Discrimination
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June 02, 2025
5th Circ. Seems Unsure About Diabetic Worker's Bias Suit
The Fifth Circuit on Monday appeared hesitant to revive a disability discrimination suit brought against a construction product manufacturer by a diabetic former employee, with several judges questioning whether the worker presented enough evidence that her firing was a pretext for bias.
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June 02, 2025
Jenner & Block Ruling 'Meant What It Said,' Judge Tells Feds
The order striking down the Trump administration's executive order targeting Jenner & Block LLP "meant what it said," a Washington, D.C., federal judge ruled Monday, saying the government must rescind enforcement of all parts of the president's directive.
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June 02, 2025
Amazon Gets Sex Bias Claims Cut From Ex-Worker's Bias Suit
Amazon escaped part of a former executive assistant's lawsuit alleging he was passed over for promotions and belittled by a supervisor because he's Black and gay, with a Georgia federal judge on Monday adopting a report that found several of his claims were filed too late.
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June 02, 2025
Ala. Capital Beats Ex-Police Chief's Race Bias, Retaliation Suit
The city of Montgomery, Alabama, defeated a Black former police chief's lawsuit claiming the mayor forced him out for failing to give preferential treatment to Black employees, with a federal judge saying he couldn't overcome the argument that low morale and a high crime rate spurred the city to seek his resignation.
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June 02, 2025
Google Wants Ex-Sales Rep's $2M Commission Suit Tossed
Google urged a Connecticut federal court to ax a former Google Cloud salesman's suit alleging that the company owes him $2 million in commissions and fired him while he underwent cancer treatments to dodge insurance benefits, saying his claims can't stand.
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June 02, 2025
3rd Circ. Backs Religious Bias Suit Over Fire Dept. Beard Ban
The Third Circuit ruled that Atlantic City, New Jersey, may have been able to accommodate a fire department worker who wanted to grow a beard under his Christian beliefs, partially reinstating the worker's suit claiming he was illegally denied a carveout to the grooming policy.
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June 02, 2025
Trump Budget Proposes OFCCP Elimination, EEOC Cuts
President Donald Trump's administration has proposed eliminating the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and shifting some of its remaining responsibilities to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which itself would see a nearly $20 million budget reduction.
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June 02, 2025
Defamation Litigation Roundup: Cheetos, NASCAR, OpenAI
In this month's review of ongoing defamation fights, Law360 looks back on developments in a man's case against Frito-Lay Inc. over what he called the company's defamatory statements disputing his role in the invention of a flavor of Cheetos.
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June 02, 2025
Fisher Phillips Adds New Houston Leader From Reed Smith
Employer-side labor and employment firm Fisher Phillips announced Monday that it has added a new hire in Houston from Reed Smith LLP who will serve as regional managing partner of the office.
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June 02, 2025
Performance Issues Doom Pregnancy Bias Suit, 4th Circ. Says
The Fourth Circuit declined to revive a suit from a medical center worker who said she was fired for requesting an eight-hour workday to manage her pregnancy complications, ruling she failed to overcome ample evidence that recurring performance issues caused her termination.
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June 02, 2025
Jackson, Sotomayor Bristle As High Court Skips Bias Suit
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Monday to pass on a Black dancer's race discrimination case sparked objections from Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor, who said the Fifth Circuit's conclusion that the performer filed suit too late was "patently erroneous."
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May 30, 2025
Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action
Saying that June's circuit court calendars include important arguments in all practice areas would be hyperbolic — but just slightly. That's because significant showdowns are imminent involving appellate procedure principles, "click-to-cancel" rules, government procurement protests, judiciary employment protections and litigation risk insurance — as well as President Donald Trump's felony convictions and extraordinary deportation measures.
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May 30, 2025
11th Circ. Revives Ex-Employment Agency Worker's Bias Suit
The Eleventh Circuit reopened a former employment agency worker's lawsuit claiming she was unlawfully fired based on rumors she was having an affair with an executive, ruling Friday that a lower court should've given her a chance to amend her case before tossing it for good.
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May 30, 2025
What To Know As Trump's Vision Changes EEOC Partnerships
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently said it will stop reimbursing state and local regulators for investigating claims of gender identity and disparate impact discrimination. Here's what experts say workers and employers should know about the EEOC's partnerships and the impact President Donald Trump's directives may have on them.
