Discrimination

  • October 17, 2024

    Ex-Genzyme Exec Says Anxiety Disclosure Led To Firing

    A former marketing director for Sanofi subsidiary Genzyme says he was fired on a pretext after disclosing that he suffers from anxiety, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Massachusetts state court.

  • October 17, 2024

    Disney Can't Get Quick Appeal In Actor's Political Firing Suit

    A California federal judge refused to sign off on Walt Disney Co.'s bid to immediately challenge a decision that kept a suit alive from a former Star Wars actor who said she was fired for expressing her political views, saying an appeal to the Ninth Circuit would be premature.

  • October 17, 2024

    EEOC Gets Judge To Revive Race Bias Suit He Tossed In June

    A Wisconsin federal judge said Thursday that he jumped the gun and overlooked Seventh Circuit precedent when he dismissed a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission race bias suit, reinstating the EEOC's claims that a plastics company failed to step in while a Black worker faced harassment.

  • October 17, 2024

    Ex-Defender Returns To 4th Circ. With Sex Bias Case

    A former North Carolina public defender appealed her bias case against the judiciary to the Fourth Circuit for a second time after a North Carolina federal judge refused to reconsider his ruling that she did not provide adequate notice to her ex-employer before filing suit.

  • October 17, 2024

    Jackson Lewis Adds Litigator From Los Angeles Boutique

    Jackson Lewis PC has bolstered its litigation offerings with a principal in Los Angeles who came aboard from trial and appellate boutique Carpenter Rothans & Dumont LLP.

  • October 17, 2024

    Arbitration Limits Cover Anti-LGBT Harassment, EEOC Says

    A two-year-old law barring mandatory arbitration of sex harassment claims extends to harassment that targets sexual orientation or gender identity, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said, urging the Third Circuit to back a ruling keeping a former nursing assistant's suit in court.

  • October 17, 2024

    EEOC Gets Deal In Retaliation Suit Over Pregnancy Bias Claim

    A North Carolina movie theater will pay $137,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging it refused to rehire a bartender because she'd complained to the agency that she was fired because she was pregnant, according to a federal court filing.

  • October 17, 2024

    Texas Sues Doctor For Providing Kids Gender-Affirming Care

    The state of Texas sued a pediatrician Thursday, alleging she broke state law by providing gender-affirming care to children. 

  • October 16, 2024

    Garth Brooks Says Rape Accuser Already Revealed Herself

    Country music star Garth Brooks on Wednesday urged a Mississippi federal court to reject a hair and makeup artist's request that he be sanctioned for publicly revealing her identity out of spite after she accused him of rape, arguing that she already agreed to use her name in the litigation.

  • October 16, 2024

    Rail Agency Fired Vax Objectors In 'Sham Process,' Jury Told

    Counsel for six fired San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District workers delivered opening statements Wednesday in a new trial over allegations BART discriminated against employees who sought religious exemptions from its COVID-19 vaccination mandate, calling the agency's review of their requests a "sham process."

  • October 16, 2024

    Ex-Davis Polk Atty Drops Appeal Of Bias Verdict Loss

    A former Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP associate on Tuesday dropped his appeal of a jury verdict clearing the firm and two lawyers of liability in a suit alleging he was fired in retaliation for airing concerns about racial bias and diversity.

  • October 16, 2024

    Religious Groups Target EEOC Regs On Abortion, IVF

    Two Christian organizations are challenging regulations and guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and another federal agency over using workers' chosen pronouns and offering health plans that cover abortion services and IVF treatments, according to a lawsuit filed in Texas federal court.

  • October 16, 2024

    Ex-Atlanta IT Worker Sues City For Wrongful Firing, Race Bias

    A Black woman who previously served as a senior-level director in the city of Atlanta's information management department has filed suit against the city in Georgia federal court, alleging she was fired after months of raising internal complaints of discrimination within the department.

  • October 16, 2024

    Nerds, Laffy Taffy Maker Hit With Genetic Info Privacy Claims

    The Illinois-based company behind popular candies such as Nerds, Laffy Taffy and SweeTarts probes job applicants' medical histories in violation of their genetic information privacy rights, according to a proposed class lawsuit filed Tuesday in Illinois state court.

