Discrimination

  • November 08, 2024

    Worker Advocates Will Be On Defense In Trump's 2nd Term

    Worker-side lawyers are buckling up for a challenging four years under President-elect Donald Trump, during which they anticipate a rollback of civil rights regulations and a gutting of federal enforcement agencies. But they also say they're more prepared to fight than they were in 2016. Here, Law360 speaks with the lawyers about major challenges they're anticipating and some of their early plans.

  • November 08, 2024

    Ex-Elanco IP Lawyer Lodges Gender Discrimination Suit

    A female former in-house intellectual property lawyer at Elanco Animal Health Inc. sued the pharmaceutical company for gender discrimination in Indiana federal court, alleging she was passed over for a promotion in favor of a less qualified man who later mistreated the women on staff.

  • November 08, 2024

    NYC Water Worker Alleges Retaliation For Off-Duty Pot Use

    A municipal water treatment worker has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the New York City Department of Environmental Protection claiming he was wrongly punished for his legal off-duty use of cannabis and wrongly terminated for refusing to take a drug test when he was actually suffering a medical emergency.

  • November 08, 2024

    DOJ Says Miss. Senate Stiffed Black Atty On Equal Pay

    The U.S. Department of Justice alleged in a race bias suit filed in Mississippi federal court Friday that the state Senate paid a Black attorney at times less than half of what her white colleagues were paid even though they completed the same work.

  • November 08, 2024

    DLA Piper's Performance Critique Is Bogus, Fired Atty Says

    A former DLA Piper associate told a New York federal court that her pregnancy bias case against the firm should be heard by a jury, arguing the firm's assertion that she was fired for careless work is contradicted by bonuses she was given and a lack of disciplinary records.

  • November 08, 2024

    Ga. Man Says City Was Quick To Fire Him For Being 'Slow'

    A 20-year employee of Roswell, Georgia, hit the Atlanta-area city with a disability discrimination lawsuit Thursday, claiming it fired him rather than accommodate his known cognitive disabilities aggravated by a workplace injury two decades earlier.

  • November 08, 2024

    Jackson Lewis Adds Veteran UB Greensfelder Atty In Ohio

    Jackson Lewis PC has expanded its employment counseling and litigation capabilities in Cleveland with the addition of a longtime UB Greensfelder LLP attorney.

  • November 08, 2024

    Ex-NJ Judge Gets More Time To Make Discrimination Case

    A New Jersey court gave a former state workers' compensation judge challenging her removal from the bench more time to make her case, according to a court order.

  • November 08, 2024

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Weighs NLRB Constitutionality

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider a nursing home's attempt to block a National Labor Relations Board case against it on the grounds that the agency is unconstitutionally structured. Here, Law360 looks at this and other cases on the docket in New York.

  • November 08, 2024

    9th Circ. Affirms Union Longshoreman's Promotion Denial

    A union-represented longshoreman who left his job to serve in the U.S. Air Force for nine years is ineligible for a promotion he might have received if he served five years or less, the Ninth Circuit affirmed, saying he didn't qualify for an exception to the years requirement.

  • November 08, 2024

    UPMC Health Plan Beats Bias Suit Over Black Worker's Firing

    A University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-affiliated health plan defeated a former service coordinator's suit claiming she was fired because she's Black, with a Pennsylvania federal judge finding she couldn't overcome the employer's explanation that her job performance put patients in danger.

  • November 08, 2024

    Calif. Forecast: $16M Delta Pay Stubs Deal Heads To Court

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for potential final approval of a nearly $16 million settlement for Delta Air Lines flight attendants alleging wage claims. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • November 08, 2024

    Judge 'Baffled' By Muldrow Omission In Sex Bias Suit

    A Kansas federal judge declined to toss a former medical center worker's suit claiming she was forced to resign due to sexual harassment, while chiding the center for failing to take into account recent high court precedent clarifying the legal standards around Title VII sex bias claims.

  • November 07, 2024

    Trans Patients Say Fla. Ban On Care Should Be Bias Tested

    A proposed class of transgender individuals asking for the reversal of a ruling blocking Florida's ban on Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care told the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday that hostile discrimination analysis of statutes applies to classes beyond those recognized as "suspect" or "quasi-suspect."

  • November 07, 2024

    11th Circ. Affirms Judgment Against Fired Ga. Tech Coach

    The Eleventh Circuit declined to revive longtime women's basketball coach MaChelle Joseph's discrimination and retaliation claims against Georgia Tech, concluding Thursday that Title IX does not provide an implied right of action for sex discrimination in employment.

  • November 07, 2024

    ACLU Asks 11th Circ. To Back Ga. Deputy's Trans Health Win

    The full Eleventh Circuit shouldn't roll back a transgender deputy's win in her lawsuit challenging a Georgia county's refusal to pay for gender-affirmation surgery, the American Civil Liberties Union and legal groups argued Thursday, saying the U.S. Supreme Court's Bostock decision made clear that such policies violate federal law.

  • November 07, 2024

    HSBC, Exec Agree To End Racial Bias Promotion Row

    An HSBC executive has agreed to end her racial discrimination lawsuit against her employer over an allegedly denied promotion, the parties informed a Manhattan federal court Thursday.

  • November 07, 2024

    WNBA, Aces Urge Toss Of Suit Over Traded Pregnant Player

    The WNBA has asked a Nevada federal court to toss the lawsuit of a female basketball player, arguing that the suit, which claims the Las Vegas Aces traded her to a less prestigious team after learning she was pregnant, failed to show the league was her employer.

