Discrimination

  • February 26, 2025

    MSPB Pauses Firing Of 6 Probationary Fed Employees

    The Merit Systems Protection Board paused the Trump administration's attempt to fire six federal workers on probationary status, saying the U.S. Office of Special Counsel showed it was likely the firings violated civil service laws that require the government to undertake reductions in force based on merit.

  • February 26, 2025

    Anti-American Bias Pivot Puts EEOC In Alignment With Trump

    A recent vow from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's acting leader to target anti-American discrimination is an endorsement of President Donald Trump's agenda and a definitive shift from how the agency previously addressed national origin bias, experts say.

  • February 26, 2025

    Del. DOT Settles Asian Engineer's Promotion Bias Suit

    The Delaware Department of Transportation has settled a retired engineer's lawsuit claiming he was repeatedly passed over for promotions because he is Asian, after a federal court rejected the agency's bid to nix the suit by arguing that he simply didn't perform well in interviews.

  • February 26, 2025

    1st Circ. Won't Revive Army Worker's Bias Suit Over Demotion

    The First Circuit upheld the U.S. Army's defeat of a civilian employee's lawsuit claiming she was removed from a supervisory position because she is a Puerto Rican woman in her 60s, finding she failed to discredit the Army's assertion that her management style was problematic.

  • February 26, 2025

    Top Dem Urges Trump To Leave Independent Agencies Alone

    The top Democrat on the House Administration Committee urged President Donald Trump on Wednesday to rescind his executive order seeking to assert more control over independent agencies, which the congressman says is an "unprecedented violation" of law.

  • February 26, 2025

    Justices Open To Nixing Higher Hurdle For Heterosexual Bias

    The U.S. Supreme Court hinted Wednesday that it will find heterosexual bias claims should not be held to a stricter burden of proof when it decides if an Ohio agent discriminated against a worker because she's straight, with Justice Samuel Alito noting "radical agreement" among the parties that the Sixth Circuit held her to a higher standard than other Title VII plaintiffs.

  • February 26, 2025

    Staffing Cos. Reach $60K Deal In EEOC Disability Bias Suit

    Two staffing companies will pay $60,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging they yanked an applicant's job offer for a welding position at a sawmill because he suffered a knee injury in the past, according to a Georgia federal court filing.

  • February 26, 2025

    Wilson Sonsini Adds Employment Litigator In Palo Alto

    Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC has added an employment law expert to its litigation department in Palo Alto, California, who brings with her more than 15 years of BigLaw experience including most recently at O'Melveny & Myers LLP.

  • February 26, 2025

    Google Settles Claims It Fired Bipolar Worker Out Of Bias

    Google has settled a former employee's suit alleging he was unlawfully fired for taking medical leave because of his bipolar disorder following a manic episode, according to California federal court filings.

  • February 26, 2025

    7th Circ. Backs Black Mail Carrier Over Remarks From Bosses

    The Seventh Circuit said a trial court was too quick to toss a Black former mail carrier's claim that she was harassed when supervisors at the U.S. Postal Service called her "the help," ruling that the comments were frequent enough to show the mistreatment was pervasive.

  • February 26, 2025

    Dollar Tree Reaches Deal To Exit Manager's FMLA Suit

    Dollar Tree struck a deal to resolve a former manager's lawsuit accusing the company of interfering with her rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act when she asked to take time off to care for her disabled son, a filing in Pennsylvania federal court said.

  • February 26, 2025

    Supreme Court Backs Broad View Of Lawsuit Revival Rule

    Despite fears of "litigation gamesmanship," the U.S. Supreme Court held Wednesday that cases dismissed voluntarily can later be eligible for special judicial relief and reopening, even if a statute of limitations would typically block the lawsuit.

  • February 25, 2025

    Cos. Not In Rush To Abandon DEI Measures, Report Says

    Companies don't appear to be dropping their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in droves even though President Donald Trump's administration has made workplace DEI programs an early target, according to a new report issued by Littler Mendelson PC.

  • February 25, 2025

    Meta Must Face US Citizens' Hiring Bias Suit

    A California federal magistrate judge on Tuesday refused to nix a proposed class action alleging Meta intentionally favors H-1B visa holders over U.S. citizens for jobs, referencing statistics showing Meta's H-1B visa holders make up 15% of its workforce, compared to 0.5% for other employers.

  • February 25, 2025

    Majority-Bias Case Before High Court Tees Up 'Perfect Storm'

    The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a case Wednesday that will likely help set the stage for a "perfect storm" of litigation if the justices decide to ease the path for plaintiffs from majority groups, at a time when workplace diversity programs are already taking fire from the Trump administration.

  • February 25, 2025

    Jay-Z's Claims Against Buzbee May Get Trimmed, Judge Says

    A California state judge said Tuesday that he's inclined to toss Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter's extortion claims against personal injury lawyer Tony Buzbee and some, but not all, of the rapper's defamation allegations stemming from a now-abandoned rape lawsuit.

