Discrimination

  • February 21, 2025

    6th Circ. Says Ex-Package Co. Worker Can't Revive ADA Suit

    The Sixth Circuit declined Friday to reinstate an ex-worker's suit claiming a packaging manufacturer wouldn't let him return to work following an injury because he asked for an accommodation, stating he couldn't overcome the company's position that the limitation he requested wouldn't allow him to do his job.

  • February 21, 2025

    Pumping Break Guidance For Airline Crews Falls Flat

    The long-awaited Federal Aviation Administration guidance on in-flight pumping breaks is milquetoast and keeps the onus on employers to devise their own practices, attorneys say, but the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act may fill the protection gap.

  • February 21, 2025

    LGBTQ+ Health Orgs Aim To Halt Trump DEI, Gender Orders

    Three executive orders by President Donald Trump barring federal contractors from pushing "gender ideology" and diversity-related programs violate the U.S. Constitution, a group of nonprofit LGBTQ+ organizations told a California federal court.

  • February 21, 2025

    Stop & Shop, Ex-Manager Agree To End Long COVID Suit

    A Connecticut federal judge on Friday agreed to dismiss a former Stop & Shop manager's lawsuit accusing the supermarket chain of firing him for taking medical leave due to long COVID-19 symptoms, one day after the parties said they wished to end litigation.

  • February 21, 2025

    Jackson Lewis Adds Hopkins Carley Employment Pro In Calif.

    Labor and employment firm Jackson Lewis PC is bringing in a Hopkins Carley employment law veteran as a principal in its Silicon Valley office.

  • February 20, 2025

    DOJ Says It Will Drop Immigrant Bias Case Against SpaceX

    The U.S. Department of Justice told a Texas federal judge Thursday that it plans to drop administrative proceedings alleging Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp. refused to hire refugees and asylees.

  • February 20, 2025

    Landmark AI Legislation On Kids, Bias Introduced In Calif.

    A California lawmaker Thursday unveiled first-of-its-kind legislation aimed at protecting children from safety and privacy risks associated with artificial intelligence as well as a revised version of a bill addressing bias by AI tools.

  • February 20, 2025

    Ex-Kirkland IP Atty Asks To Fire Her Bias Suit Atty 'For Cause'

    A former Kirkland & Ellis LLP intellectual property associate suing Kirkland over bias claims has urged a California federal judge to fire her counsel at Filippatos PLLC and force Filippatos to hand over her client file, disputing Filippatos' assertion that her professional misconduct allegations are a contrived attempt to avoid paying fees.

  • February 20, 2025

    Ex-SEC Lawyer Fights Gov't Bid To Ax Bias Claim Evidence

    A former Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer suing the agency for discrimination is fighting its request to have evidence of dismissed claims excluded from the upcoming trial, arguing the government's recent filing is an attempt to stymie her counsel in advance of the March trial.

  • February 20, 2025

    McDonald's Gets Ex-Execs' 4th Depo, Some Fees In Bias Case

    Two former McDonald's executives pursuing race bias claims against the fast-food giant must sit for a fourth deposition and pay certain costs after their attorneys produced more than 1,700 documents their previous counsel had failed to disclose in the case, an Illinois federal judge has said.

  • February 20, 2025

    Ye Sanctioned Again, Ordered To Sit For Another Deposition

    A California judge on Thursday ordered rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, to sit for a deposition and sanctioned him for failing to appear at a scheduled deposition in a discrimination suit by a former Donda Academy employee, the second time since the Grammy's that the winner was hit with such an order.

  • February 20, 2025

    Intel, Israeli Ex-Exec End Bias Suit Over Pro-Hamas Sentiment

    Intel Corp. and an Israeli former executive have agreed to shutter his suit claiming the tech giant fired him following complaints that his boss appeared to support Hamas after the militant group's October 2023 attack took place in Israel, according to a Thursday New York federal court filing.

  • February 20, 2025

    Worker Says Wilson Sports Co. Firing Tied To Paternity Leave

    A former Wilson Sporting Goods Co. employee has filed a Minnesota federal lawsuit accusing the company of firing him for taking parental leave in violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act.

