Discrimination

  • March 28, 2025

    FCC Chief Orders Probe Into Disney, ABC DEI Practices

    The Federal Communications Commission's leader ordered on Friday a probe into Walt Disney Co. and its ABC network over their efforts to be diverse and inclusive, following similar FCC investigations into Comcast and NBCUniversal.

  • March 28, 2025

    States Urge Justices To Skip Teacher Grants Case

    California, New York and six other states told the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday it doesn't need to weigh in on the validity of a Massachusetts federal judge's order reinstating $250 million in teacher training grants the Trump administration targeted for cuts, noting the dispute will soon be moot.

  • March 28, 2025

    Employment Lawyers' Weekly DEI Cheat Sheet

    Jenner & Block LLP and WilmerHale convinced federal judges to put holds on executive orders that that targeted them over past legal work and their diversity, equity and inclusion practices, while Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP struck a deal with the Trump administration. Here, Law360 provides a rundown of notable DEI-related legal developments from the past week.

  • March 28, 2025

    Ex-Chicago Firefighter's Vaccine Bias Suit Fails, For Now

    The city of Chicago dodged a former firefighter's lawsuit claiming he was fired for not complying with the city's COVID-19 vaccination policy after being given a religious exemption, with an Illinois federal judge ruling Friday he failed to show he was also exempt from the policy's testing requirement.

  • March 28, 2025

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Weighs City Worker's Free Speech Suit

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider an attempt from the former city planner for Newburgh, New York, to revive her lawsuit claiming she was fired for advocating that the city adopt antiracism policies for the city's housing initiatives.

  • March 28, 2025

    Judge Sides With Ga. County In DOJ's Racial Slur Suit

    A Georgia federal judge has ended federal prosecutors' suit against a Georgia county claiming it fired two Black employees after they complained of racist treatment from co-workers, finding there was nothing pretextual about their termination for stealing time with bogus reports.

  • March 28, 2025

    NJ Says Banking Dept. Retaliation Suit Still Lacks Facts

    New Jersey urged a state court to dismiss a discrimination and retaliation suit from a former acting director at the state's Department of Banking and Insurance, arguing she hasn't backed her claims she was paid less than her male counterparts and lost out on a promotion due to her gender.

  • March 28, 2025

    Ex-Deputy Wins $250K In Retaliation Suit Over Bias Charge

    A Florida federal jury awarded a former sheriff's deputy $250,000 in his suit claiming he was fired in retaliation for filing a bias charge against the office, claiming it failed to let him take leave for a disability and wear an Islamic cap in accordance with his religious beliefs.

  • March 28, 2025

    2nd Judge Grants Injunction Against DOD's Transgender Ban

    A Washington state federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's ban on transgender troops following a similar move by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., finding that the prohibition blatantly discriminates based on gender status and sex without any justifying evidence.

  • March 28, 2025

    Ill. Judge Blocks Trump's DEI Certification Mandate

    An Illinois federal judge has blocked the U.S. Department of Labor from requiring federal grant recipients to certify that they don't operate programs that violate President Donald Trump's recent executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, saying the mandate puts them "in a difficult and perhaps impossible position."

  • March 28, 2025

    Gannett Wraps Up ADA Suit From Worker With Vision Loss

    Newspaper publisher Gannett agreed to settle a former content strategist's lawsuit claiming he was let go because he has vision loss that requires him to work from home, according to a Friday filing in Florida federal court.

  • March 28, 2025

    Jackson Lewis Names New Leader In White Plains, NY

    Nationwide employment law firm Jackson Lewis PC has promoted Michael L. Abitabilo from office litigation manager to office managing principal in White Plains, New York, the firm has announced.

  • March 28, 2025

    UAW Beats Black Truck Driver's Bias Claim

    The United Auto Workers escaped a former Howmet Aerospace Inc. employee's lawsuit claiming the union failed to adequately challenge his termination because he's Black, with an Ohio federal judge saying he'd failed to identify a non-Black colleague who received the representation he felt he was owed.

  • March 28, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: 9th Circ. Hears Trucker Piece-Rate Args

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for Ninth Circuit oral arguments in a proposed class action that revolves around a transportation company's alleged piece-rate pay policy. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • March 28, 2025

    PruittHealth Ends Gay Ex-Nursing Director's Harassment Suit

    A Georgia PruittHealth location and a former nursing director have resolved his suit accusing the facility of failing to step in when he was harassed for being gay and then firing him after he complained about it, the parties told a Georgia federal court.

  • March 28, 2025

    Judges Block Trump's Jenner & Block, WilmerHale Orders

    Jenner & Block LLP and WilmerHale both won temporary restraining orders late Friday blocking President Donald Trump's executive orders targeting the firms, with two Washington, D.C., federal judges determining the firms have shown the orders are likely retaliation for their representation of certain clients.

  • March 27, 2025

    EEOC's 'Nudge' Keeps ADA Suit Over Leave Policy Alive

    A Pennsylvania federal judge said Thursday the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission put forward just enough detail to sustain a disability bias suit claiming a non-profit health system made workers re-apply and battle for their jobs after taking medical leave.

  • March 27, 2025

    6th Circ. Says Stomach Bug Not Covered By Disability Statute

    A former delivery driver can't reopen his lawsuit claiming he was fired by a manufacturing component company for requesting time off to recover from an illness, the Sixth Circuit ruled Thursday, saying his temporary stomach bug didn't qualify as a disability under federal law.

