Discrimination

  • November 07, 2024

    6th Circ. Backs Dismissal Of Fired Trans EMT's Bias Suit

    The Sixth Circuit declined to reinstate a transgender EMT's suit claiming she was fired due to her gender identity, ruling that she couldn't overcome her employer's position that she was terminated for being rude and unprofessional on the job.

  • November 07, 2024

    Library Of Congress Escapes 20-Year-Old Race, Pay Bias Suit

    The Library of Congress does not have to face an almost 20-year-old lawsuit in which African American employees alleged that the institution subjected them to workplace harassment and discriminatory practices in hiring and pay, a D.C. federal judge ruled, finding that the workers' Title VII claims lacked specificity.

  • November 06, 2024

    Ousted Denver Transit Top Cop Alleges Racism Drove Firing

    A former Black police chief for a Denver transportation district is suing the agency for discrimination and retaliation after he was fired in September, claiming the district failed to properly investigate complaints about racist behavior by white officers and then fired him based on a retaliatory complaint.

  • November 06, 2024

    EEOC, Union Still Can't Get Approval To End 53-Year-Old Suit

    A New York federal judge rejected the latest bid from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and an Ironworkers local for approval of a deal to end a decades-old race bias suit, finding Wednesday they still couldn't provide data showing racial hiring disparities had been eliminated.

  • November 06, 2024

    GOP Election Wins May Set Stage For Curbing Workplace DEI

    Even with some races still unresolved after Election Day, President-elect Donald Trump's defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican gains in Congress will likely spur efforts to curtail workplace diversity, equity and inclusion programs, experts say.

  • November 06, 2024

    HP Applicant Gets Pay Posting Suit Sent Back To State Court

    A Washington federal judge sent back to state court a job applicant's proposed class action accusing HP of violating state law by failing to include salary ranges in job postings, saying the worker hasn't shown she has standing to pursue the dispute in federal court.

  • November 06, 2024

    9th Circ. Revives Retaliation Suit By Ex-Santa Clara Deputy DA

    The Ninth Circuit partially revived a lawsuit by a former Santa Clara County, California, deputy district attorney who alleged First Amendment retaliation when he was unlawfully transferred after publishing an op-ed that disagreed with the views of his boss, the district attorney.

  • November 06, 2024

    LA Says Police Lt.'s Military Leave Support Still Deficient

    A retired police lieutenant still failed to support his claims that he was denied a promotion because of his military service despite the court giving him a chance to fix deficiencies in his allegations, the city of Los Angeles told a California federal court.

  • November 06, 2024

    2nd Circ. Says NY State Immune From ADA Retaliation Claims

    The Second Circuit refused to reopen a former New York State Department of Motor Vehicles employee's lawsuit claiming he was sidelined and ultimately terminated for disclosing his anxiety and other mental health conditions, ruling that states are immune from retaliation claims under federal disability law.

  • November 06, 2024

    Shuttered Bakery To Pay $900K To Settle Calif. Wage Suit

    A former wholesale bakery will pay over $900,000 to former employees who alleged they were not paid final paychecks or for unused vacation time when the shop abruptly closed in 2018, the California Labor Commissioner's Office said.

  • November 05, 2024

    Trump's Win Tees Up Big Changes To The EEOC

    Projected President-elect Donald Trump will likely swap out the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's chief and the general counsel following his return to the White House in January, a move experts said foreshadows a sweeping shift in the agency's priorities.

  • November 05, 2024

    An Early Look At Trump's Supreme Court Shortlist

    With former President Donald Trump projected to win the 2024 presidential election and the Republicans' success in securing the U.S. Senate majority, Trump may now get the chance to appoint two more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, cementing the court's conservative tilt for decades to come.

  • November 05, 2024

    GOP's Senate Win Hands Future Of The Judiciary To Trump

    Republicans were projected to take back the White House and Senate and possibly the House early Wednesday, putting the GOP in position to back Donald Trump's agenda and his slate of young, conservative judicial nominees. 

  • November 05, 2024

    The Firms With An Inside Track To A New Trump Admin

    Law firms that have represented Donald Trump and the Republican Party on everything from personal legal woes to election-related lawsuits could see the risks of that work pay dividends as Trump is projected to secure a second term in office.

  • November 05, 2024

    3rd Circ. Backs UPenn In Fired Worker's Disability Bias Suit

    The Third Circuit declined Tuesday to revive a former videographer's suit claiming the University of Pennsylvania fired her for taking time off to treat her bipolar disorder, ruling that she hadn't put forward enough proof that discrimination drove her termination.

  • November 05, 2024

    Audio Worker Says Flagging Ethical Concerns Got Him Fired

    An audio series platform reneged on a promise to offer full-time employment to an independent contractor after he raised concerns about discriminatory content the company was producing and then abruptly fired him when he asked about his promised employment contract, a lawsuit filed in California state court said.

  • November 05, 2024

    Timken Denies Firing Plant Manager Over DEI Push

    Ohio-based roller bearing manufacturer Timken has defended its decision to terminate a plant supervisor who claimed his beliefs about diversity, equity and inclusion led to his dismissal, saying the former boss was fired for poor leadership and that his DEI discussions fell outside Connecticut legal protections.

  • November 05, 2024

    Harvard Can't End Suit Claiming Antisemitism On Campus

    Harvard University must face allegations that it was indifferent to antisemitic behavior on its campus in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

  • November 05, 2024

    Ascension Staff To Get Back Pay In COVID Vaccine Settlement

    Ascension Health Alliance will provide back pay for employees who were denied religious exemptions from its COVID-19 vaccine policy and suspended without pay, under a revamped settlement approved by a Michigan federal judge.

  • November 05, 2024

    Heating Co. Faces Tough Questions In ADA Case At 1st Circ.

    A home heating oil company fielded tough questions at the First Circuit on Tuesday as the company defended its termination of a service technician with a bad knee, with one judge pressing the company's attorney on why the organization hadn't reassigned the worker instead of letting him go.

  • November 05, 2024

    Burden For Hearst May Override Vax Objection, 1st Circ. Hints

    A Boston television station may have been justified in firing a Hearst videographer who refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic even if the worker's religious objections were sincere, the First Circuit hinted during arguments Tuesday.

  • November 05, 2024

    Littler Adds To Litigation Bench With Ex-Fresno, Calif. Atty

    Employment firm Littler Mendelson PC announced that a former deputy attorney for the City of Fresno joined the firm's office in the city, adding that his government along with employment law experience will help its employer clients.

  • November 05, 2024

    5th Circ. Says Late EEOC Filing Dooms Race Bias Suit

    The Fifth Circuit shut down a race bias suit from a worker who said his supervisor referred to him by a racial slur, finding that the ex-worker filed his pre-suit U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charge too late.

  • November 05, 2024

    Ex-Fabiani Cohen Atty Fights To Preserve Discrimination Suit

    A Black female insurance and construction law attorney is urging a Manhattan federal judge not to toss her suit against her former firm, Fabiani Cohen & Hall LLP, arguing that though she was an equity owner, she was still an employee who could bring claims.

  • November 05, 2024

    EEOC Taps Agency Vet To Run Field Offices

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Tuesday that an attorney who has been with the federal bias watchdog for nearly three decades will oversee the agency's 53 field offices.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Immigration Insights From 'The Proposal'

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    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper chat with their colleague Robert Lee about how immigration challenges highlighted in the romantic comedy "The Proposal" — beyond a few farcical plot contrivances — relate to real-world visa processes and employer compliance.