Discrimination
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May 28, 2025
NJ Firm Loses Bid To Toss Worker's Wage Suit
A New Jersey personal injury law firm will not be able to escape a former employee's lawsuit alleging she was paid less than men and harassed while pregnant, a state court judge ruled, saying that she fulfilled discovery demands.
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May 28, 2025
1st Circ. Sinks Overseas Worker's Bias Suit Against US Co.
The First Circuit backed a logistics company's win in a former Hong Kong-based account manager's suit claiming he was unlawfully fired over false accusations of sexual harassment, saying he'd failed to show the U.S. parent company was responsible for its Asian subsidiary's actions.
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May 28, 2025
6th Circ. Backs White Bus Driver's Win In Race Bias Trial
The Sixth Circuit upheld a trial victory for a white bus driver who claimed Detroit's transit system promoted less-qualified Black workers over her out of racial bias, finding there was enough evidence of racial prejudice to support the jury's verdict.
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May 27, 2025
2nd Circ. Revives Girl Scouts Race Bias Claim, Rejects Others
The Second Circuit on Tuesday declined to revive claims from former officers for a New York Girl Scouts chapter who said they suffered retaliation after complaining that the group misused pandemic relief loans, but held that one plaintiff can pursue racial bias allegations.
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May 27, 2025
Trump's WilmerHale Order Struck Down In Forceful Decision
A D.C. federal judge struck down President Donald Trump's executive order targeting WilmerHale in an impassioned opinion Tuesday, writing that Trump's entire order is unconstitutional, and "to rule otherwise would be unfaithful to the judgment and vision of the Founding Fathers!"
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May 27, 2025
9th Circ. Backs Packaging Co. In Fired Worker's Sex Bias Suit
The Ninth Circuit declined Tuesday to scrap a packaging manufacturer's win in an ex-manager's suit claiming she was fired out of gender bias, ruling she couldn't overcome the company's position that she was actually terminated for verbally abusing subordinates.
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May 27, 2025
Conn. Firefighters Say Age Bias Taints Retirement Program
Connecticut's municipal employee pension system unlawfully barred a group of firefighters with over two decades of service from participating in a deferred retirement program because they're under 55 years old, the workers and their union claimed in a federal lawsuit.
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May 27, 2025
Upcoming State And Local Wage Laws To Watch
Washington employers will get some reprieve from steep penalties for pay transparency violations, and workers in Los Angeles County will have the benefit of predictive scheduling. Here, Law360 explores a sampling of new developments employers should keep in mind in the coming weeks.
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May 27, 2025
Energy Cos. Ink $700K Deal To End EEOC Harassment Suit
Two oil and gas exploration services companies have agreed to pay nearly $700,000 to close a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming they allowed sexual comments and racial slurs in the workplace and fired workers who spoke up about the harassment.
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May 27, 2025
Congress Needed For Major Changes To Workplace Vax Rules
The Trump administration is exploring changes to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's stance on workplace vaccine mandates, but legal experts say an act of Congress would be necessary to bring about significant change in this arena.
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May 27, 2025
ArentFox Schiff Says Workers' 'Antics' Should Get Suit Tossed
An Illinois federal judge handling age discrimination claims from two longtime former ArentFox Schiff LLP information technology contractors should permanently dismiss their lawsuit as a consequence for routinely destroying case evidence and discarding their mobile phones while the litigation has been pending, the firm says.
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May 27, 2025
Auto Co. Seeks Judge's Recusal For Pushing Bias Settlement
A Pennsylvania magistrate judge has been improperly pushing an automotive dealership to settle a former manager's suit claiming she faced daily sexual advances and inappropriate comments from her boss, the company said, arguing the judge needs to step aside before an upcoming trial.
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May 27, 2025
Vice Media VP Rejoins Ogletree In NYC
A seasoned BigLaw attorney who left Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC five years ago to move into an in-house legal position at Vice Media has rejoined the labor and employment law firm Tuesday as a shareholder.
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May 23, 2025
Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar
This past year, a handful of attorneys secured billions of dollars in settlements and judgments for both classes and individual plaintiffs against massive companies and organizations like Facebook, Dell, the National Association of Realtors, Johnson & Johnson, UFC and Credit Suisse, earning them recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2025.
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May 23, 2025
Employment Lawyers' Weekly DEI Cheat Sheet
Jenner & Block LLP convinced a Washington, D.C., federal judge to invalidate an executive order by President Donald Trump targeting it in part for its diversity, equity and inclusion practices as unconstitutional, and the U.S. Department of Justice announced the formation of an initiative to use the False Claims Act to quell discrimination by federal funding recipients tied to their DEI programs. Here, Law360 looks at notable DEI-related legal developments over the past week.
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May 23, 2025
Service Members' COVID Vax Claims Sent To Military Boards
A Court of Federal Claims judge said an executive order directing the reinstatement of service members discharged over a COVID-19 vaccine mandate warranted sending the claims of 10 people who refused to comply with the mandate to military records boards for consideration.
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May 23, 2025
Car Dealership Can't Swerve Around EEOC Firing Suit
An Arkansas federal judge declined Friday to toss a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming a car dealership fired a Black worker for complaining that a co-worker called him a "monkey," stating the business couldn't overcome a "Catch-22" it presented the employee before canning him.
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May 23, 2025
NJ Panel Revives Ex-Nursing Director's Discrimination Suit
A New Jersey appeals court panel on Friday revived a former Capital Health nursing director's suit alleging the state nurses association discriminated against her for receiving treatment for alcoholism, finding that the trial court could hear her complaint.
