Discrimination

  • October 10, 2024

    Ousted Chair's Claims To Go Before Arbitrator, Judge Says

    A New York federal judge ruled that an arbitrator must decide whether the ousted former chairperson of software investment company The Resource Group International Ltd., who was forced to resign in late 2021 following a widely reported sexual harassment scandal, can pursue some of his claims in arbitration.

  • October 10, 2024

    Ye Investigated Kardashians For Sex Trafficking, Suit Says

    A former worker for Ye's short-lived presidential campaign sued in California state court Thursday alleging the Grammy-winning rapper had him investigate the Kardashian family for alleged sex trafficking before their relationship soured and Ye threatened to kill him.

  • October 10, 2024

    Charter Communications Ends Fired Producer's Sex Bias Suit

    Charter Communications and a former employee told a New York federal court Thursday that they have agreed to dismiss the former NY1 senior producer's suit alleging she was fired for opposing a male colleague's sexual advances within a company culture that disparaged older female employees.

  • October 10, 2024

    8th Circ. Shuts Down Black VA Worker's Race Bias Suit

    A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs social worker can't revive her suit claiming she was denied a promotion because she's Black, the Eighth Circuit ruled Thursday, saying she has not demonstrated that her race impacted the decision to select a different candidate.

  • October 10, 2024

    Ex-Citibank VP Says Bank Fired Her For Taking Parental Leave

    A former Citibank senior vice president and head of the bank's fair employment practices said Thursday she lost her job after becoming pregnant and suffering from pregnancy-related complications, accusing Citibank of discrimination.

  • October 10, 2024

    Ga. Judge Tosses Emory, Falcon Bids To Avoid Doc's Bias Suit

    A Georgia federal judge has ruled that a doctor's amended complaint for his discrimination, retaliation and defamation lawsuit against Emory Healthcare Inc. and the Atlanta Falcons Football Club mooted their motions to dismiss the doctor's claims against them.

  • October 10, 2024

    Restaurant Supply Co. Settles EEOC Harassment Probe

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commision said Thursday that the company behind Restaurant Depot agreed to overhaul its internal complaint process after an EEOC investigation found a store manager had sexually harassed female workers.

  • October 09, 2024

    Garth Brooks Accused Of Retaliating After Rape Lawsuit

    A hair and makeup artist told a judge Wednesday that Garth Brooks publicly revealed her name out of spite and retaliation after she sued him for rape, urging the court to sanction the country star and his lawyers for this "appalling and malicious behavior."

  • October 09, 2024

    Repeat Whistleblowing Led To Firing, Ex-Sikorsky Worker Alleges

    A Connecticut man who describes himself as a "well-known" whistleblower at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. says he was illegally terminated for reporting alleged wage and hour and environmental violations to government authorities, claiming the helicopter manufacturer fired him using bogus allegations he broke into an office he was given clearance to access.

  • October 09, 2024

    9th Circ. Upends Healthcare Workers' Montana Vax Law Win

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday reversed a ruling from a Montana federal judge striking for all healthcare settings a state law that bars discrimination based on vaccine status, calling the claimed harms to healthcare workers and patients "too speculative" to find it conflicted with federal law.

  • October 09, 2024

    5th Circ. Revives Air Force Bias Case, Citing Broader Standard

    The Fifth Circuit revived a former civilian U.S. Air Force employee's lawsuit alleging she was given negative performance reviews after rejecting colleagues' sexual advances, saying a lower court needs to reevaluate her claims under a year-old circuit standard that allows for a wider range of bias allegations.

  • October 09, 2024

    Colo. Dispensary To Pay $95K In EEOC Disability Bias Suit

    A Colorado marijuana dispensary has agreed to pay $95,000 to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it fired a worker for failing to clock in and out of her shifts, even though she informed supervisors that she had memory issues due to her disabilities.

  • October 09, 2024

    Conn. College Settles Fired Coach's Sex Discrimination Claim

    The former head coach of a Connecticut college's women's lacrosse team has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit claiming that he faced sex discrimination in a "hypersensitive" environment and was wrongfully fired for unprofessionalism, even though women who engaged in similar conduct went unpunished.

