Discrimination

  • March 19, 2025

    Abortion Aspect Of PWFA Regs Halted For Christian Nonprofit

    A Christian education foundation won't have to abide by U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations requiring workplace accommodations for workers who get abortions, a Missouri federal judge ordered, saying the organization is likely to succeed on its claims that the rule illegally infringes on its religious principles.

  • March 19, 2025

    EEOC Bid For Law Firm DEI Info On Shaky Ground, Attys Say

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent call for law firms to cough up a trove of information about their diversity, equity and inclusion programs lacks statutory authority and may contravene federal law, according to experts from both sides of the aisle.

  • March 19, 2025

    6th Circ. Says Ex-Steel Co. Manager's Conduct Justified Firing

    The Sixth Circuit upheld a steel manufacturer's win in a former manager's suit claiming he was terminated for voicing concerns that white workers were being hired over more qualified Black candidates, saying he couldn't overcome the company's assertion that his abusive supervisory style cost him the job.

  • March 19, 2025

    UMass Medical Execs To Face Retaliation Claim In Vax Dispute

    The medical director at UMass Memorial Medical Center has won dismissal of retaliation claims brought by one of the Massachusetts institution's former compliance executives who declined a COVID-19 vaccine, but two other leaders will have to face claims that the ex-executive's firing was tied to her request for work accommodations.

  • March 19, 2025

    Law360 Announces The Members Of Its 2025 Editorial Boards

    Law360 is pleased to announce the formation of its 2025 Editorial Advisory Boards.

  • March 19, 2025

    UPS Manager Says He Can Sue Union Local He Isn't Part Of

    A UPS manager who accused an Indianapolis Teamsters local of falsely painting him as racist can sue the union even though he isn't a member, he argued in Indiana federal court, saying Title VII of the Civil Rights Act doesn't require people to be union members to sue unions.

  • March 18, 2025

    DC Judge Blocks Trans Military Ban As 'Soaked In Animus'

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from banning transgender people from serving in the military, saying the ban is "soaked in animus and dripping with pretext."

  • March 18, 2025

    9th Circ. Says Nike Bias Suit Docs Can Be Ordered Destroyed

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday ruled that a lower court was allowed to make an Oregon newspaper destroy documents it obtained related to internal workplace complaints at Nike, saying the newspaper became a party to the lawsuit alleging workplace discrimination against female employees when it intervened to get the documents.

  • March 18, 2025

    Full 9th Circ. Mulls Reviving Workers' LA Schools Vax Fight

    Unvaccinated workers urged an en banc Ninth Circuit panel Tuesday to affirm a split decision reviving their proposed class action challenging a since-rescinded Los Angeles Unified School District's employee COVID-19 vaccine policy, while the district's counsel defended the policy as necessary and prudent, but also argued the case is moot.

  • March 18, 2025

    Trans Worker Fights Liberty U.'s Appeal Bid In Sex Bias Suit

    A transgender worker fired from Liberty University said there is no need for the Fourth Circuit to immediately review a district court's order denying the institution's bid to dismiss her suit claiming she was terminated out of sex discrimination, arguing there's no substantial difference of legal opinion at play.

  • March 18, 2025

    6th Circ. Wrestles With Reviving Suit Over Racial Slurs

    The Sixth Circuit grappled Tuesday with reopening two Black truck drivers' race harassment suit against their former employer, with the judges quizzing both sides extensively about the severity of racial epithets and whether sufficient precedent exists that backs the workers' case.

  • March 18, 2025

    3 State AI Bills For Workplace Discrimination Attys To Watch

    Virginia stands poised to join Colorado at the forefront of regulating the creation and use of artificial intelligence, while California and Texas are working on their own sweeping bills to safeguard against AI-related bias. Here, experts offer an overview of three bills with the potential to impact millions of employers.

  • March 18, 2025

    10th Circ. Pokes Holes In Walmart's Defenses In Bias Suit

    A talkative Tenth Circuit panel seemed inclined Tuesday to revive a Walmart employee's lawsuit alleging he was discriminated against for being gay, as the court's chief judge appeared incredulous that evidence of slurs and other derogatory comments being thrown around the workplace weren't enough to sustain his harassment claim.

  • March 18, 2025

    Maynard Nexsen Adds 5 Constangy Employment Attys In LA

    Maynard Nexsen PC has brought a 5-lawyer team from labor and employment firm Constangy Brooks Smith & Prophete LLP to its Los Angeles office, bringing on a team that is experienced in management-side employment law and can converse in six languages.

  • March 18, 2025

    NJ Firm Blume Forte Hit With Disability Bias Suit

    New Jersey personal injury firm Blume Forte Fried Zerres & Molinari PC has been hit with a disability discrimination lawsuit in state court by a staffer who claims she was fired after a seizure and other health setbacks.

  • March 18, 2025

    Dem Ex-EEOC Officials Call Law Firm DEI Letters Overreach

    A group of Democratic-appointed former U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission officials urged acting Chair Andrea Lucas on Tuesday to rescind letters seeking information from 20 law firms about their diversity, equity and inclusion practices, saying she had exceeded the agency's power.

  • March 18, 2025

    11th Circ. Backs Hospital's Win In Black Surgeon's Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit refused to reopen a neurosurgeon's suit claiming a Georgia hospital subjected him to increased scrutiny and fired him because he is Black, finding he couldn't overcome the medical center's rationale that providing the mentorship necessary to fix his performance issues was too burdensome.

  • March 18, 2025

    11th Circ. Nixes College GC Applicant's Age Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit won't revive an attorney's suit claiming she lost out on a general counsel position with a Florida college to someone four decades younger due to age bias, finding she gave up her right to challenge the case's dismissal by not objecting to a lower court decision.

