Discrimination

  • November 04, 2024

    McKesson Inks $450K DOL Deal Following Hiring Bias Probe

    The U.S. Department of Labor announced Monday that McKesson Medical-Surgical Inc. has agreed to pay nearly $450,000 to resolve the agency's claims that it gave hiring preferences to Asian job applicants over Black, Hispanic and white job hopefuls.

  • November 04, 2024

    Religious Groups Want 5th Circ. To Toss FCC Diversity Form

    Religious broadcasters are asking the Fifth Circuit to step in and stop the Federal Communications Commission from making them turn in diversity data, a recently reinstated policy that they say tramples on their First Amendment rights and pressures them to "engage in race- and sex-conscious employment decisions."

  • November 04, 2024

    Mortgage Co. Accused Of 'Bad Faith' In Settlement With Atty

    A former staff attorney with a mortgage company has accused the business of "bad faith" for purportedly trying to renegotiate the terms of a settlement to resolve her Texas state lawsuit alleging she was fired after she witnessed inappropriate sexual behavior by a deputy general counsel.

  • November 04, 2024

    Ogletree Adds Steptoe & Johnson Employment Pro In Texas

    Labor and employment firm Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC is expanding its Texas team, announcing Monday it is bringing in a Steptoe & Johnson PLLC litigator as a shareholder in its San Antonio office.

  • November 01, 2024

    Fired Meetup VP Can't Fend Off Arbitration In Sex Bias Suit

    A New York federal judge affirmed the court's call to uphold an arbitration pact in an executive's sex bias suit claiming social media company Meetup fired her for taking maternity leave, backing his initial ruling that a law halting arbitration of sex harassment disputes didn't apply to her claims.

  • November 01, 2024

    Ex-Nuclear Worker Fired Over Drug Test Is Denied Rehearing

    A Mississippi federal judge said he won't allow a former nuclear engineer for Entergy Operations Inc. to proceed with a wrongful termination lawsuit accusing the company of tampering with drug tests as retaliation for his refusing to falsify safety reports, decrying his arguments as "conjecture, speculation" and "conclusory allegations."

  • November 01, 2024

    NJ Mayor Harassed Police Chief, Suit Says

    A suspended police chief in a New Jersey borough has filed a lawsuit in state court against the borough's mayor and other officials, alleging he has been subjected to harassment and retaliation in violation of the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act and Civil Rights Act.

  • November 01, 2024

    GRSM50 Won't Be Disqualified In Detroit Hotel Firing Suit

    A Michigan federal judge has refused to disqualify Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP from representing an upscale Detroit hotel in a retaliation suit filed by three fired employees, but flagged the firm for being "negligent" in its handling of discovery in the case.

  • November 01, 2024

    4th Circ. Seems Open To Reviving Nurse's COVID-19 Vax Suit

    The Fourth Circuit on Friday appeared receptive to giving a former pediatric nurse a second chance at her suit alleging she was illegally fired for declining COVID-19 inoculation because of her Christian beliefs, with several judges trying to pinpoint if the case was tossed too soon.

  • November 01, 2024

    Calif. Forecast: 9th Circ. To Hear Args In Hotel-Union Dispute

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for Ninth Circuit oral arguments in a case involving UNITE HERE, the San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council, and hotel development companies. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • November 01, 2024

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Hears COVID Whistleblower Suit

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider a former bank worker's attempt to revive her claim that she was transferred to a less prestigious position after she complained that the company's CEO attended a holiday party despite having COVID-19. Here, Law360 looks at this and another case on the docket in New York.

  • November 01, 2024

    EEOC's Gilbride Aiming To Push Anti-Bias Law Boundaries

    U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission general counsel Karla Gilbride told Law360 in an exclusive interview that "breaking new ground" in evolving legal arenas, like pregnant worker protections and artificial intelligence, is a top priority for her.

  • November 01, 2024

    Hotel Booking Service, Ex-Worker Settle Promotion Bias Suit

    A corporate hotel booking service agreed to settle a former national sales manager's lawsuit claiming she received poor performance reviews because she took maternity leave and was fired for complaining about being passed over for promotions, the company told a Colorado federal court.