  • October 16, 2024

    Award Rightly Reinstates Worker In Pot Test Spat, Judge Says

    An arbitration board correctly ordered an Alaska Airlines mechanic's reinstatement after he was fired following a positive test for marijuana, a Washington federal judge concluded, upholding the arbitration panel's view of the just cause provision in the labor contract between the airline and the worker's union.

  • October 16, 2024

    Record Labels Seek Sanctions For Claim They Aided Combs

    Music companies on Wednesday urged a Manhattan federal judge to sanction an attorney for pursuing what they called "outrageous" claims that they supported Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex- and drug-fueled "freak offs."

  • October 16, 2024

    9th Circ. Won't Rethink Reviving Airline Military Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday rejected Alaska Airlines' bid for the court to reconsider its August opinion reinstating a class action accusing the airline of illegally denying accrued vacation and sick time to pilots on military assignments.

  • October 16, 2024

    Ex-Jones Day Attys' Parental Leave Suit Gets 2025 Trial Date

    Two former Jones Day associates challenging the firm's family leave policy will go to trial in late 2025 after a D.C. federal judge allowed certain claims in the lawsuit to move forward.

  • October 16, 2024

    Historic NY Church Wrongly Demoted Black Worker, Suit Says

    A historic Episcopal church in Lower Manhattan demoted a Black media relations manager and denied her professional opportunities because of her race after it brought in a new executive, according to a lawsuit filed in New York federal court.

  • October 16, 2024

    Lesbian Nurse Says Ga. Hospital's Fertility Plan Is Biased

    A lesbian nurse has hit a Georgia hospital and healthcare system with a proposed class action, alleging that the medical plan they offer employees discriminates against homosexual women by charging them more upfront to receive fertility care than women in heterosexual relationships.

  • October 16, 2024

    Foley Hoag Wants Bulk Of Claims Axed In NY Wage Suit

    Foley Hoag LLP has asked a New York federal judge to toss most of the claims in an employee's suit alleging the firm failed to pay overtime wages and engaged in various forms of retaliation and discrimination against him, arguing the complaint "is largely devoid of well-pleaded factual allegations."

  • October 16, 2024

    Columbia Prof Says Firm Abandoned Her During Israel Probe

    A Columbia Law School professor accused plaintiffs employment firm Outten & Golden LLP of abruptly dropping her as a client amid the school's investigation into her comments on campus tensions tied to Israel's attack on Gaza, saying on X Wednesday that the firm's alleged conduct prompted her attorney to resign after nearly 24 years as a partner there.

  • October 16, 2024

    New Orleans Saints, Pelicans Settle Worker's Vaccination Suit

    The NFL and NBA teams in New Orleans informed a Louisiana federal judge that they have settled a lawsuit with a former employee who claimed she was wrongfully fired after refusing a COVID-19 vaccine because of medical and religious reasons.

  • October 16, 2024

    Fla. Waste Co. Inks $1.4M Deal To End EEOC Race Bias Suit

    A waste company agreed to hand over $1.4 million to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit filed in Florida federal court alleging it failed to step in when Black and Haitian employees were called racial slurs on the job.

  • October 16, 2024

    DLA Piper Says 'Sloppy' Work Cost Pregnant Associate Job

    DLA Piper urged a New York federal court to throw out a former associate's lawsuit alleging that she was fired after requesting maternity leave, saying her work performance was "shockingly poor" during her one year with the firm.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Equinox Bias Verdict Shows Swift Employer Response Is Key

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    A nearly $11.3 million jury verdict against Equinox in New York federal court shows just how high the stakes are for employers dealing with harassment and discrimination in the workplace, and how important consistent investigation and discipline are when responding to individual internal complaints, says Jennifer Huelskamp at Porter Wright.

  • A Midyear Review Of EEOC's Gender-Related Priorities

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s 2023-2027 strategic enforcement plan focuses on various gender-related issues such as the enactment of pregnancy discrimination and pay transparency laws, and now, more than halfway through the fiscal year, the EEOC's enforcement of such laws is set to surpass previous years, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Employer Drug-Testing Policies Must Evolve With State Law

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    As multistate employers face ongoing challenges in drafting consistent marijuana testing policies due to the evolving patchwork of state laws, they should note some emerging patterns among local and state statutes to ensure compliance in different jurisdictions, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.