Discrimination

  • June 24, 2024

    Radio Host Says Politics Behind 'All Lives Matter' Tweet Firing

    A former radio announcer for the Sacramento Kings is forging ahead with his wrongful termination suit in California federal court, emphasizing that broadcaster Bonneville International Corp.'s decision to fire him after he tweeted "All Lives Matter" following the 2020 murder of George Floyd was politically motivated.

  • June 24, 2024

    Health Co. Narrows Doctor's Reneged Benefits Suit

    An Arizona federal judge trimmed a doctor's suit claiming her healthcare system employer refused to let her use her benefits to take time off to undergo cancer treatments, but kept alive claims that the company violated state and federal law by misleading her about paid leave.

  • June 24, 2024

    6th Circ. Backs University's Win In ADA Bias, Retaliation Suit

    The Sixth Circuit refused Monday to revive a former Western Michigan University employee's lawsuit claiming he was fired for requesting accommodations for his attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ruling Congress didn't have the power to eliminate states' immunity from retaliation claims under federal disability law.

  • June 24, 2024

    8th Circ. Sides With Minn. DOT In Injured Worker's ADA Suit

    The Eighth Circuit on Monday backed the Minnesota Department of Transportation in a suit by a former mechanic who alleged the agency discriminated against him after an on-the-job injury, finding MNDOT reasonably showed that he could not do the work of his prior position.

  • June 24, 2024

    9th Circ. Won't Revive Ex-Uber Driver's Bias Suit

    An Asian man who previously drove for Uber didn't provide enough information in his proposed class action to support his claim that the ride-hailing platform's use of customer ratings when making decisions to drop drivers had a "significant disparate impact" on non-white drivers, the Ninth Circuit said Monday.

  • June 24, 2024

    Ex-EEOC Top Cop Backs Vax Religious Bias Suit At 4th Circ.

    A former general counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission urged the Fourth Circuit to revive a nurse's suit claiming she was fired from a Virginia health system for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine due to her Christian beliefs, arguing a lower court misinterpreted federal civil rights law.

  • June 24, 2024

    EEOC Approves US Marshals' $15M Deal In Race Bias Case

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission gave final approval to a $15 million settlement resolving claims that the U.S. Marshals Service systematically discriminated against hundreds of Black employees who sought promotions or special assignments, class representatives said Monday, ending the decades-old race bias case.

  • June 24, 2024

    Ex-NJ Corrections Official Can't Revive Demotion Bias Suit

    A New Jersey state appellate court on Monday refused to reinstate a lawsuit against the state's Department of Corrections alleging it demoted a former deputy commissioner because she was in her 60s and underwent a hip replacement, saying the agency's commissioner was free to make personnel decisions.

  • June 24, 2024

    Seyfarth Atty Dropped From Yeshiva U. Rape Cover-Up Suit

    A female Yeshiva University student who claims she was raped by a player on the men's basketball team, then sued the school claiming it conspired on a cover-up with Seyfarth Shaw LLP, has voluntarily dismissed two Yeshiva officials and a Seyfarth attorney from the lawsuit.

  • June 24, 2024

    IT Co. Settles Fired Worker's Anxiety Leave Retaliation Suit

    An information technology company has agreed to settle a former worker's suit claiming the company pushed him out of a job after he took medical leave to treat his anxiety that developed from working 16-hour days, according to a Florida federal court filing.

  • June 24, 2024

    GOP States Can't Freeze PWFA Regs During 8th Circ. Appeal

    A coalition of Republican attorneys general can't pause implementation of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's fresh Pregnant Workers Fairness Act regulations while they appeal the dismissal of their suit, an Arkansas federal judge ruled, saying the states hadn't presented any new arguments to justify the respite.

  • June 24, 2024

    Justices To Assess Reach Of ADA To Ex-Workers' Benefit Suits

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday accepted a retired Florida firefighter's request that it decide whether former employees can lodge discrimination suits under the Americans with Disabilities Act related to post-employment benefits.

  • June 21, 2024

    United Workers Nab Partial Class Status In Vax Bias Suit

    A Texas federal judge awarded class certification Friday to a group of workers who claimed United Airlines illegally placed employees on unpaid leave for refusing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for religious reasons, after slimming down their originally requested class definitions.

  • June 21, 2024

    FDIC Creates Offices To Investigate Workplace Misconduct

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s board of directors on Friday approved the creation of two new independent offices to investigate complaints of sexual harassment, discrimination and other misconduct within the agency, which was accused of fostering a toxic workplace culture.

  • June 21, 2024

    EEOC Says PWFA Regs Should Stay Amid GOP States' Appeal

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission urged an Arkansas federal court Friday not to halt the agency's rule implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act while a group of Republican state attorneys general challenge their suit's dismissal, saying the states are rehashing arguments the court previously rejected.

  • June 21, 2024

    11th Circ. Backs Fla. Agency Win In Ex-Warden's FMLA Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit refused Friday to reinstate a former warden's lawsuit accusing the Florida Department of Corrections of transferring and demoting her because she was nearing 60 and took six months of leave, saying she failed to connect the dots to show the agency was motivated by bias.

  • June 21, 2024

    IBM Fires Bosses For Missed Diversity Quotas, Missouri Says

    Missouri hit IBM with a lawsuit in state court accusing the global technology company of implementing illegal diversity quotas to increase the number of Black, Hispanic and female employees in its workforce, claiming that executives who failed to reach diversity goals lost out on bonus pay and even their jobs.