  • November 07, 2024

    What FTC's Lyft Fine Can Teach Us About Pay Transparency

    The Federal Trade Commission's more than $2 million penalty against Lyft over claims that the ride-hailing giant misled prospective drivers about their earning potential on the platform provides lessons for employers about pay transparency compliance, including the need to manage expectations and create clear compensation plans, attorneys say.

  • November 07, 2024

    11th Circ. Backs Bombardier In Mechanic's Race Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit upheld a Bombardier unit's win Thursday in a retired Black worker's suit claiming he was forced to leave his mechanic role because of the racism he experienced on the job, finding he hadn't alleged any mistreatment serious enough to sustain his case.

  • November 07, 2024

    Wilson Sonsini Accused Of Wrongfully Firing Legal Assistant

    A former practice group assistant at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC has filed a wrongful termination suit in California state court, accusing the firm of discriminating against her because of her disabilities and firing her in retaliation for raising hostile work environment and other concerns.

  • November 07, 2024

    Polsinelli Adds Reed Smith Employment Litigator In DC

    Polsinelli PC has hired a new shareholder in Washington, D.C., who spent more than two decades with Reed Smith LLP, which included time as that firm's global labor and employment chair.

  • November 07, 2024

    Medical Device Co. Inks $57K Deal In OFCCP Sex Bias Probe

    The U.S. Department of Labor's federal contractor watchdog said Thursday it reached a $57,000 deal with a medical supply company to resolve allegations that it didn't consider promoting women to a certain role. 

  • November 07, 2024

    Chemical Co. Can't Completely Sink EEOC Racial Slur Suit

    A chemical company must face a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit claiming it failed to stop a Hispanic employee from using racist slurs, with a Missouri federal judge ruling jurors could find a single confrontation with a Black co-worker was extreme enough to support the case.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Why Employers Should Heed High Court Web Designer Ruling

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    While not an employment law ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in the First Amendment case 303 Creative v. Elenis raises serious questions for employers that constitute public accommodations and have related anti-discrimination policies, says Tanner Camp at Foley & Lardner.

  • What To Expect From The EEOC's Proposed Pregnancy Law

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    U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act require accommodations for many conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth, and while the final rule won't be published until the public comment period expires in October, employers should act promptly, says Amy Gluck at FisherBroyles.

  • Employer Best Practices For Pay Transparency Compliance

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    With conflicting pay transparency and disclosure laws appearing across the country, employers must carefully develop different strategies for discussing compensation with employees, applicants, and off-site workers, disclosing salaries in job ads, and staying abreast of new state and local compliance requirements, says Joy Rosenquist at Littler Mendelson.

  • Congress Must Level The Employer Arbitration Playing Field

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    Federal courts have largely eviscerated state bans on arbitration of employment claims through Federal Arbitration Act preemption holdings, and they are also limiting the impact of the federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, so Congress needs to step in and amend both laws, says Alan Kabat at Bernabei & Kabat.

  • What 11th Circ. Revival Of Deaf Employee's Bias Suit Portends

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    The Eleventh Circuit's recent Beasley v. O'Reilly Auto Parts decision, which created a circuit split involving the issue of linking accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act to essential job functions, is a curiosity about the court's analysis at least and a potential game changer for employer duties at most, says John Doran at Sherman & Howard.

  • What To Watch As Justices Take Up Title VII Job Transfer Case

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    With its recent decision to hear Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether an involuntary job transfer can count as employment discrimination under Title VII — an eventual ruling that has potential to reshape workplace bias claims nationwide, says Adam Grogan at Bell Law Group.

  • Parsing EEOC Guidance On Accommodating Low Vision

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    Employers need to examine recent Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance on provisions for employees who are blind or partially sighted, particularly on the consequences of terminating an employee with blindness or low vision without meeting obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, says Amy Epstein Gluck at FisherBroyles.

  • 5 Tips For Employers Handling Generative AI Privacy Risks

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    Employers should carefully consider the privacy implications of using generative artificial intelligence tools, and employ steps to mitigate the risks, such as de-identifying data, providing notice and identifying data flows, say Zoe Argento and Amy Kabaria at Littler.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'The Bear' Serves Up Advice For Managers

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    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper chat with Ernst & Young’s Laura Yehuda about Hulu's "The Bear" and the best practices managers can glean from the show's portrayal of workplace challenges, including those faced by young, female managers.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

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    As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

  • Mass. Age Bias Ruling Holds Employer Liability Lessons

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    The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s recent ruling in Adams v. Schneider Electric — upholding a laid-off employee’s age discrimination claim — is an important reminder that employers may face liability even if a decision maker unknowingly applies a discriminatory corporate strategy, say attorneys at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • Regulating AI: Litigation Questions And State Efforts To Watch

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    In view of the developing legal and regulatory framework for artificial intelligence systems in the U.S., including state legislation and early federal litigation, there are practical takeaways as we look toward the future, says Jennifer Maisel at Rothwell Figg.

  • Regulating AI: An Overview Of Federal Efforts

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    The U.S. has been carefully managing a national policy and regulatory ecosystem toward artificial intelligence, but as AI technology continues to expand into our everyday lives, so too has its risks and the need for regulation, says Jennifer Maisel at Rothwell Figg.