Discrimination

  • July 22, 2024

    GOP States Tell 8th Circ. To Revive PWFA Rule Challenge

    A group of Republican state attorneys general urged the Eighth Circuit to revive their lawsuit challenging the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Pregnant Workers Fairness Act regulations, arguing courts shouldn't defer to the agency's interpretation of the law under fresh U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

  • July 22, 2024

    BlackBerry Sex Harassment Plaintiff May Lose Anonymity

    A former BlackBerry executive claiming CEO John Giamatteo sexually harassed her on his way up to the top job while she was fired for reporting his actions may not be able to proceed with her suit anonymously, a California federal judge said Monday.

  • July 22, 2024

    Transfer To D-II Should End HBCU Race Bias Suit, NCAA Says

    The basketball player claiming that the NCAA's Academic Performance Program discriminates against historically Black colleges and universities is no longer harmed by the program after transferring to a lower-division college, the NCAA has argued to an Indiana federal court.

  • July 22, 2024

    9th Circ. Backs Arbitration In Former AmEx Workers' Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit said Monday that a group of former American Express employees must arbitrate their suit claiming the company's diversity initiatives discriminated against white people, rejecting their argument that they were being unlawfully blocked from seeking relief that would benefit others.

  • July 22, 2024

    Approval Sought For $1.2M Deal In Labor Trafficking Suit

    A car parts manufacturer, two recruiting agencies and a group of Mexican engineers who alleged the companies lured them to the U.S. with false promises of high-paying jobs before forcing them to work manual labor for long hours and low wages have reached a tentative $1.2 million settlement.

  • July 22, 2024

    Wash. Jury Says Seattle Port Owes Fired Police Chief $24.2M

    A Washington state jury said Monday that the Port of Seattle owes its ex-police chief $24.2 million, capping off a six-week trial on his claims that the port axed him as punishment for complaining about lack of due process in workplace misconduct investigations.

  • July 22, 2024

    9th Circ. Backs TSA's Win In Ex-Worker's Retaliation Suit

    The Ninth Circuit declined to reinstate a lawsuit alleging the Transportation Security Administration fired an officer for complaining that he faced a hostile work environment, saying he failed to overcome the agency's assertion that he was terminated for refusing to comply with an investigation into alleged criminal activity.

  • July 22, 2024

    SAG-AFTRA Beats Vax Mandate Suit In Calif. Federal Court

    A California federal judge has tossed a group of SAG-AFTRA members' claims that the union betrayed them by allowing studios to impose vaccine mandates after the pandemic, saying the workers' state-level claims are preempted by the Labor Management Relations Act and a federal-level claim is untimely.

  • July 22, 2024

    Ex-NJ Judge Wants Chief Justice Deposed In Pension Suit

    A former Bergen County Superior Court judge told a New Jersey state court that she must be allowed to depose Chief Justice Stuart Rabner of the New Jersey Supreme Court because he has information about the state's decision to deny her disability benefits application that no one else has.

  • July 22, 2024

    US Bank Must Face Post-Stroke Disability Bias Suit

    An Ohio appeals court revived a former U.S. Bank finance director's suit alleging he was denied a more flexible schedule and workspace modifications to help deal with post-stroke impairments, saying a lower court held his complaint to an overly strict standard.

  • July 22, 2024

    Rising Star: Filippatos' Tanvir H. Rahman

    Tanvir Rahman of Filippatos PLLC secured a $12 million settlement for a former Fox News producer who said she was used as a scapegoat during the network's legal battle with Dominion Voting Systems, earning him a spot among the employment law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 22, 2024

    TikTok Says Arbitration Pacts Doom Former Exec's Bias Suit

    TikTok urged a New York federal court to toss a former marketing executive's suit accusing the company of putting her on a "kill list" of employees to push out because she was a woman nearing 50, saying she agreed to arbitrate any employment-related disputes with the company.

