Discrimination

  • February 27, 2025

    Unions Can Depose DOGE In Agency Access Suit, Judge Says

    The Department of Government Efficiency must tell a group of unions whom it's sent into the Department of Labor, the Department of Health & Human Services and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and what computer systems they've accessed, a D.C. federal judge ruled Thursday.

  • February 27, 2025

    Advance Auto Can't Nix EEOC Race Harassment Claims

    A Florida federal judge said Thursday that Advance Auto Parts can't toss race harassment claims from a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming LGBTQ and Black workers faced mistreatment at one of its stores, ruling the agency didn't need to limit the suit to an initial charge's allegations.

  • February 27, 2025

    6th Circ. Upholds Tenn. Utility Co.'s Disability Bias Suit Win

    The Sixth Circuit backed a Tennessee utility company's win over a former power-line repairman's lawsuit claiming he was unlawfully forced to retire because he experienced occasional seizures, finding Thursday that his health condition posed a serious safety issue and couldn't be accommodated.

  • February 27, 2025

    2nd Circ. Won't Revive School Psychologist's Vax Bias Suit

    The Second Circuit backed the dismissal of a school psychologist's suit claiming her school district illegally placed her on leave when she objected to its COVID-19 vaccination and testing policies on religious grounds, ruling her request to work remotely to get around the policy would have been too burdensome.

  • February 27, 2025

    Paralegal Accuses Morris Manning Of Race, Disability Bias

    A former paralegal in the Atlanta office of Morris Manning & Martin LLP hit her old firm with a lawsuit this week alleging that the firm fired her last year to avoid having to pay her while she was out on extended medical leave.

  • February 27, 2025

    Ga. Plant Denies Alleged Atty Bribe, Claims Letter Was Fake

    The finance director of a now-shuttered Georgia manufacturing plant did not pen a letter offering to bribe counsel representing a brother and sister in a federal discrimination lawsuit, according to a Thursday response to a sanctions bid that points the finger for the allegedly fraudulent missive at unidentified disgruntled former employees.

  • February 27, 2025

    DOL Pick Faces Scrutiny About DOGE From Senate Dems

    President Donald Trump's nominee for deputy labor secretary faced intense questioning about "the sheer incompetence" of the administration's actions in what otherwise might have been expected to be a less controversial U.S. Senate confirmation hearing Thursday.

  • February 27, 2025

    ACLU Swoops Into Trans Bias Suit After EEOC Backtracks

    The American Civil Liberties Union asked a Michigan federal court Thursday for permission to intervene in one of the transgender discrimination suits that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is abandoning due to Trump administration orders.

  • February 27, 2025

    5th Circ. Backs Texas Medical Center's Race Bias Suit Win

    The Fifth Circuit refused to revive a Black researcher's suit claiming a University of Texas medical center fired him because he complained that a supervisor made offensive comments and impeded his work, finding he'd failed to identify a non-Black employee who was treated better.

  • February 27, 2025

    Former Seyfarth Partner To Chair DOL's Review Board

    The U.S. Department of Labor tapped a former Seyfarth Shaw LLP partner with more than 25 years of experience on employment and immigration law to be chair of the Administrative Review Board.

  • February 27, 2025

    Judge Gives CIA Green Light To Fire Intelligence Officers

    A Virginia federal judge knocked down a request Thursday from a group of CIA officers for a temporary restraining order that would have blocked their firings, following President Donald Trump's executive order directing federal agencies to terminate diversity, equity and inclusion officers.

  • February 26, 2025

    DOJ Drops Suits Over Police, Firefighter Discriminatory Hiring

    The U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday it was dropping lawsuits across the country over allegedly discriminatory practices for hiring police officers and firefighters, saying the litigation "unjustly targeted fire and police departments for using standard aptitude tests."