  • November 01, 2024

    Military Escapes Bias Claims Targeting IVF Coverage Policy

    A New York federal judge tossed the crux of a feminist nonprofit group's suit claiming the U.S. Department of Defense's in vitro fertilization policy disadvantages women by limiting coverage to service members who can't get pregnant because of an on-the-job injury, finding the policy applies equally across genders.

  • November 01, 2024

    Ex-Worker Says Molson Coors Canned Him For FMLA Leave

    A Georgia man has hit Molson Coors Beverage Co. USA LLC with a lawsuit claiming he was fired after returning from an approved medical leave because he didn't call the company to let it know he wouldn't be at work the day of his scheduled surgery.

  • November 01, 2024

    Ex-Gas Co. Worker Seeks Justices Review On 'Honest Belief'

    A former mechanic for a Baltimore gas company has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Fourth Circuit decision that found it was not discriminatory for his ex-employer to fire him over an issue with time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act because the company believed he took the leave dishonestly.

  • October 31, 2024

    Ex-Aide Accuses Menendez Associate Of Sex Harassment

    The former personal assistant to a New Jersey businessman convicted along with former Sen. Robert Menendez in a federal bribery case alleged in New Jersey state court that she was forced into a sexual relationship with the businessman to keep her job in violation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and was subjected to threats.

  • October 31, 2024

    Judge Says White Worker's Seattle DEI Suit Lacks 'Specifics'

    A Washington federal judge hinted Thursday a former municipal employee's suit claiming Seattle's workplace diversity training discriminated against him as a white man might not have enough detail to survive, as the city's attorneys accused the plaintiff of trying to dismantle its racial justice initiative.

  • October 31, 2024

    DOL Blocked From Using In-House Court In Hiring Bias Spat

    A Texas federal judge temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Labor from using its internal judge system to pursue administrative proceedings against a government contractor for allegedly discriminatory hiring practices, citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that placed limitations on these in-house procedures.

  • October 31, 2024

    CBS Escapes Ex-Employee's Vaccine Bias Suit

    CBSViacom/Paramount beat a former employee's lawsuit claiming she was fired because she requested a medical exemption to the company's COVID-19 vaccination policy, with a New York federal judge ruling she failed to fix errors previously identified by the court.

  • October 31, 2024

    NFL, Broncos Say Player's THC Suit Belongs In Federal Court

    The National Football League and the Denver Broncos are urging a Colorado federal court to keep in federal court a linebacker's suit alleging they discriminated against him by fining him for using medically prescribed synthetic THC, saying amending his complaint to remove references to his contract is not enough to warrant removal.

  • October 31, 2024

    11th Circ. Won't Reinstate Fired White Cop's Race Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit declined Thursday to revive a white Alabama cop's suit claiming he was fired by his Black boss out of racial bias, ruling he couldn't overcome the law enforcement agency's position that he was sacked for sharing confidential information and disparaging his employer.

  • October 31, 2024

    Jones Day Pushes To Shield Memo In Parental Leave Case

    As two former Jones Day associates who are challenging the firm's family leave policy prepare to potentially go to trial in late 2025, Jones Day has told a D.C. federal court that a memorandum stating business reasons for a personnel decision shouldn't lose its status as privileged communication just because it references legal issues.

  • October 31, 2024

    Justices Set Arguments In Firefighter's ADA Suit Over Benefits

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday it set a January date to hear oral arguments in a case that could end up expanding the reach of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

  • October 31, 2024

    NJ Agency Accused Of Wrongfully Firing Legal Professional

    A former legal professional for the New Jersey Economic Development Authority has filed a lawsuit against her ex-employer in state court, alleging the agency discriminated against her because of her disability and wrongfully fired her during a trying time in her life.

