Discrimination

  • May 26, 2026

    Ball State President Settles With Worker Fired Over Kirk Post

    A former Ball State University employee will receive $225,000 to end her suit accusing the university's president of violating her constitutional rights by ousting her for a viral social media post about conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk after his killing, the ACLU of Indiana announced Tuesday.

  • May 26, 2026

    9th Circ. Backs Reinstating DEI Grants Nixed By Trump

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday partially upheld a lower court's preliminary injunction and class certification orders in litigation from University of California researchers against President Donald Trump, backing the reinstatement of grants terminated due to presidential orders against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives while reversing the injunction for those grants that were rescinded without explanation.

  • May 26, 2026

    EEOC Says Gas Chain Axed Disabled Worker Over Need To Sit

    Texas-based gas station and convenience store chain Buc-ee's denied a cashier's request to sit on the job because of an autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness and ultimately fired him, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Tuesday.

  • May 26, 2026

    J&J Strikes Deal To End Ex-Engineer's FMLA Claims

    A former Johnson & Johnson engineer and the company have agreed to end his lawsuit alleging the medical device maker retaliated against him for taking parental and medical leave, according to a Tuesday filing in Massachusetts federal court.

  • May 26, 2026

    Ironworkers Union Local Must Face NJ AG's Bias Suit

    A New Jersey Superior Court judge refused to dismiss the state's discrimination lawsuit accusing an Ironworkers local of systematically passing over Black union members for job assignments, ruling that the claims are not time-barred or preempted by federal labor law.

  • May 26, 2026

    Wage Disclosure Suit Doesn't Trigger Coverage, Judge Says

    A federal judge has sided with a Tokio Marine Holdings Inc. unit in a coverage dispute over a Washington Equal Pay and Opportunities Act class action, finding that an alleged failure to disclose salary ranges in job postings does not qualify as discrimination under the restaurant operator's employment practices liability insurance policy.

  • May 26, 2026

    5th Circ. Won't Reopen White Ex-News Anchor's Bias Suit

    The Fifth Circuit backed a Mississippi television station's win over a white former news anchor's lawsuit claiming she was fired because of her race, saying she couldn't overcome the company's explanation that she'd used two racially insensitive terms on air within six months.

  • May 26, 2026

    Justices Deny Bishops' Bid For Church Autonomy Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a request by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to consider broadening religious protections under the First Amendment, turning away a case that could have helped religious organizations avoid lawsuits entirely or get quick appeals on constitutional autonomy rulings.

  • May 26, 2026

    Justices Sidestep Question On NFL Arbitration Process

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to review a Second Circuit opinion finding the National Football League's arbitration process unenforceable, in a case that sought clarity on whether district courts have authority to decide whether an arbitration process is fair.

  • May 22, 2026

    Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar

    This past year, 10 lawyers across the country at plaintiffs' firms big and small helped secure millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for their clients, going up against powerful defendants like Google, Monsanto and the Trump administration, earning the attorneys recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2026.

  • May 22, 2026

    1st Circ. Revives Puerto Rico Worker's Political Bias Suit

    The First Circuit reinstated a worker's suit claiming a Puerto Rico municipality sabotaged his success and forced him to quit because his political affiliation differed from that of an incoming mayor, saying he backed his allegations with enough evidence of potential bias.

  • May 22, 2026

    Workplace DEI Recap: NY Times, 10th Circ., NFL

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accused the New York Times of unlawfully rejecting a white male editor for a promotion, the 10th Circuit rejected a suit from a white ex-correction officer over racial sensitivity training, and the NFL is facing a subpoena from Florida's attorney general over its diversity policies. Here's a roundup of the notable diversity, equity and inclusion-related legal developments we've seen so far in May.  

  • May 22, 2026

    Health Workers Say US Solicitor Wrong In NY Vax Case

    The U.S. solicitor general's position that the nation's highest court shouldn't take up a religious bias suit over a New York state COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers incorrectly claimed that accommodations were obtainable, the mandate's challengers told the justices Friday.

  • May 22, 2026

    'Can't Just Make Up Names And Sue,' 7th Circ. Judge Says

    A Seventh Circuit judge rebuked a lawyer for naming a "made up" entity, rather than the correct institution, in a workplace sexual harassment lawsuit against the Wisconsin Court System and a former judge, demanding the error be corrected immediately.

  • May 22, 2026

    Ex-Public Defender, Ex-Boss Spar Over Bias Suit Discovery

    The administrative office overseeing indigent defense in metro Detroit has asked a Michigan federal judge to end bias claims a former public defender brought against the office, arguing she ignored discovery orders, while the lawyer asked the court to reconsider an April discovery order, arguing the defendants omitted facts in the motion to compel.