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May 30, 2025
8th Circ. Sends Fired Diabetic Worker's FMLA Claim To Trial
The Eighth Circuit revived Friday an ex-manager's claim that a Hardee's franchisee interfered with her right to medical leave when she was fired for missing work following a diabetic episode, ruling a jury needs to consider whether the company knew she needed leave when she was sacked.
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May 30, 2025
Insurance Cos. Can't Force Arbitration Of Race, Sex Bias Suits
American Income Life Insurance Co. and a brokerage firm can't make Black and female former employees arbitrate several lawsuits claiming they were forced to endure rampant harassment, a New Jersey state appeals court ruled Friday, saying the workers' arbitration agreement didn't properly explain what they were giving up.
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May 30, 2025
Employment Lawyers' Weekly DEI Cheat Sheet
A federal judge struck down a presidential executive order against the law firm WilmerHale in a forceful decision, the state of Missouri fought to keep its anti-DEI lawsuit against Starbucks alive and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management laid out a blueprint for steering the federal hiring system away from what it called bureaucratic "'equity' quotas." Here, Law360 looks at notable DEI-related legal developments over the past week.
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May 30, 2025
Ga. Panel Ends County Workers' Whistleblower Suit
A Georgia appellate panel said that Fulton County should have been handed an early win in a whistleblower suit from two ex-employees who said they were canned for reporting corruption by an elected official, ruling the county was justified in firing them for their own financial indiscretions.
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May 30, 2025
6 Argument Sessions Bias Attorneys Should Watch In June
The Eighth Circuit will hear from an ex-principal who said she was illegally pushed out after advocating for LGBTQ+ students and authorizing a Pride flag in an inclusivity display, while the Ninth Circuit will consider whether a religious employer can avoid having Washington state's anti-discrimination law enforced against it. Here, Law360 looks at six argument sessions discrimination attorneys should have on their radar.
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May 30, 2025
Atlanta Seeks Win In Ex-Building Officials' Age Bias Suit
A former Atlanta building official has failed to show his age was the deciding factor in not being promoted to a chief inspector role, the city told a federal court, urging it to toss the man's discrimination lawsuit.
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May 30, 2025
Sikorsky Aircraft Workers Can't Back Bias Claims, Court Told
Two Black ex-employees should lose their federal racial discrimination lawsuit against Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. because one was fired for stealing time, and the other has shown "no evidence of any adverse employment action," the company said in seeking summary judgment Thursday.
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May 30, 2025
Calif. Forecast: State Justices Weigh Good-Faith Wage Args
In the coming week, attorneys should watch for California Supreme Court oral arguments regarding what an employer must show for a good faith defense in a wage case. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in the Golden State.
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May 30, 2025
Jenner & Block Fights DOJ Motion Over Exec Order
Jenner & Block LLP on Friday fought a bid from the U.S. Department of Justice to carve out part of a March executive order targeting the firm after the bulk of the order was tossed last week, in a dispute that could relate to future actions against the firm.
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May 30, 2025
Temple U., Cancer Center Can't Dodge Prof's Sex Bias Claims
Temple University and its cancer research center can't shut down the bulk of a researcher's suit claiming her supervisor refused to support her after she complained about his unwanted advances, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled, finding she plausibly alleged harassment interfered with her job.
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May 30, 2025
NY Forecast: Judge Weighs Jury Trial Demand In Layoffs Suit
This week, a New York federal judge will hear arguments over whether a class of former workers at a Four Seasons hotel can withdraw their request for a jury trial in their suit claiming the hotel did not provide required notices before laying them off.
Expert Analysis
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What Employers Should Consider When Drafting AI Policies
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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.
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Eye On Compliance: When Calif. Jobs Require Driver Licenses
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.
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Ring In The New Year With An Updated Employee Handbook
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.
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5 Employer Defenses To Military Status Discrimination Claims
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.
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Justices Mull Sex-Based Classification In Trans Law Case
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.
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Pa. Ruling Highlights Challenges Of Employer Arb. Appeals
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.
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7 Ways To Prepare For An I-9 Audit Or Immigration Raid
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.
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California Supreme Court's Year In Review
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.
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Disentangling Various Forms Of Workplace Discrimination
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.
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Key Requirements In New Maryland Pay Transparency Laws
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.
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Lessons From EEOC Case Of Fla. Worker Fired After Stillbirth
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.
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Advising Employers As AI Meets DEI And Discrimination
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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.
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A Look At The Hefty Demands In Calif. Employer AI Draft Regs
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.