Expert Analysis

  • In Focus At The EEOC: Protecting Vulnerable Workers

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    It's meaningful that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's strategic enforcement plan prioritizes protecting vulnerable workers, particularly as the backlash to workplace racial equity and diversity, equity and inclusion programs continues to unfold, says Dariely Rodriguez at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

  • 4 Steps To Navigating Employee Dementia With Care

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    A recent Connecticut suit brought by an employee terminated after her managers could not reasonably accommodate her Alzheimer's-related dementia should prompt employers to plan how they can compassionately address older employees whose cognitive impairments affect their job performance, while also protecting the company from potential disability and age discrimination claims, says Robin Shea at Constangy.

  • Compliance Tips For Employers Facing An Aggressive EEOC

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    This year, the combination of an aggressive U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a renewed focus on large-scale recruiting and hiring claims, and the injection of the complicated landscape of AI in the workplace means employers should be prepared to defend, among other things, their use of technology during the hiring process, say attorneys at Seyfarth Shaw.

  • Employer Lessons From Nixed Calif. Arbitration Agreement

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    A California state appeals court’s recent decision to throw out an otherwise valid arbitration agreement, where an employee claimed a confusing electronic signature system led her to agree to unfair terms, should alert employers to scrutinize any waivers or signing procedures that may appear to unconscionably favor the company, say Guillermo Tello and Monique Eginli at Clark Hill.

  • EEO-1 Ruling May Affect Other Gov't Agency Disclosures

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    By tightly construing a rarely litigated but frequently asserted term, a California federal court’s ruling that the Freedom of Information Act does not exempt reports to the U.S. Department of Labor on workplace demographics could expand the range of government contractor information susceptible to public disclosure, says John Zabriskie at Foley & Lardner.

  • Workplace Speech Policies Limit Legal And PR Risks

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    As workers increasingly speak out on controversies like the 2024 elections and the Israel-Hamas war, companies should implement practical workplace expression policies and plans to protect their brands and mitigate the risk of violating federal and state anti-discrimination and free speech laws, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • In Focus At The EEOC: Preserving Legal System Access

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    The track records of and public commentary from U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission leaders — including two recently confirmed Democratic appointees — can provide insight into how the agency may approach access to justice priorities, as identified in its latest strategic enforcement plan, says Aniko Schwarcz at Cohen Milstein.

  • Mitigating Compliance And Litigation Risks Of Evolving Tech

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    Amid artificial intelligence and other technological advances, companies must prepare for the associated risks, including a growing suite of privacy regulations, enterprising class action theories and consumer protection challenges, and proliferating disclosure obligations, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • Where Justices Stand On Chevron Doctrine Post-Argument

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    Following recent oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court, at least four justices appear to be in favor of overturning the long-standing Chevron deference, and three justices seem ready to uphold it, which means the ultimate decision may rest on Chief Justice John Roberts' vote, say Wayne D'Angelo and Zachary Lee at Kelley Drye.

  • A Focused Statement Can Ease Employment Mediation

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    Given the widespread use of mediation in employment cases, attorneys should take steps to craft mediation statements that efficiently assist the mediator by focusing on key issues, strengths and weaknesses of a claim, which can flag key disputes and barriers to a settlement, says Darren Rumack at Klein & Cardali.

  • Vaccine Accommodation Suits Show Risk Of Blanket Policies

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    A recent federal class action alleging Tyson Foods inappropriately applied a one-size-fits-all response to Arkansas employees seeking religious COVID-19 vaccine exemptions, with similar suits going back to 2022, should remind employers to individually consider every worker request for a religious accommodation, say Christopher Pardo and Elizabeth Sherwood at Hunton.

  • Workplace Challenges Amid Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

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    Recent tension over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has caused challenges in the employment sphere, sparking the question of whether employees can be legally disciplined for speaking out on issues related to the conflict, which depends on various circumstances, says Alok Nadig at Sanford Heisler.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Insights On Noncompetes From 'The Office'

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    Troutman Pepper’s Tracey Diamond, Evan Gibbs, Constance Brewster and Jim Earle compare scenarios from “The Office” to the complex world of noncompetes and associated tax issues, as employers are becoming increasingly hesitant to look to noncompete provisions amid a potential federal ban.