  • May 22, 2026

    United Airlines Can't Escape Catholic Pilot's Vax Bias Suit

    An Illinois federal judge said United Airlines can't escape a Catholic pilot's suit claiming he was forced to get immunized against COVID-19 in violation of his beliefs or remain on indefinite leave, after rejecting timeliness concerns given allegations that he was subjected to a long-running "coercive campaign."

  • May 22, 2026

    NY Forecast: Thompson Hine Bias Suit At 2nd Circ.

    In the week ahead, the Second Circuit will consider Thompson Hine LLP's challenge to an order keeping a former partner's discrimination suit in federal court instead of sending it to arbitration. Here, Law360 looks at this and other cases on the docket in New York.

  • May 22, 2026

    Calif. Forecast: Job Applicants Seek Info In AI Hiring Dispute

    In the week ahead, attorneys should watch for a motion hearing in a discrimination collective action that job applicants are bringing against Workday Inc. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • May 21, 2026

    EEOC Gets Access To American Airlines' Software In ADA Suit

    A Texas federal judge allowed the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Thursday to inspect American Airlines software in a suit claiming the company fired a blind employee who asked to use a screen reader but limited the agency's access to programs the worker would have used.

  • May 21, 2026

    Virginia Gov. Rejects Menopause Bias Legislation

    Virginia's governor vetoed a bill that would've made it illegal for employers to discriminate against workers or deny accommodations for menopause or perimenopause, citing the Legislature's rejection of her proposed amendment to instead commission a study on the issue.

  • May 21, 2026

    EEOC Disability Bias Suit Threadbare, Retailer Tells 10th Circ.

    An appliance retailer called on the Tenth Circuit on Wednesday to preserve its win in a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission disability discrimination lawsuit on behalf of a fired sales associate, arguing there's no evidence the company knew the employee had a disabling medical condition.

  • May 21, 2026

    11th Circ. Appears Doubtful Of Union Members' Bias Claims

    An Eleventh Circuit panel appeared puzzled Thursday by Black union pipe fitters' claims that they were passed over for work assignments in favor of white counterparts, expressing confusion about what legal framework they believed an Alabama federal judge should have used.

  • May 21, 2026

    Newsom Order Eyes Labor Protections Amid AI Growth

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday issued what his office called a "first-in-the-nation" executive order aiming to shore up state labor policies in an effort to prepare workers and businesses in the event of mass workforce disruption caused by artificial intelligence.

  • May 21, 2026

    Hawaiian Airlines Beats Ex-Workers' Vaccine Bias Suit

    Hawaiian Airlines defeated a religious bias lawsuit alleging it unlawfully refused to excuse several employees from its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, as a federal judge ruled the company had shown that granting their exemption requests would have been too great a burden.

  • May 21, 2026

    Flores Says NFL Retaliated After He Filed Discrimination Suit

    Former NFL head coach Brian Flores has told a New York federal court that the league and Commissioner Roger Goodell are using its arbitration process as a means to retaliate against him for suing the league for hiring discrimination.

Expert Analysis

  • How The Tide Of EEOC Litigation Rolled Back In FY 2024

    Author Photo

    An analysis of the location, timing and underlying claims asserted in U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission-initiated cases during fiscal year 2024 shows that the commission saw a substantial decrease in litigation activity after a surge last year, but employers should not drop their guard, say Christopher DeGroff and Andrew Scroggins at Seyfarth.

  • The Key Changes In Revised FDIC Hiring Regulations

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Employer Tips For PUMP Act Compliance As Law Turns 2

    Author Photo

    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.

  • What To Know About Ill. Employment Law Changes

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Mich. Whistleblower Ruling Expands Retaliation Remedies

    Author Photo

    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.

  • How States Are Approaching AI Workplace Discrimination

    Author Photo

    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.

  • The Risks Of Employee Political Discourse On Social Media

    Author Photo

    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.

  • 7th Circ. Rulings Offer Employee Vaccine Exemption Guidance

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Employers Should Not Neglect Paid Military Leave Compliance

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Old Employment Law Principles Can Answer New AI Concerns

    Author Photo

    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.

  • NYC Wage Info Bill Highlights Rise In Pay Transparency Laws

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Workday AI Bias Suit Suggests Hiring Lessons For Employers

    Author Photo

    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.

  • How Anti-DEI Bill Could Affect Employers' Diversity Efforts

    Author Photo

    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.