  • February 25, 2025

    How To Track Trump's Legal Battles

    President Donald Trump has issued a historic number of executive orders and other actions during his first five weeks back in the White House, eliciting more than 80 legal challenges and setting the stage for major courtroom battles over birthright citizenship, presidential power, the federal government's structure and more. Law360 has created a database to keep track of them all.

  • February 25, 2025

    4th Circ. Shuts Down HHS Chemist's 'Grinch' Harassment Suit

    The Fourth Circuit shut down a chemist's bid Tuesday to revive his suit claiming he faced sex bias and retaliatory harassment within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services when a colleague called him the "Grinch," ruling his case is devoid of proof of discrimination.

  • February 25, 2025

    6th Circ. Upholds County Employee's Pension Retaliation Win

    The Sixth Circuit upheld on Tuesday a $180,000 jury victory in favor of a former Michigan county employee who alleged his pension payments were cut off because he publicly criticized the retirement system, backing a lower court's conclusion that his comments were protected by the First Amendment.

  • February 25, 2025

    5th Circ. Eyes Congress' Quorum As Texas Fights PWFA

    The Fifth Circuit grappled Tuesday with whether the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was rightly blocked from enforcing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act against the state of Texas, with several judges struggling to pinpoint whether the U.S. Constitution requires lawmakers' physical presence to have a quorum.

  • February 25, 2025

    Fired Worker Couldn't Justify COVID Vax Refusal, 3rd Circ. Says

    A software engineer who refused to comply with his company's COVID-19 vaccine policy couldn't claim he had a "sincere religious objection" while shielding his medical records from disclosure and vacillating on his reasons, a Third Circuit panel ruled Tuesday.

  • February 25, 2025

    5th Circ. Backs FedEx's Win In Worker's Age Bias Suit

    The Fifth Circuit refused to reopen a former FedEx manager's lawsuit alleging he was terminated because he was in his 50s, finding he couldn't overcome the delivery company's assertion that he was fired for failing to take action when a co-worker brought a BB gun to work.

  • February 25, 2025

    Ex-NJ Judge Says Judiciary Still Retaliating In Pension Fight

    A former New Jersey Superior Court judge has asked a state court to amend her suit challenging the denial of her disability pension application a second time, alleging that the state judiciary has further retaliated against her by requiring her to spend over $200,000 to qualify for a deferred early retirement pension.

  • February 25, 2025

    DOL Taps Former Agency Official As Exec Secretary

    The U.S. Department of Labor announced Tuesday that a former agency official who served under President Donald Trump's first administration was appointed as its executive secretary.

  • February 25, 2025

    King & Spalding Beats Bias Suit Over Summer Program

    King & Spalding LLP won't have to face a discrimination suit filed by a straight white woman who says she was dissuaded from applying to a summer associate program open only to "diverse" applicants, a Maryland federal court has ruled, saying she has not sufficiently demonstrated a real intent to apply to the position and therefore lacks standing.

Expert Analysis

  • Why Employers Should Heed High Court Web Designer Ruling

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    While not an employment law ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in the First Amendment case 303 Creative v. Elenis raises serious questions for employers that constitute public accommodations and have related anti-discrimination policies, says Tanner Camp at Foley & Lardner.

  • What To Expect From The EEOC's Proposed Pregnancy Law

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    U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act require accommodations for many conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth, and while the final rule won't be published until the public comment period expires in October, employers should act promptly, says Amy Gluck at FisherBroyles.

  • Employer Best Practices For Pay Transparency Compliance

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    With conflicting pay transparency and disclosure laws appearing across the country, employers must carefully develop different strategies for discussing compensation with employees, applicants, and off-site workers, disclosing salaries in job ads, and staying abreast of new state and local compliance requirements, says Joy Rosenquist at Littler Mendelson.

  • Congress Must Level The Employer Arbitration Playing Field

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    Federal courts have largely eviscerated state bans on arbitration of employment claims through Federal Arbitration Act preemption holdings, and they are also limiting the impact of the federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, so Congress needs to step in and amend both laws, says Alan Kabat at Bernabei & Kabat.

  • What 11th Circ. Revival Of Deaf Employee's Bias Suit Portends

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    The Eleventh Circuit's recent Beasley v. O'Reilly Auto Parts decision, which created a circuit split involving the issue of linking accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act to essential job functions, is a curiosity about the court's analysis at least and a potential game changer for employer duties at most, says John Doran at Sherman & Howard.

  • What To Watch As Justices Take Up Title VII Job Transfer Case

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    With its recent decision to hear Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether an involuntary job transfer can count as employment discrimination under Title VII — an eventual ruling that has potential to reshape workplace bias claims nationwide, says Adam Grogan at Bell Law Group.

  • Parsing EEOC Guidance On Accommodating Low Vision

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    Employers need to examine recent Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance on provisions for employees who are blind or partially sighted, particularly on the consequences of terminating an employee with blindness or low vision without meeting obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, says Amy Epstein Gluck at FisherBroyles.

  • 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.