  • March 17, 2025

    Google To Pay $28M On Claim It Favored White, Asian Workers

    Google LLC will pay $28 million to put to rest allegations it pays and promotes certain nonwhite employees less than their white and Asian colleagues, counsel for a class of workers said Monday.

  • March 17, 2025

    Major Lindsey Can't Escape Attorney's Retaliation Suit

    Legal recruiting firm Major Lindsey & Africa LLC must face an associate's lawsuit claiming it unlawfully refused to work with her because she filed a race discrimination suit against Troutman, a Maryland federal judge ruled Monday, saying the attorney had plausibly alleged the events were connected.

  • March 17, 2025

    Apprentice Program Seeks To Toss Black Worker's Bias Suit

    An apprenticeship program called on a New Jersey federal judge to nix hostile work environment and race bias allegations from a former participant, saying the worker had not presented enough evidence to prove the training organization committed discrimination.

  • March 17, 2025

    Teacher Suspended Over Crucifix Seeks Reinstatement

    A Catholic teacher placed on leave for refusing to pull down a crucifix in her classroom asked a Connecticut federal judge to take action to get her back to work, arguing that she's likely to succeed on her arguments that the move violated the First Amendment.

  • March 17, 2025

    20 Law Firms Face EEOC Demands For DEI Employment Info

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has written to 20 law firms seeking information about their diversity, equity and inclusion-related employment practices, the agency announced Monday.

  • March 17, 2025

    OSU Fired Black Coach Over Diversity Advocacy, Suit Says

    The Ohio State University fired a Black assistant cheerleading coach because she called out what she saw as a lack of diversity in the school's athletics department, according to a federal suit.

  • March 17, 2025

    Walmart Strikes Deal To End EEOC Sex Harassment Suit

    Walmart agreed to pay $415,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging it didn't properly address a store manager's aggressive sexual harassment of female employees, according to a filing in West Virginia federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • Justices Mull Sex-Based Classification In Trans Law Case

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in U.S. v. Skrmetti this week, it appears that the fate of the Tennessee law at the center of the case — a law banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender adolescents — will hinge on whether the majority read the statute as imposing a sex-based classification, says Alexandra Crandall at Dickinson Wright.

  • Pa. Ruling Highlights Challenges Of Employer Arb. Appeals

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    A Pennsylvania federal court's recent ruling in Welch Foods v. General Teamsters Local Union No. 397 demonstrates the inherent difficulties employers face when seeking relief from labor arbitration decisions through appeals in court — and underscores how employers are faced with often conflicting legal priorities, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 7 Ways To Prepare For An I-9 Audit Or Immigration Raid

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    Because immigration enforcement is likely to surge under the upcoming Trump administration, employers should take steps to ensure their staff is trained in employment eligibility verification requirements and what to do in the event of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement I-9 audit or workplace raid, say attorneys at Littler.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • Disentangling Various Forms Of Workplace Discrimination

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    Pay inequity can be missed where it exists and misidentified due to incorrect statistics, leaving individuals to face multiple facets of discrimination connected by a common root cause, meaning correct identification and measurement is crucial, says Daniel Levy at Advanced Analytical.

  • Key Requirements In New Maryland Pay Transparency Laws

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    Although several jurisdictions now require pay transparency in job advertisements, Maryland's new law is among the broadest in the country, both in terms of what is required and the scope of its applicability, says Sarah Belger at Quarles & Brady.

  • Lessons From EEOC Case Of Fla. Worker Fired After Stillbirth

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    A recent federal court settlement between a Florida resort and a fired line cook shows that the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission sees stillbirth as protected under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, also providing four other important lessons, says Gordon Berger at Pierson Ferdinand.

  • Advising Employers As AI Meets DEI And Discrimination

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Though companies can use artificial intelligence tools to develop more diverse and inclusive workforces, counsel should also prepare employers for how AI can stymie these efforts, provoke discrimination claims and complicate resulting litigation, says Emily Schifter at Troutman Pepper.

  • A Look At The Hefty Demands In Calif. Employer AI Draft Regs

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    California's draft regulations on artificial intelligence use in employment decisions show that the California Privacy Protection Agency is positioning itself as a de facto AI regulator for the state, which isn't waiting around for federal legislation, says Lily Li at Metaverse Law.

  • Federal Salary History Ban's Reach Is Limited

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    Though a newly effective Office of Personnel Management rule takes important steps by banning federal employers from considering job applicants' nonfederal salary histories, the rule's narrow applicability and overconfidence in the existing system's fairness will likely not end persistent pay inequities, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • 2nd Circ. Hostile Workplace Ruling Widens Arbitration Pitfalls

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    The Second Circuit’s recent decision, affirming the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act applies to a worker whose workplace hostility claims arose before the law’s 2022 enactment, widens the scope of the law — and the risks of unenforceable arbitration agreements for employers, say attorneys at Hinshaw.

  • Title VII Compliance Lessons From Raytheon Age Bias Suit

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    A Texas federal court’s recent refusal to dismiss age discrimination claims from a former Raytheon employee, terminated after he admitted to acts that Raytheon says violated its harassment policy, nonetheless illustrates strategies employers can use to protect themselves when facing competing Title VII workplace obligations, say attorneys at Segal McCambridge.

  • How The Presidential Election Will Affect Workplace AI Regs

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    The U.S. has so far adopted a light-handed approach to regulating artificial intelligence in the labor and employment area, but the presidential election is unlikely to have as dramatic of an effect on AI regulations as it may on other labor and employment matters, say attorneys at Littler.