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May 23, 2025
Insurer Accused Of Firing Worker Out Of Pregnancy Bias
An insurance company reneged on its promise to provide its benefits adviser with paid maternity leave and then fired her not long after she raised several concerns about unpaid commissions, according to a lawsuit removed to North Carolina federal court.
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May 23, 2025
Pest Co. Seeks To Stamp Out Workers' Tobacco Fee Case
Global pest control company Rentokil urged a Pennsylvania federal court to toss a proposed class action claiming it unlawfully charged tobacco users more for health benefits without providing a reasonable way to avoid the fee, arguing it's not the company's fault the workers refused to quit the habit.
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May 23, 2025
NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Hears Speech Therapist Race Bias Suit
This week, the Second Circuit will consider a New York speech therapist's attempt to revive her lawsuit claiming she was discriminated against on the basis of her race when her school district fired her in 2022. Here, Law360 looks at this and other cases on the docket in New York.
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May 23, 2025
Mo. Says Starbucks Lacks Grounds To Escape DEI Bias Suit
The state of Missouri urged a federal judge to reject Starbucks' bid to dismiss its suit claiming its diversity policies discriminate based on race and gender, arguing it has put forward enough evidence showing how the company's practices have harmed its citizens to keep the case in court.
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May 23, 2025
DOL Picks New Acting Leaders For Wage Compliance Unit
The U.S. Department of Labor announced Friday a new acting administrator as well as four policy advisers to serve in the agency's division tasked with ensuring employers pay their employees in line with federal minimum wage and overtime laws.
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May 23, 2025
EEOC's Acting Chair Eyes Federal Sector Program Revisions
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told federal agencies they will no longer face monetary penalties for disobeying orders during administrative proceedings and warned that workers shouldn't immediately lose opportunities when they're accused of bias, moves the EEOC framed as opening efforts to remold its federal sector program.
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May 23, 2025
Cooley Hires 'Next-Gen' Boston Labor & Employment Partner
A Choate Hall & Stewart LLP partner has joined Cooley LLP's labor and employment practice and global litigation department in Boston.
Expert Analysis
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The Key Changes In Revised FDIC Hiring Regulations
Attorneys at Ogletree break down the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s new rule, effective Oct. 1, that will ease restrictions on financial institutions hiring employees with criminal histories, amend the FDIC's treatment of minor offenses and clarify its stance on expunged or dismissed criminal records.
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Employer Tips For PUMP Act Compliance As Law Turns 2
Enacted in December 2022, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act requires employers to provide reasonable break time and a private space for employees to express breast milk, but some companies may still be struggling with how to comply, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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What To Know About Ill. Employment Law Changes
Illinois employers should review their policies in light of a number of recent changes to state employment law, including amendments to the state’s Human Rights Act and modifications to the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, say attorneys at Kilpatrick.
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Mich. Whistleblower Ruling Expands Retaliation Remedies
The Michigan Supreme Court's recent Occupational Health and Safety Act decision in Stegall v. Resource Technology is important because it increases the potential exposure for defendants in public policy retaliation cases, providing plaintiffs with additional claims, say Aaron Burrell and Timothy Howlett at Dickinson Wright.
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How States Are Approaching AI Workplace Discrimination
As legislators across the U.S. have begun addressing algorithmic discrimination in the workplace, attorneys at Reed Smith provide an overview of the status, applicability and provisions of 13 state and local bills.
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The Risks Of Employee Political Discourse On Social Media
As election season enters its final stretch and employees increasingly engage in political speech on social media, employers should beware the liability risks and consider policies that negotiate the line between employees' rights and the limits on those rights, say Bradford Kelley and James McGehee at Littler.
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7th Circ. Rulings Offer Employee Vaccine Exemption Guidance
Dawn Solowey and Samantha Brooks at Seyfarth explain how two recent Seventh Circuit rulings in Passarella v. Aspirus and Bube v. Aspirus could affect litigation involving employee vaccine exemptions, and discuss employer best practices for handling accommodation requests that include both religious and secular concerns.
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Employers Should Not Neglect Paid Military Leave Compliance
An August decision from the Ninth Circuit and the settlement of a long-running class action, both examining paid leave requirements under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, are part of a nationwide trend that should prompt employers to review their military leave policies to avoid potential litigation and reputational damage, says Bradford Kelley at Littler.
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Old Employment Law Principles Can Answer New AI Concerns
Despite growing legal and regulatory concerns about how artificial intelligence tools may affect employment decisions and worker rights, companies should take comfort in knowing that familiar principles of employment law and established compliance regimes can still largely address these new twists on old questions, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.
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NYC Wage Info Bill Highlights Rise In Pay Transparency Laws
With New York City the latest to mull requiring companies to annually report employee wage data, national employers should consider adapting their compliance practices to comply with increasingly common pay transparency and disclosure obligations at state and local levels, says Kelly Cardin at Littler Mendelson.
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Workday AI Bias Suit Suggests Hiring Lessons For Employers
As state laws and a federal agency increasingly focus on employment bias introduced by artificial intelligence systems, a California federal court's recent decision to allow a discrimination suit to proceed against Workday's AI-driven recruitment software, shows companies should promptly assess these tools' risks, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.
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How Anti-DEI Bill Could Affect Employers' Diversity Efforts
Sen. J.D. Vance's recently introduced Dismantle DEI Act would substantially limit employers’ ability to implement and promote workplace diversity, equity and inclusion, but there are still steps employers can take to support a diverse workforce, says Peter Ennis at Cozen O’Connor.
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US Labor And Employment Law Holds Some Harsh Trade-Offs
U.S. labor and employment laws have evolved into a product of exposure-capping compromise, which merits discussion in a presidential election year when the dialogue has focused on purported protections of middle-class workers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.