Discrimination

  • August 06, 2024

    Jackson Lewis Quartet Jumps to Constangy In San Diego

    Labor and employment firm Constangy Brooks Smith & Prophete LLP is growing its San Diego footprint with the addition of a new outpost manned by an office managing partner and three associates who made the leap from Jackson Lewis PC.

  • August 06, 2024

    Laundry Co. To Shell Out $1.1M In EEOC Hiring Bias Suit

    A commercial laundry company has agreed to pay $1.1 million to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging it prioritized hiring Hispanic workers over those of other races and pushed employees into gendered roles.

  • August 06, 2024

    Woman Drops Sex Abuse Suit Against Ex-NFL Player In Colo.

    The former controller for a former NFL player's reptile shipping business has, for now, dropped her lawsuit claiming the ex-linebacker sexually abused her at work and fired her after his wife discovered the conduct, apparently accepting the court's condition that she pay the player's costs and certain attorney fees.

  • August 06, 2024

    NJ Firm Wants Sanctions In Dispute With Ex-Employees

    Davis Saperstein & Salomon PC said eight former employees and the attorney representing them should be sanctioned for filing a pair of lawsuits in New Jersey state court alleging the firm violated wage and discrimination laws.

  • August 06, 2024

    Defense Contractor Wants Maynard Nexsen DQed In Bias Case

    Defense contractor Parsons Corp. urged an Alabama federal judge to disqualify Maynard Nexsen PC from representing a former engineer in his unlawful termination case against the company, saying the firm was also representing Parsons when he filed his case.

  • August 06, 2024

    Staffing Co. Strikes $1.25M Deal To End EEOC Vision Bias Suit

    A staffing firm that matches people with disabilities to jobs they can do from home agreed to pay $1.25 million to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit claiming the nonprofit categorically rejected blind or low-vision applicants, according to a filing in Texas federal court.

  • August 06, 2024

    Harvard Can't Ax Claim It 'Failed' Jewish Students, Judge Says

    Harvard University will have to face a federal civil rights complaint alleging it turned a blind eye to antisemitic intimidation of Jewish students in the wake of Hamas' terror attack on Israel, a Boston federal judge said Tuesday.

  • August 06, 2024

    MoneyGram To Settle Fired Worker's FMLA Retaliation Suit

    MoneyGram has agreed to settle a former employee's suit claiming she was fired for taking medical leave to treat a stomach illness, according to a Texas federal court filing.

  • August 05, 2024

    Colo. Farm Can't Stymie In-Person Depositions In EEOC Suit

    A Colorado hog farm can't force the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to conduct remote depositions in its lawsuit alleging the farm ignored harassment of female workers, a federal judge ruled Monday, saying the employer hadn't shown that in-person testimony would be a hardship.

  • August 05, 2024

    Rehab Worker Nabs $100K Verdict In Relapse Defamation Suit

    A Delaware federal jury awarded a former addiction treatment center worker $100,000 after finding the company defamed him when workers spread rumors that he had relapsed, but rejected his claims that the company discriminated against him for his perceived addiction.

  • August 05, 2024

    BCBS Asks 9th Circ. To Undo Trans Patients' Win In Bias Suit

    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois urged the Ninth Circuit to reverse summary judgment in favor of trans patients who argued its exclusions for gender-affirming treatments violated the Affordable Care Act's anti-discrimination mandate, arguing Friday it is a third-party administrator that didn't design the exclusion nor exercised any control over it.

  • August 05, 2024

    Insurer Must Face Pa. Trans Firefighter's Surgery Claim

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has refused to toss a suit from a transgender Philadelphia firefighter suing Independence Blue Cross for discrimination over the insurer's denial of coverage for facial feminization surgery, finding that claims under federal healthcare law could proceed, but not the Title VII claims.

  • August 05, 2024

    Emory Wants Out Of Ex-Falcons Team Doctor's Bias Suit

    Emory Healthcare Inc. has asked a Georgia federal judge to dismiss a civil rights lawsuit brought against it by the former head medical physician for the NFL team Atlanta Falcons.

  • August 05, 2024

    8th Circ. Won't Force Arbitration In Chipotle Assault Suit

    The Eighth Circuit said Monday that Chipotle can't arbitrate an ex-employee's claims that she was raped by a co-worker on the job, rejecting the restaurant chain's arguments that the date of the alleged incident pushed her claims outside the bounds of a law shielding sex misconduct claims from arbitration.

  • August 05, 2024

    Chemical Co. Fired Electrician Over Back Injury, EEOC Says

    A specialty alcohol and ingredients manufacturer unlawfully fired an electrician with sciatica after colleagues raised concerns about his ability to climb stairs and ladders, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told an Illinois federal court Monday.

  • August 05, 2024

    Shipping Co. To Pay $400K To End EEOC Disability Bias Suit

    A shipping company agreed to pay $400,000 to resolve a lawsuit from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accusing it of firing a manager after watching his health decline due to cancer, a filing in Georgia federal court said.