  • February 26, 2025

    Judge Sends Fox Sports Harassment Suit Back To State Court

    A U.S. district judge has sent a lawsuit accusing Fox Sports and its on-air talent of sexual harassment back to California state court after the plaintiff dropped allegations related to overtime, removing the suit's only federal claim.

  • February 26, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Demoted Chinese Postmaster's Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit reinstated Wednesday a Chinese postmaster's race bias suit alleging that the U.S. Postal Service demoted her after crediting colleagues' discriminatory concerns about her leadership, ruling that her replacement by a white man was enough to keep her allegations in play.

  • February 26, 2025

    Chicago Nonprofit Sues Trump Over Anti-DEI Orders

    A Chicago-based women's trade group sued the Trump administration in Illinois federal court Wednesday, claiming his recent executive orders restricting federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs are unconstitutional and unlawfully chill the organization's free speech.

  • February 26, 2025

    MSPB Pauses Firing Of 6 Probationary Fed Employees

    The Merit Systems Protection Board paused the Trump administration's attempt to fire six federal workers on probationary status, saying the U.S. Office of Special Counsel showed it was likely the firings violated civil service laws that require the government to undertake reductions in force based on merit.

  • February 26, 2025

    Anti-American Bias Pivot Puts EEOC In Alignment With Trump

    A recent vow from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's acting leader to target anti-American discrimination is an endorsement of President Donald Trump's agenda and a definitive shift from how the agency previously addressed national origin bias, experts say.

  • February 26, 2025

    Del. DOT Settles Asian Engineer's Promotion Bias Suit

    The Delaware Department of Transportation has settled a retired engineer's lawsuit claiming he was repeatedly passed over for promotions because he is Asian, after a federal court rejected the agency's bid to nix the suit by arguing that he simply didn't perform well in interviews.

  • February 26, 2025

    1st Circ. Won't Revive Army Worker's Bias Suit Over Demotion

    The First Circuit upheld the U.S. Army's defeat of a civilian employee's lawsuit claiming she was removed from a supervisory position because she is a Puerto Rican woman in her 60s, finding she failed to discredit the Army's assertion that her management style was problematic.

  • February 26, 2025

    Top Dem Urges Trump To Leave Independent Agencies Alone

    The top Democrat on the House Administration Committee urged President Donald Trump on Wednesday to rescind his executive order seeking to assert more control over independent agencies, which the congressman says is an "unprecedented violation" of law.

  • February 26, 2025

    Justices Open To Nixing Higher Hurdle For Heterosexual Bias

    The U.S. Supreme Court hinted Wednesday that it will find heterosexual bias claims should not be held to a stricter burden of proof when it decides if an Ohio agent discriminated against a worker because she's straight, with Justice Samuel Alito noting "radical agreement" among the parties that the Sixth Circuit held her to a higher standard than other Title VII plaintiffs.

  • February 26, 2025

    Staffing Cos. Reach $60K Deal In EEOC Disability Bias Suit

    Two staffing companies will pay $60,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging they yanked an applicant's job offer for a welding position at a sawmill because he suffered a knee injury in the past, according to a Georgia federal court filing.

  • February 26, 2025

    Wilson Sonsini Adds Employment Litigator In Palo Alto

    Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC has added an employment law expert to its litigation department in Palo Alto, California, who brings with her more than 15 years of BigLaw experience including most recently at O'Melveny & Myers LLP.

  • February 26, 2025

    Google Settles Claims It Fired Bipolar Worker Out Of Bias

    Google has settled a former employee's suit alleging he was unlawfully fired for taking medical leave because of his bipolar disorder following a manic episode, according to California federal court filings.

  • February 26, 2025

    7th Circ. Backs Black Mail Carrier Over Remarks From Bosses

    The Seventh Circuit said a trial court was too quick to toss a Black former mail carrier's claim that she was harassed when supervisors at the U.S. Postal Service called her "the help," ruling that the comments were frequent enough to show the mistreatment was pervasive.

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

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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.