Discrimination

  • October 02, 2024

    Kirkland Accuses Ex-IP Atty Of Delaying Bias Suit Discovery

    Kirkland & Ellis LLP told a California federal magistrate judge Wednesday that a former Kirkland intellectual property associate has delayed discovery production in her discrimination lawsuit against the firm, arguing that her discovery responses cite an erroneous legal standard, are non-committal and are "not even close to being proper."

  • October 02, 2024

    Cognizant Exec Cites India's Talent Pool To Explain Workforce

    A Cognizant Technologies vice president repeatedly denied in testimony Wednesday that the company is biased toward Indian workers in a class action brought by former employees, and said the company's high percentage of Indian workers with visas is due to the "vast pool of engineering talent" in that country.

  • October 02, 2024

    White Ex-Coach Won't Get 11th Circ. Redo In Bias Suit

    An Eleventh Circuit panel on Wednesday rejected a former football coach's request to reconsider its decision not to reopen a lawsuit alleging that a Georgia school district refused to renew his contract because he is white.

  • October 02, 2024

    3rd Circ. Revives Fired Window Co. Manager's Retaliation Suit

    The Third Circuit reinstated a suit Wednesday from a window factory manager in Pennsylvania who said he was fired for opposing the termination of two Black employees who didn't show up for their shifts, rejecting the lower court's concerns that he didn't clearly oppose the move as discriminatory.

  • October 02, 2024

    Pa. County Accused Of Failing To Thwart Alleged Harasser

    Delaware County, Pennsylvania, has been hit with a lawsuit claiming its officials ignored its emergency services director's sexual harassment of a female employee, in keeping with the county's alleged history of failing to protect women from the director's inappropriate behavior.

  • October 02, 2024

    Software Co. Settles Ex-Sales Director's Pregnancy Bias Suit

    A New York-based software company agreed to settle a former sales director's lawsuit alleging it unlawfully gave away her job during her maternity leave and put her in a more junior role when she returned, according to a filing Wednesday in Connecticut federal court.

  • October 02, 2024

    Worker Says Meta, Shutterstock Paid Her $2M Less Than Men

    A former Giphy engineer alleged in New York federal court that her male colleagues earned over $2 million more than she did after Meta, and later Shutterstock, took over the online database for animated GIFs, despite her complaints that she was being undervalued.

  • October 02, 2024

    Generator Co. Inks $500K Deal To End DOL Hiring Bias Probe

    A generator manufacturer has agreed to pay the U.S. Department of Labor $500,000 after the agency uncovered what it said was discrimination against Black and Native American applicants in the federal contractor's hiring processes.

  • October 02, 2024

    Auto Biz Must Hand Emails Over To EEOC In Harassment Case

    A Michigan federal magistrate judge has ordered an automotive services company to turn over certain emails sought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in a sexual harassment suit, saying only portions can be redacted due to attorney-client privilege.

  • October 02, 2024

    LexShares Argues Ex-CEO's Suit 'Defies Common Sense'

    Litigation financing company LexShares Inc. urged a Massachusetts federal court to throw out a Black former CEO's suit, arguing that his racial discrimination claim against two board members who helped him acquire the company "defies common sense."

  • October 02, 2024

    Starr Says School Insurer Owes $1.9M For Abuse Settlement

    Starr Indemnity & Liability Co. said it is entitled to reimbursement for its $1.9 million portion of a $3.5 million settlement paid to resolve a sexual abuse suit against a California high school, telling a federal court that a school risk-sharing pool insurer is solely liable for the payment.

  • October 02, 2024

    Ga. Surgery Provider Denies Wrongdoing In EEOC Suit

    A cosmetic surgery provider accused by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of firing a surgical sales coordinator who asked to work remotely after being diagnosed with breast cancer during the coronavirus pandemic denied all wrongdoing in a filing Tuesday, saying the worker actually resigned after learning her position couldn't be done remotely.