  • July 22, 2024

    Ex-DuPont Workers Settle Age Bias Suit Ahead Of Trial

    DuPont has reached a settlement to avoid trial with two former employees who alleged they were fired and replaced by younger workers after a rigged investigation into allegedly hazardous workplace behavior.

  • July 19, 2024

    4 Lessons As 7th Circ. OKs Honeywell Firing Of DEI Protester

    The Seventh Circuit recently held that Honeywell legally fired a white employee who opposed and then skipped mandatory training that was part of the company's diversity, equity and inclusion program, a ruling that employer-side attorneys say provides valuable insight into how companies should handle objectors. Here, Law360 looks at four lessons that can be gleaned from the appellate court's opinion.

  • July 19, 2024

    9th Circ. Calls Out Wash. AG's Paradox In Christian Charity Suit

    Ninth Circuit judges said Friday that Washington state "wants it both ways" in a Christian nonprofit's case over an antidiscrimination law, with the attorney general arguing that there's no credible enforcement threat to substantiate the suit's filing while also stopping short of pledging that the state won't pursue a case against the organization.

  • July 19, 2024

    3rd Circ. Reverses Court on 90-Day EEOC Clock Ruling

    The Third Circuit has revived a New Jersey state employee's sex harassment lawsuit against her employer, finding that a lower court incorrectly calculated when the 90-day clock for her to file suit started after her attorney learned the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission would not pursue her claim.

  • July 19, 2024

    NFL Antitrust Verdict, WWE Chair Woes Define 2024's 1st Half

    The first half of 2024 saw bombshell allegations and yearslong litigation lurching forward, highlighted by the shocking lawsuit accusing the founder of WWE of horrific sexual conduct, an iconic magazine almost shuttering and two NFL cases reaching significant milestones.

  • July 19, 2024

    US Chess Tolerates Human Trafficking, Champion Claims

    The U.S. Chess Federation provides an arena for human trafficking and retaliated against a whistleblower who reported alleged sexual abuse, a two-time national champion claims in a lawsuit filed in New Jersey state court.

  • July 19, 2024

    Law Profs Throw Flag On NFL's 'Unconscionable' Arbitration

    Allowing the NFL's arbitration system, with commissioner Roger Goodell as the arbitrator, to prevail in Brian Flores' discrimination dispute with the league is "unconscionable" and "egregious," a dozen law professors have told the Second Circuit in an amicus brief supporting the former Miami Dolphins head coach.

  • July 19, 2024

    Hanes Fired Remote Worker Over COVID Vax Refusal, Suit Says

    A former Hanes employee brought a discrimination suit against the clothing company Friday, claiming he was fired after the employer refused to provide religious accommodations regarding its COVID-19 vaccine mandate despite his work-from-home status.

  • July 19, 2024

    Atlanta Strikes Deal To End Ex-Worker's Retaliation Suit

    The city of Atlanta has reached a deal with its former immigrant affairs director to resolve her lawsuit alleging she was fired after blowing the whistle on failures in the city's immigrant outreach services, according to a filing in Georgia federal court.

  • July 19, 2024

    EEOC, Walmart Ink $75K Deal To End ADA Suit

    Walmart will pay $75,000 to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging the retail giant fired a distribution center worker because she couldn't get a doctor's approval to work without restrictions, according to a filing Friday in North Carolina federal court.

  • July 19, 2024

    6th Circ. Rejects Teacher's Bid To Revive Retaliation Suit

    The Sixth Circuit refused to reopen a substitute teacher's lawsuit alleging a Tennessee school district placed her under undue scrutiny because she complained about age discrimination, saying she failed to show administrators knew about her U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charges.

  • July 19, 2024

    Ex-Bronco Linebacker Sues NFL Over Denied THC Exemption

    A former linebacker for the Denver Broncos is suing the team and the National Football League, alleging they're violating the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act by denying him an exemption to use synthetic THC to treat his disabilities.

  • July 19, 2024

    Right-Wing Policy Plans Would Defang Civil Rights Watchdogs

    Project 2025, a prominent conservative organization's playbook for a potential incoming Republican administration, proposes drastically scaling back federal civil rights agencies' ability to enforce workplace antidiscrimination laws.