  • June 21, 2024

    Former CEO Wins Unpaid Benefits Suit Against Credit Union

    A Connecticut federal judge granted a win to a former CEO claiming a credit union refused to fully pay out his retirement benefits after he was abruptly fired over his Parkinson's disease diagnosis, saying he put forward enough detail to connect his termination with his disability.

  • June 21, 2024

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Weighs Construction Workers' OT Suit

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider a group of construction workers' attempt to revive a proposed class and collective action claiming a group of construction companies failed to pay them overtime required under state and federal law. Here, Law360 explores this and other cases on the docket in New York.

  • June 21, 2024

    Ex-GM Workers Can't Prove Anti-White Bias

    A Michigan appeals court rejected efforts from two former General Motors workers to revive claims that they were fired because they are white, ruling that they fundamentally misunderstood the law and failed to rebut GM's argument that their persistent use of coarse language led to the firings.

  • June 21, 2024

    Barber Sanctioned For Lost Security Footage In Gay Bias Suit

    A Brooklyn barbershop failed to hold onto security tape footage that a bisexual former employee claimed would substantiate allegations the barbershop owner inappropriately touched and groped the worker, a New York federal judge said, finding the owner intended to keep the evidence from the worker.

  • June 21, 2024

    5th Circ. Knocks Out National Block On ACA Preventive Care

    The Fifth Circuit on Friday struck down a national injunction against Affordable Care Act requirements forcing insurers to cover a range of preventive treatments, but kept a block in place that prevents its application to the individuals and businesses in Texas that sued.

  • June 21, 2024

    Calif. Forecast: Concentra Fights Cert. Of 350K Job Seekers

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for potential class certification and expert disqualification in a suit against Concentra regarding medical inquiries for job applicants. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • June 21, 2024

    4 EEOC Cases Attorneys Should Watch In 2024's 2nd Half

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's current docket includes several harassment cases alleging managers not only failed to stop misconduct but joined in on it, and experts say these suits may indicate that higher-ups' misbehavior is a focus area for the workplace bias watchdog. Here, Law360 takes a look at four lawsuits filed by the EEOC that discrimination attorneys should keep an eye on in the latter half of this year.

  • June 21, 2024

    DOD Can't Escape LGBTQ Veterans' Discharge Bias Suit

    A California federal judge denied the U.S. Department of Defense's bid to toss a suit alleging veterans discharged under the military's former "don't ask, don't tell" ban on LGBTQ service members continue to face discrimination, finding they put forward enough proof of bias for their claims to survive dismissal.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Justices' Job Transfer Review Should Hold To Title VII Text

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming decision in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis should hold that a job transfer can be an adverse employment action, and the analysis should be based on the straightforward language of Title VII rather than judicial activism, say Lynne Bernabei and Alan Kabat at Bernabei & Kabat.

  • Employer Tips For Fighting Back Against Explosive Verdicts

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    Massive jury verdicts are a product of our time, driven in part by reptile tactics, but employers can build a strategic defense to mitigate the risk of a runaway jury, and develop tools to seek judicial relief in the event of an adverse outcome, say Dawn Solowey and Lynn Kappelman at Seyfarth.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Changing Status Quo In A Union Shop

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    A recent administrative law decision concerning a dispute between Fortune Media and the NewsGuild of New York is an important reminder to employers with unionized workforces to refrain from making unilateral updates to employee handbooks that will change the terms and conditions of employment, says Jennifer Hataway at Butler Snow.

  • What EEOC's 2023 Stats Mean For Future Enforcement

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    The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s unusual burst of spring lawsuits and its new Democratic majority should cue employers and HR personnel to expect EEOC enforcement activity to ramp up to pre-pandemic rates, especially in regions where filings are on the rise and in those areas the agency appears to be targeting, such as workplace discrimination, say Andrew Scroggins and James Nasiri at Seyfarth Shaw.

  • Eye On Compliance: A Shift In Religious Accommodation Law

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    The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Groff v. DeJoy is making it more difficult for employers to deny religious accommodations, and there are three takeaways employers should keep in mind, say William Cook and Matthew High at Wilson Elser.

  • Tick Tock: When Punctuality Raises Employee ADA Questions

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    A recent viral TikTok video — where a user claims they were disrespected by a potential employer when inquiring about accommodations for difficulty with being on time — shows that even in the most seemingly questionable situations, there may be legitimate issues that require Americans with Disabilities Act considerations, says Daniel Pasternak at Squire Patton.

  • Tips For Making And Maintaining Employee Resource Groups

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    Employers should consider creating employee resource groups to create a workplace that can flourish in the new remote work reality, and keep in mind three best practices to avoid potential legal pitfalls and challenges that come with them, say Tyler Paetkau and Catarina Colón at Husch Blackwell.

  • Employer Pointers From Tiger Woods' Legal Dispute With Ex

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    Ex-girlfriend Erica Herman's sexual harassment suit against Tiger Woods, which was recently sent to arbitration, highlights the need for employers to understand their rights and responsibilities around workplace relationships, nondisclosure agreements and arbitration provisions, say Stephanie Reynolds and Sean McKaveney at Fisher Phillips.