For Labor And Employment Law

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    Labor and employment law leans heavily on federal agency guidance, so the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to toss out Chevron deference will ripple through this area, with future workplace policies possibly taking shape through strategic litigation, informal guidance, state-level regulation and more, says Alexander MacDonald at Littler.

  • FIFA Maternity Policy Shows Need For Federal Paid Leave

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    While FIFA and other employers taking steps to provide paid parental leave should be applauded, the U.S. deserves a red card for being the only rich nation in the world that offers no such leave, says Dacey Romberg at Sanford Heisler.

  • What 2 Rulings On Standing Mean For DEI Litigation

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    Recent federal court decisions in the Fearless Fund and Hello Alice cases shed new light on the ongoing wave of challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, with opposite conclusions on whether the plaintiffs had standing to sue, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Eye On Compliance: A Brief History Of Joint Employer Rules

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    It's important to examine the journey of the joint employer rule, because if the National Labor Relations Board's Fifth Circuit appeal is successful and the 2023 version is made law, virtually every employer who contracts for labor likely could be deemed a joint employer, say Bruno Katz and Robert Curtis at Wilson Elser.

  • Top 5 Issues For Employers To Audit Midyear

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    Six months into 2024, developments from federal courts and regulatory agencies should prompt employers to reflect on their progress regarding artificial intelligence, noncompetes, diversity initiatives, religious accommodation and more, say Allegra Lawrence-Hardy and Lisa Haldar at Lawrence & Bundy.

  • Tailoring Compliance Before AI Walks The Runway

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    Fashion industry players that adopt artificial intelligence to propel their businesses forward should consider ways to minimize its perceived downsides, including potential job displacements and algorithmic biases that may harm diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, say Jeffrey Greene and Ivory Djahouri at Foley & Lardner.