  • March 27, 2025

    UPS, Workers To Take Military Leave Suit To Mediation

    United Parcel Service and a class of employees alerted a Washington federal court that they intend to mediate the workers' lawsuit accusing the company of failing to pay drivers on short-term military leave while paying those who take time off for jury duty and other short-term absences.

  • March 27, 2025

    Raytheon, Black Accounting Workers End Hiring Bias Suit

    Raytheon Technologies Corp. has resolved a lawsuit alleging it refused to permanently hire four temporary Black accountants and replaced them with less qualified non-Black workers, according to a Thursday filing in Texas federal court.

  • March 27, 2025

    Full 7th Circ. Urged To Review Law Prof's Retaliation Suit

    The full Seventh Circuit was asked on Thursday to revisit a panel's ruling reviving a retaliation claim from a law school professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago who was disciplined for including a redacted racist slur on an exam, saying the opinion "raises, without answering, questions of exceptional importance that will have sweeping implications for university officials."

  • March 27, 2025

    Dem Lawmakers Say EEOC Firings Exceeded Trump's Power

    A coalition of 241 Democratic lawmakers urged President Donald Trump on Thursday to reinstate two Democratic members of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, saying the president usurped congressional power and threatened the agency's independence when he fired them in January.

  • March 27, 2025

    Movie Theater Co. Agrees To Settle EEOC Age Bias Suit

    A company that owns movie theaters has agreed to settle an age discrimination suit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming it yanked a worker's health insurance after he turned 65 and later forced him to retire during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • March 27, 2025

    Ex-Troutman Atty Says Racial Bias Suit Should Go To Trial

    A former Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP associate who says she was fired for calling out racial bias told a Washington, D.C., federal judge that the firm's own documents and testimony show it saw her as a valuable attorney, despite saying she was let go over performance.

  • March 27, 2025

    2nd Circ. Ruling Illuminates Overlooked Disability Law Tenet

    The Second Circuit recently made clear that a worker can be qualified for an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act even if they can do their job without one, aligning with its sister circuits on a nuance of discrimination protections that experts say often flies under the radar.

Expert Analysis

  • What Employers Should Consider When Drafting AI Policies

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    As generative artificial intelligence continues to evolve and transform the workplace, employers should examine six issues when creating their corporate AI policies in order to balance AI's efficiencies with the oversight needed to prevent potential biases and legal pitfalls, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Eye On Compliance: When Calif. Jobs Require Driver Licenses

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    With a California law banning unnecessarily requiring job applicants to have driver's licenses rolling out Jan. 1, employers should take to heart the law's goal of preventing discriminatory barriers while they assess and revise their employment materials for compliance, says Ani Khachatryan at Wilson Elser.

  • Ring In The New Year With An Updated Employee Handbook

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    One of the best New Year's resolutions employers can make is to update their employee handbooks, given that a handbook can mitigate, or even prevent, costly litigation as long as it accounts for recent changes in laws, court rulings and agency decisions, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • 5 Employer Defenses To Military Status Discrimination Claims

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    A Colorado federal court's recent ruling, finding a Navy reservist wasn't denied promotion at his civilian job due to antimilitary bias, highlights several defenses employers can use to counter claims of violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, say attorneys at Littler Mendelson.

  • Justices Mull Sex-Based Classification In Trans Law Case

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in U.S. v. Skrmetti this week, it appears that the fate of the Tennessee law at the center of the case — a law banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender adolescents — will hinge on whether the majority read the statute as imposing a sex-based classification, says Alexandra Crandall at Dickinson Wright.

  • Pa. Ruling Highlights Challenges Of Employer Arb. Appeals

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    A Pennsylvania federal court's recent ruling in Welch Foods v. General Teamsters Local Union No. 397 demonstrates the inherent difficulties employers face when seeking relief from labor arbitration decisions through appeals in court — and underscores how employers are faced with often conflicting legal priorities, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 7 Ways To Prepare For An I-9 Audit Or Immigration Raid

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    Because immigration enforcement is likely to surge under the upcoming Trump administration, employers should take steps to ensure their staff is trained in employment eligibility verification requirements and what to do in the event of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement I-9 audit or workplace raid, say attorneys at Littler.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • Disentangling Various Forms Of Workplace Discrimination

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    Pay inequity can be missed where it exists and misidentified due to incorrect statistics, leaving individuals to face multiple facets of discrimination connected by a common root cause, meaning correct identification and measurement is crucial, says Daniel Levy at Advanced Analytical.

  • Key Requirements In New Maryland Pay Transparency Laws

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    Although several jurisdictions now require pay transparency in job advertisements, Maryland's new law is among the broadest in the country, both in terms of what is required and the scope of its applicability, says Sarah Belger at Quarles & Brady.

  • Lessons From EEOC Case Of Fla. Worker Fired After Stillbirth

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    A recent federal court settlement between a Florida resort and a fired line cook shows that the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission sees stillbirth as protected under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, also providing four other important lessons, says Gordon Berger at Pierson Ferdinand.

  • Advising Employers As AI Meets DEI And Discrimination

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Though companies can use artificial intelligence tools to develop more diverse and inclusive workforces, counsel should also prepare employers for how AI can stymie these efforts, provoke discrimination claims and complicate resulting litigation, says Emily Schifter at Troutman Pepper.

  • A Look At The Hefty Demands In Calif. Employer AI Draft Regs

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    California's draft regulations on artificial intelligence use in employment decisions show that the California Privacy Protection Agency is positioning itself as a de facto AI regulator for the state, which isn't waiting around for federal legislation, says Lily Li at Metaverse Law.