  • October 09, 2024

    World Economic Forum Founder Wants Out Of Worker's Suit

    The founder and chairman of the World Economic Forum told a New York federal court he had nothing to do with the firing of a Black employee, arguing that he should be left out of the worker's discrimination suit.

  • October 09, 2024

    11th Circ. Won't Revive Ex-Auburn Director's Race Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit backed Auburn University's win Wednesday in a Black former director's race bias and retaliation suit, ruling he couldn't overcome the university's position that he was fired for delaying a report about potential student-athlete favoritism.

  • October 09, 2024

    Ex-USPS Worker Wins $75K Verdict In Race Harassment Suit

    The U.S. Postal Service must pay a Black former custodian $75,000 in damages after a Minnesota federal jury found the agency didn't do enough to stop colleagues from directing racist slurs, threats of violence and other harassment at him and his wife.

  • October 09, 2024

    NJ Law Firm Gets Partial Win In Dispute With Ex-Employees

    The arbitration pacts that two former employees at a New Jersey law firm filed cover their discrimination claims, a New Jersey state court judge ruled, handing the Bergen County-based personal injury firm a partial win in the workers' wage and bias suit.

  • October 09, 2024

    Automotive Interior Co. Settles EEOC Workforce Data Suit

    An automotive interior supply company struck a deal with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to end the agency's suit claiming it spurned its legal responsibility to report demographic data about its workforce, an Alabama federal court filing said.

  • October 09, 2024

    Novant Ex-Exec's Counsel Wins $154K In Fees For Race Case

    Counsel for a former Novant Health Inc. executive who won $4.3 million after accusing the company of firing him during a diversity push because he was white got $154,000 in attorney fees for successfully defending the award on appeal, slightly less than what was requested.

  • October 08, 2024

    Vince McMahon Accuser Wants Freedom To Air 'Toxic' Culture

    A woman accusing former World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. executive chair Vince McMahon in Connecticut federal court of pressuring her into performing sex acts in exchange for an entry-level job has asked both McMahon and the company to voluntarily waive nondisclosure agreements, saying she and other accusers could help reform WWE's "toxic and sexualized culture."

  • October 08, 2024

    5th Circ. Upholds Texas A&M's Win In Ex-Prof's Race Bias Suit

    The Fifth Circuit backed Texas A&M University-Kingsville's win in a Mexican American former professor's suit claiming he was denied tenure out of racial bias, ruling Tuesday that his case lacks proof of discrimination and that his scholarship fell short of tenure requirements.

  • October 08, 2024

    MLB Faces New Bias Suit After Settlement Talks Fail

    A former minor league umpire who claims he was sexually harassed by a female umpire filed an expanded suit Tuesday against Major League Baseball after settlement talks failed.

  • October 08, 2024

    SHRM Can't Beat Black Egyptian Worker's Discrimination Suit

    The Society for Human Resource Management can't escape a Black Egyptian ex-employee's lawsuit claiming she was fired for opposing her supervisor's favoritism toward white workers, with a Colorado federal judge ruling Tuesday that a jury should analyze the organization's rationale that she was let go for missing deadlines.

  • October 08, 2024

    DC Circ. Appears Iffy About Reviving Bias Suit Against Union

    The D.C. Circuit seemed reluctant Tuesday to reopen a retired government employee's discrimination suit against a federal employee union, with several judges suggesting that her claims don't belong in federal court.

  • October 08, 2024

    5th Circ Says Ex-Postal Worker's Harassment Suit Falls Short

    The Fifth Circuit upheld a win for the USPS in a retired post office clerk's suit claiming she faced discrimination and harassment on the job due to her age and disability, saying she didn't face "anything close" to a hostile work environment.

Expert Analysis

  • How The Tide Of EEOC Litigation Rolled Back In FY 2024

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    An analysis of the location, timing and underlying claims asserted in U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission-initiated cases during fiscal year 2024 shows that the commission saw a substantial decrease in litigation activity after a surge last year, but employers should not drop their guard, say Christopher DeGroff and Andrew Scroggins at Seyfarth.

  • 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.