Discrimination

  • April 16, 2025

    7th Circ. Judge Doubts CTA Worker's Signal Chat Claims

    A Seventh Circuit judge on Wednesday expressed skepticism that a lower court erred in tossing a former Chicago Transit Authority employee's retaliation suit as a sanction for spoiling evidence, saying he changed his story about how electronic phone messages were deleted after a Signal executive said the initial explanation was technologically impossible.

  • April 16, 2025

    Construction Cos., EEOC Resolve Suit Over Racist Comments

    A trio of building materials and auto mechanic companies agreed to pay nearly $216,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it failed to stop a supervisor from using racial slurs to refer to Black and Hispanic employees, according to a filing in Florida federal court.

  • April 16, 2025

    Pa. Law Firm Escapes Ex-Paralegal's Bias Claims, For Now

    A federal judge largely nixed a suit brought by a former paralegal for a Pennsylvania law firm who claimed she was fired for taking medical leave to treat her panic disorder, ruling her complaint was short on specifics about whether she was disabled under the law.

  • April 16, 2025

    Law Firm Must Face Trial For Ex-CPO's Retaliation Claims

    A personal injury law firm can't dodge a suit from its former chief people officer accusing the firm of firing her after she raised concerns about pay bias, a Tennessee federal judge ruled, because the firm didn't back up its claim that she was fired for insubordination. 

  • April 16, 2025

    Transgender Women Don't Count As Women Under UK Law

    Britain's highest court ruled Wednesday that the definition of a woman in the country's equality law is restricted to biological sex, ruling that it would create an incoherent system of protected characteristics if transgender women were included.

  • April 15, 2025

    Google Failed To Pay $2M In Commissions, Ex-Sales Rep Says

    A former Google Cloud unit salesperson alleged the company blocked him from receiving $2 million in commissions after he landed a $35 million contract with Otis Elevator and fired him while he underwent cancer treatment to avoid paying out nearly $3 million in life insurance benefits.

  • April 15, 2025

    Colo. Gov. Ignored Ex-Official's Race Bias Concerns, Suit Says

    A former commissioner of Colorado's Behavioral Health Administration filed a race discrimination lawsuit on Tuesday accusing Gov. Jared Polis and his former chief of staff of ignoring reports that she was treated worse than peers because she is African American and then firing her for complaining.

  • April 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Gold Mine's Win In Mechanic's Disability Suit

    The Ninth Circuit upheld on Tuesday a mining company's win in an ex-employee's suit alleging it fired him upon his return from disability leave, agreeing with a lower court that the mechanic was set to return with restrictions that left him unable to do required repair work.

  • April 15, 2025

    Food Service Co. Can't Escape Tobacco Surcharge Suit

    A food service company can't dodge a proposed class action alleging it unlawfully charges tobacco users an additional fee to obtain health insurance, an Illinois federal judge ruled Tuesday, rejecting the company's assertion that federal benefits law doesn't require retroactive reimbursement for completing a cessation program.

  • April 15, 2025

    LSU Must Face Former Attys' Retaliation Claim

    Louisiana State University cannot escape two former in-house attorneys' claim alleging their new job offers were rescinded after they raised concerns about gender equity, a federal judge ruled, rejecting the school's argument that the women forfeited their rights under federal discrimination laws.

  • April 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Ex-Tax Office Worker's $110K Harassment Win

    The Ninth Circuit declined to undo sanctions leveled against a tax and accounting company or reduce a $110,000 jury win handed to a former worker who claimed the business's owner sexually harassed her, ruling the company's arguments fell flat against a lower court's orders.

  • April 15, 2025

    Jersey City, Mayor Can't Escape Fired Aide's Retaliation Suit

    Jersey City, New Jersey, and its mayor, Stephen Fulop, are now the lone defendants in a lawsuit by one of Fulop's former aides who was terminated for supporting his conservative sister's political campaign following a Garden State federal judge's dismissal of four city officials from the suit. 

  • April 15, 2025

    Law Students Say EEOC Overreached With DEI Info Demands

    A trio of law students sued the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in D.C. federal court Tuesday, claiming the agency "grossly overstepped" by demanding workplace diversity information, including personal details about applicants and workers, from prominent law firms.

  • April 15, 2025

    DC Judge Blocks Trump Order Against Susman Godfrey

    A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday largely blocked President Donald Trump's executive order over Susman Godfrey's handling of election litigation, saying the "Framers of the Constitution would see this as a shocking abuse of power."

  • April 15, 2025

    Ga. Plant Alleges Ex-CFO Tried To Bribe Atty In Bogus Letter

    The owner of a now-shuttered Atlanta plastics manufacturing plant has alleged it was the company's disgruntled former financial chief who authored a letter offering to pay off the attorney representing sibling plaintiffs in a federal discrimination lawsuit, in a response this week to a sanctions bid.

  • April 15, 2025

    Mail Delivery Contractor, EEOC Wrap Up Disability Bias Suit

    A South Dakota-based mail delivery contractor agreed to pay $45,000 to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging it violated federal disability bias law when it fired an employee because of his physical disability. 

  • April 15, 2025

    NJ Law Firm Hit With Bias Suit From Cancer-Stricken Aide

    A former legal assistant at a New Jersey personal injury firm is suing the firm alleging that she was fired for requesting a workplace accommodation after she was diagnosed with and had surgery for ureter cancer.

  • April 15, 2025

    DOL Blocked From Forcing Contractors To Swear Off DEI

    The U.S. Department of Labor cannot force federal funding recipients to certify that they don't operate programs that violate recent executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, an Illinois federal judge held, saying President Donald Trump's directive likely violates the First Amendment.