  • August 05, 2024

    Ex-GC Says Steakhouse Chain Can't Ax Or Arbitrate Bias Suit

    A former general counsel at steakhouse chain Palm Management is asking a New York federal judge not to toss her lawsuit or force her into arbitration, calling the arbitration clause in her employment agreement "unenforceable due to unconscionability based on the content of the clause."

  • August 05, 2024

    11th Circ. Won't Revive White Ex-Coach's Race Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit on Monday refused to reopen a former football coach's lawsuit accusing a Georgia school district of unlawfully refusing to renew his contract because he's white, backing a lower court's determination that an earlier case against Black school board members barred the current claims.

  • August 05, 2024

    Wesleyan U. Axes Fired Catholic Chaplain's Bias Suit, For Now

    A Connecticut federal judge tossed a Catholic chaplain's suit alleging Wesleyan University fired him for complaining that a Muslim chaplain's departure was an unfair firing, stating the former employee didn't support his claims with enough proof that bias affected the Muslim chaplain's employment or his own.

  • August 05, 2024

    EEOC Says Tech Co. Refused To Hire Older, Indian Candidate

    A technology company refused to hire a well-qualified job applicant for a sales director position because he was "too old" and Indian, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a suit filed in California federal court.

  • August 02, 2024

    Fla.'s Trans Healthcare Ban Violates Title VII, Judge Says

    A Florida federal judge has ruled the state's Department of Management Services illegally excluded gender-affirming treatment for transgender employees under state-sponsored health benefits plans, finding the state's exclusion only applies to trans individuals and is facially discriminatory under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

  • August 02, 2024

    3 Takeaways As Calif. High Court Allows Suit Over Single Slur

    The California Supreme Court recently held that a single racial slur by a worker's peer can be the basis for a harassment suit under state law, a ruling attorneys say is "historic" and stands as a warning to employers to take any instances of race-based misconduct seriously. Here, Law360 experts discuss three takeaways from the state high court's decision.

  • August 02, 2024

    Judge Rejects Intervenors In Religious Workers' Vax Deal Bid

    Women who opted out of or objected to a recently vacated $10.5 million deal between Ascension Health Alliance and workers who allege the company retaliated or fired them for seeking COVID-19 vaccine exemptions cannot now intervene in the renewed bid for settlement approval, a Michigan federal judge has ruled, finding their request untimely.

  • August 02, 2024

    Rehab Center Fired Nurse Over Sleeping Disorder, EEOC Says

    A rehabilitation and assisted living facility fired a nurse after refusing to rework her schedule to accommodate a sleep disorder that keeps her awake at night and asleep during the day, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told a Texas federal court.

  • August 02, 2024

    Auto Parts Supplier Wants Out Of EEOC Sex Harassment Suit

    A North Carolina auto parts company said it promptly addressed a former employee's complaints about how colleagues were treating her, urging a North Carolina federal court to dismiss a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging the worker was fired for speaking up about sexual harassment.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Employer Tips For Fighting Back Against Explosive Verdicts

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    Massive jury verdicts are a product of our time, driven in part by reptile tactics, but employers can build a strategic defense to mitigate the risk of a runaway jury, and develop tools to seek judicial relief in the event of an adverse outcome, say Dawn Solowey and Lynn Kappelman at Seyfarth.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Changing Status Quo In A Union Shop

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    A recent administrative law decision concerning a dispute between Fortune Media and the NewsGuild of New York is an important reminder to employers with unionized workforces to refrain from making unilateral updates to employee handbooks that will change the terms and conditions of employment, says Jennifer Hataway at Butler Snow.

  • What EEOC's 2023 Stats Mean For Future Enforcement

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    The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s unusual burst of spring lawsuits and its new Democratic majority should cue employers and HR personnel to expect EEOC enforcement activity to ramp up to pre-pandemic rates, especially in regions where filings are on the rise and in those areas the agency appears to be targeting, such as workplace discrimination, say Andrew Scroggins and James Nasiri at Seyfarth Shaw.

  • Eye On Compliance: A Shift In Religious Accommodation Law

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    The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Groff v. DeJoy is making it more difficult for employers to deny religious accommodations, and there are three takeaways employers should keep in mind, say William Cook and Matthew High at Wilson Elser.

  • Tick Tock: When Punctuality Raises Employee ADA Questions

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    A recent viral TikTok video — where a user claims they were disrespected by a potential employer when inquiring about accommodations for difficulty with being on time — shows that even in the most seemingly questionable situations, there may be legitimate issues that require Americans with Disabilities Act considerations, says Daniel Pasternak at Squire Patton.

  • Tips For Making And Maintaining Employee Resource Groups

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    Employers should consider creating employee resource groups to create a workplace that can flourish in the new remote work reality, and keep in mind three best practices to avoid potential legal pitfalls and challenges that come with them, say Tyler Paetkau and Catarina Colón at Husch Blackwell.

  • Employer Pointers From Tiger Woods' Legal Dispute With Ex

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    Ex-girlfriend Erica Herman's sexual harassment suit against Tiger Woods, which was recently sent to arbitration, highlights the need for employers to understand their rights and responsibilities around workplace relationships, nondisclosure agreements and arbitration provisions, say Stephanie Reynolds and Sean McKaveney at Fisher Phillips.