  • October 02, 2024

    7th Circ. Won't Revive Chicago Worker's Bulgarian Bias Suit

    A Chicago water management employee who contends she was passed over for a 2018 promotion because she's a Bulgarian woman in her 50s couldn't overcome the city's explanation that she didn't have the right experience, the Seventh Circuit ruled in affirming the defeat of the suit.

  • October 01, 2024

    Lyft Beats NY Wheelchair Access, Disability Bias Class Action

    A New York federal judge on Monday threw out a long-running class action alleging that Lyft fails to offer adequate wheelchair-accessible vehicle options for riders in the vast majority of its service regions, finding that the plaintiffs' proposed modifications for increasing accessibility aren't reasonable.

  • October 01, 2024

    Premier Health Sued For Age Bias By Ex-Regional Director

    Premier Healthcare and University of Louisville Health face an age discrimination suit filed Monday in North Carolina federal court by a former employee who alleges he experienced a hostile work environment and that younger colleagues subjected him to derogatory comments, including "boomer" and "dumb son of a bitch," that went unaddressed.

  • October 01, 2024

    EEOC Launches Dozens Of Suits As Fiscal 2024 Wraps Up

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission launched about 30 new cases as its fiscal year drew to a close, underscoring long-standing agency priorities like protecting underage workers from harassment and making sure deaf workers get fair treatment. Here's a rundown of that wave of lawsuits.

  • October 01, 2024

    Ga. County Urges Full 11th Circ. To Nix Trans Deputy's Win

    A Georgia county told the Eleventh Circuit on Monday that a health plan coverage exclusion for gender-affirming surgery is comparable to other exclusions in coverage and does not violate federal anti-discrimination laws.

  • October 01, 2024

    Meta Subjected Employee To Colleague's Stalking, Suit Says

    Meta was sued in New York state court on Tuesday by an employee who claims the tech giant failed to assist him when a former colleague began stalking and harassing him — and then accidentally rehired the co-worker.

  • October 01, 2024

    EEOC, Hooters Not Taking Bias Suit 'Seriously,' Judge Chides

    Attorneys for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Hooters got a dressing down Tuesday by a federal judge in North Carolina who accused them of dragging their feet and wasting the court's time by asking for deadline extensions without making meaningful progress.

  • October 01, 2024

    Client's Late Arrival, Bankruptcy Complicate Age Bias Suit

    The co-owner for a bankrupt Pittsburgh hotel almost lost his lawyer Tuesday, arriving late and introducing himself to the attorney for the first time in person at a hearing on the attorney's motion to withdraw from defending him against an ex-employee's age bias claim.

  • October 01, 2024

    Wigdor Sued For Dragging Cuomo Aide Into Harassment Case

    Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's spokesperson hit Wigdor LLP with a malicious prosecution suit Tuesday, claiming the well-known employment law firm filed a bogus retaliation claim against him for likening a sexual harassment suit against Cuomo to extortion.

  • October 01, 2024

    EEOC Says La. Cos. Let Black Women Drivers Get Harassed

    Two Louisiana-based energy companies failed to address male workers' racist and sexually explicit behavior toward Black female truck drivers and fired anyone who complained, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged in a lawsuit.

  • October 01, 2024

    Technology Co. Settles EEOC Sex Discrimination Probe

    A technology services provider in Ohio will pay $15,000 after a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation discovered reasonable cause to believe it denied women employment opportunities based on their sex, the agency said. 

  • September 30, 2024

    'I Was Excluded,' White Ex-Cognizant Worker Tells Jury

    A former Cognizant employee testifying for a class of former workers alleging the company is biased in favor of Indian employees corrected an attorney on Monday when asked if she "felt excluded" at the company, insisting, "Well, I was excluded."

  • September 30, 2024

    Newsom Signs Landmark Intersectionality Anti-Bias Bill

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed into law a bill enshrining intersectionality in the state's anti-discrimination laws, making California the first state in the country to explicitly recognize the concept, the governor's office announced over the weekend.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • US Labor And Employment Law Holds Some Harsh Trade-Offs

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    U.S. labor and employment laws have evolved into a product of exposure-capping compromise, which merits discussion in a presidential election year when the dialogue has focused on purported protections of middle-class workers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.