  • February 20, 2025

    Unions Demand Insight Into DOGE's Agency Audits

    Worker and consumer advocates asked a D.C. federal judge Thursday to make the Department of Government Efficiency detail its probes into three federal agencies, arguing the information is needed to resolve their claims that the new entity's audits violate the public's privacy rights.

  • February 20, 2025

    HHS Rescinds Guidance On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday rescinded guidance for health plans and insurers on complying with the Affordable Care Act's nondiscrimination provisions with regard to gender-affirming care for minors, which President Donald Trump called on the agency to do in a January executive order.

  • February 20, 2025

    Conn. Justices Advance Veteran's Disability Case Against City

    The Connecticut Supreme Court on Thursday advanced a military veteran's stress-related employment accommodation case against the city of Stamford, saying the city could not immediately challenge a hearing referee's decision to allow a new claim during an early-stage workplace discrimination proceeding.

  • February 20, 2025

    NJ Law Firm, Ex-COO Settle Sexual Harassment, Bias Suit

    Major New Jersey personal injury firm Garces Grabler & LeBrocq PC has settled a lawsuit with its former chief operating officer, who accused it and attorneys there of sexually harassing her and unfairly burdening her with work that was beneath her position.

  • February 20, 2025

    Pot Co. Exec Says He Was Fired For Reporting Antisemitism

    A Jewish former executive for Verano Holdings Corp. and Verano Arizona Inc. is suing the companies in federal court, alleging he was discriminated against and fired for reporting antisemitism and "flippant comments about Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust."

  • February 20, 2025

    2nd Circ. Backs Ex-NBA Ref's $2.9M Win In Vax Pension Row

    The Second Circuit on Thursday backed a trial court's ruling that the NBA owed a referee $2.9 million in pension benefits after he was fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, ruling the plan requires payment even if he could be reinstated.

  • February 20, 2025

    Florida Assisted Living Co. Settles EEOC Pregnancy Bias Suit

    An assisted living facility in Florida will pay $20,000 to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging it fired a certified nursing assistant after learning she was pregnant, according to a federal court filing.

  • February 20, 2025

    8th Circ. Revives States' Challenge To EEOC Pregnancy Regs

    The Eighth Circuit ruled Thursday that a group of 17 red states have the right to sue the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over its finalized Pregnant Workers Fairness Act rule, reviving their challenge to abortion-related components of the regulations.

  • February 19, 2025

    Blake Lively Says Other Actresses Will Testify Against Baldoni

    Blake Lively has bulked up her sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit over the movie "It End With Us," saying two other female cast members were also uncomfortable with Justin Baldoni's behavior on set and are prepared to testify in the messy legal fight.

  • February 19, 2025

    Judge Probes Vagueness In Suit Over Trump's Anti-DEI Orders

    A Baltimore federal judge on Wednesday pressed a U.S. Department of Justice attorney to spell out what would constitute so-called illegal DEI under Trump administration executive orders that aim to root out diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the public and private sectors.

  • February 19, 2025

    Civil Rights Groups Move To Block Trump DEI, Gender Orders

    Three civil rights organizations told a D.C. federal court in a lawsuit Wednesday against President Donald Trump and numerous federal agencies that three of the White House's recent executive orders discriminated against individuals with HIV as well as Black and transgender people.

  • February 19, 2025

    3rd Circ. Backs Navy In Ex-Worker's Suit Over Telework Denial

    The Third Circuit on Wednesday denied a former U.S. Navy security specialist's bid to revive a discrimination suit alleging she was unlawfully fired after being denied remote work as a disability accommodation, rejecting her contention that the federal government improperly withheld relevant information during the case.

Expert Analysis

  • 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

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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.

  • Justices' Job Transfer Review Should Hold To Title VII Text

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming decision in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis should hold that a job transfer can be an adverse employment action, and the analysis should be based on the straightforward language of Title VII rather than judicial activism, say Lynne Bernabei and Alan Kabat at Bernabei & Kabat.