  • April 15, 2025

    DOJ Drops Equal Pay Suit Against Mississippi Senate

    A U.S. Department of Justice suit accusing the Mississippi state Senate of paying a Black attorney less than her white colleagues came to an end in federal court Tuesday after the government agreed to toss the case.

  • April 15, 2025

    5 Questions Employers Should Ask Before Buying An AI Tool

    Not all artificial intelligence tools are created equal, and employers should be sure to ask a few crucial questions before buying AI tools for resume screening or other decision-making to get the most out of the technology and avoid violating antidiscrimination law, experts say. Here are five questions employers should ask before buying AI tools for the workplace.

  • April 14, 2025

    Susman Godfrey Asks To Block 'Unconstitutional' Order

    Susman Godfrey LLP on Monday asked a D.C. federal judge to immediately restrain the federal government from enforcing President Donald Trump's "unconstitutional" executive order revoking the firm's access to government resources, saying the directive is blatant retaliation for the firm's representation of clients and causes the president doesn't like.

  • April 14, 2025

    Worker Says Accenture's DEI Goals Cost Him His Job

    Accenture LLP refused to promote a male employee and eventually fired him in order to make room for less-qualified women in the name of gender parity, according to a sex discrimination suit the worker filed Monday in Illinois federal court.

  • April 14, 2025

    Akerman Calls Back Labor And Employment Atty As Partner

    Management-side firm Akerman LLP added a partner to its labor and employment practice group in Chicago who is returning to the firm after seven years and called going back "a homecoming."

  • April 14, 2025

    Musk's X Sued Over Wash. Worker Severance Pay, Bonuses

    About 150 former Twitter workers in Washington have sued X Corp., saying that since Elon Musk took over and slashed its workforce, the social media platform has illegally refused to engage in arbitration over claims from laid-off workers who say they have been stiffed on promised severance pay and bonuses.

  • April 14, 2025

    Tesla's Arbitration Win Upended In Ex-Exec's Defamation Case

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Monday said a lower court judge wrongly confirmed a zero-dollar arbitration award in favor of Tesla and Elon Musk that dismissed a former Tesla engineer's defamation claims, saying the federal court didn't have jurisdiction because no money was awarded.

Expert Analysis

  • 9 Considerations For Orgs Using AI Meeting Assistants

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    When deciding to use artificial intelligence meeting assistants, organizations must create and implement a written corporate policy that establishes the do's and don'ts for these assistants, taking into account individualized business operations, industry standards and legal and regulatory requirements, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit

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    The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Determining What 'I Don't Feel Safe' Means In The Workplace

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    When an employee tells an employer "I don't feel safe," the phrase can have different meanings, so employment lawyers must adequately investigate to identify which meaning applies — and a cursory review and dismissal of the situation may not be a sufficient defense in case of future legal proceedings, says Karen Elliott at FordHarrison.

  • How EEOC Enforcement Priorities May Change Under Trump

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has already been rocked by the Trump administration's dramatic changes in personnel and policy, which calls into question how the agency may shift its direction from the priorities set forth in its five-year strategic enforcement plan in 2023, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Back To Basics After Admin Change

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    Having an up-to-date employee handbook is more critical now than ever, given the recent change in administration, and employers should understand their benefits and risks, including how they can limit employers’ liability and help retain employers’ rights, say Kasey Cappellano and Meaghan Gandy at Kutak Rock.

  • What Axed Title IX Gender Identity Rule Means For Higher Ed

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    Following a Kentucky federal court's recent decision in State of Tennessee v. Cardona to strike down a Biden-era rule that expanded the definition of Title IX to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity, institutions of higher education should prepare to reimplement policies that comply with the reinstated 2020 rule, say attorneys at Venable.

  • A Path Forward For Cos. Amid Trump's Anti-DEIA Efforts

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    Given the Trump administration’s recent efforts targeting corporate diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs — including threatening possible criminal prosecution — companies should carefully tailor their DEIA initiatives to comply with both the letter and the spirit of antidiscrimination law, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Workforce Data Collection Considerations After DEI Order

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    Following President Donald Trump's executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, employers should balance the benefits of collecting demographic data with the risk of violating the order’s prohibition on "illegal DEI," say Lynn Clements at Berkshire Associates, David Cohen at DCI Consulting and Victoria Lipnic at Resolution Economics.

  • How DOGE's Severance Plan May Affect Federal Employees

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    President Donald Trump's administration, working through the Department of Government Efficiency, recently offered a severance package to nearly all of the roughly 2 million federal employees, but unanswered questions about the offer, coupled with several added protections for government workers, led to fewer accepted offers than expected, says Aaron Peskin at Kang Haggerty.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • 10 Issues To Watch In Aerospace And Defense Contracting

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    This year, in addition to evergreen developments driven by national security priorities, disruptive new technologies and competition with rival powers, federal contractors will see significant disruptions driven by the new administration’s efforts to reduce government spending, regulation and the size of the federal workforce, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Undoing An American Ideal Of Fairness

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    President Donald Trump’s orders attacking birthright citizenship, civil rights education, and diversity, equity and inclusion programs threaten hard-won constitutional civil rights protections and decades of efforts to undo bias in the law — undermining what Chief Justice Earl Warren called "our American ideal of fairness," says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Employer Tips For Wise Use Of Workers' Biometrics And Tech

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    Employers that collect employee biometric data and operate bring-your-own-device policies, which respectively offer better corporate security and more flexibility for workers, should prioritize certain best practices to protect the privacy and rights of employees and safeguard sensitive internal information, says Douglas Yang at Sheppard Mullin.