Expert Analysis

  • The Shifting Landscape Of Physician Disciplinary Proceedings

    Author Photo

    Though hospitals have historically been able to terminate doctors' medical staff privileges without fear of court interference, recent case law has demonstrated that the tides are turning, especially when there is evidence of unlawful motivations, say Dylan Newton and Michael Horn at Archer & Greiner.

  • Anti-DEI Complaints Filed With EEOC Carry No Legal Weight

    Author Photo

    Recently filed complaints against several companies' diversity, equity and inclusion programs alleging unlawful discrimination against white people do not require a response from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and should not stop employers from rooting out ongoing discriminatory practices, says former EEOC general counsel David Lopez.

  • How DEI Programs Are Being Challenged In Court And Beyond

    Author Photo

    In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's affirmative action decision last year declaring the consideration of race in university admissions unconstitutional, employers should keep abreast of recent litigation challenging diversity, equity and inclusion training programs, as well as legislation both supporting and opposing DEI initiatives in the workplace, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • What Minority Biz Law Ruling Could Mean For Private DEI

    Author Photo

    A Texas federal court’s recent decision to strike down key provisions of the Minority Business Development Act illustrates the wide-reaching effects of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision across legal contexts, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Texas Hair Bias Ruling Does Not Give Employers A Pass

    Author Photo

    A Texas state court’s recent decision, holding that a school could discipline a student with locs for refusing to cut his hair, should not be interpreted by employers as a license to implement potentially discriminatory grooming policies, says Dawn Holiday at Jackson Walker.

  • Broadway Ruling Puts Discrimination Claims In The Limelight

    Author Photo

    A New York federal court's recent decision in Moore v. Hadestown Broadway that the employers' choice to replace a Black actor with a white actor was shielded by the First Amendment is the latest in a handful of rulings zealously protecting hiring decisions in casting, say Anthony Oncidi and Dixie Morrison at Proskauer.

  • Breaking Down California's New Workplace Violence Law

    Author Photo

    Ilana Morady and Patrick Joyce at Seyfarth discuss several aspects of a new California law that requires employers to create and implement workplace violence prevention plans, including who is covered and the recordkeeping and training requirements that must be in place before the law goes into effect on July 1.

  • Studying NY, NJ Case Law On Employee Social Media Rights

    Author Photo

    While a New Jersey state appeals court has twice determined that an employee's termination by a private employer for social media posts is not prohibited, New York has yet to take a stand on the issue — so employers' decisions on such matters still need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis, say Julie Levinson Werner and Jessica Kriegsfeld at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Eye On Compliance: Employee Social Media Privacy In NY

    Author Photo

    A New York law that recently took effect restricts employers' ability to access the personal social media accounts of employees and job applicants, signifying an increasing awareness of the need to balance employers' interests with worker privacy and free speech rights, says Madjeen Garcon-Bonneau at Wilson Elser.

  • Draft Pay Equity Rule May Pose Contractor Compliance Snags

    Author Photo

    The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council's recently proposed rule that would prohibit government contractors from requesting certain job applicants' salary history seems simple on the surface, but achieving compliance will be a nuanced affair for many contractors who must also adhere to state and local pay transparency laws, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • What Texas Employers Should Know After PWFA Ruling

    Author Photo

    After a Texas federal judge recently enjoined federal agencies from enforcing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act against the state of Texas, all employers must still remain sensitive to local, state and federal protections for pregnant workers, and proactive in their approach to pregnancy-related accommodations, says Maritza Sanchez at Phelps Dunbar.

  • AI In Performance Management: Mitigating Employer Risk

    Author Photo

    Companies are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence tools in performance management, exposing organizations to significant risks, which they can manage through employee training, bias assessments, and comprehensive policies and procedures related to the new technology, say Gregory Brown and Cindy Huang at Jackson Lewis.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

    Author Photo

    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.