Employment

April 02, 2025
Retired Calif. Judges Unlikely To Revive Age Bias Suit

A California appellate court tentatively ruled against seven retired California state court judges accusing California's Judicial Council of age discrimination due to rules limiting the time retired judges can spend on temporary assignments, saying plaintiffs haven't shown a statistically significant impact to judges over 70, among other concerns.
April 02, 2025
Insurer Cites Exclusion To Avoid Covering Co.'s Silica Suits

An insurance company has sued in California federal court to avoid covering any legal fees or potential settlements a Georgia-based countertop manufacturer might face from the more than 100 lawsuits filed by workers who claim to have suffered lung scarring and cancer due to exposure to dust.
April 02, 2025
Potbelly Says Insurer Must Cover Wage Transparency Suit

Sandwich chain owner Potbelly Inc. told a Washington state court that its insurer wrongly refused to cover it in a proposed underlying class action alleging the business violated Washington's wage transparency law by failing to disclose pay and benefit information to job applicants.
April 02, 2025
CVS Asserts DOJ's Opioid Prescription Suit Lacks Facts

CVS Pharmacy Inc. has told a Rhode Island federal judge that most of the U.S. Department of Justice's claims that it knowingly filed invalid prescriptions for opioids should be tossed, saying the agency failed to adequately allege the company willfully put profits over safety.
April 02, 2025
At AI Hearing, House Lawmakers Seek Regulatory Balance

Lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee grappled with how antitrust regulators should approach the artificial intelligence industry Wednesday, with Republicans and industry advocates warning that heavy-handed enforcement could thwart America's lead in the industry and Democrats wondering what had changed from when AI leaders sought more governmental guardrails.
April 02, 2025
Environmental Cleanup Co. Seeks Refund For Retention Credit

The Internal Revenue Service owes an Alabama company that does environmental cleanup work a $3.1 million tax refund, the company told a federal district court, arguing that one of its employee retention tax credit claims was wrongfully denied.
April 02, 2025
Amazon Worker Can't File Amended Military Leave Suit

It's too late for a former Amazon employee to add a claim that the company put up barriers for workers requesting active duty leave in her suit accusing the commerce giant of failing to fully provide the paid leave for service member employees, a New York federal judge ruled.
April 02, 2025
Amazon Delivery Partner Faces Wage, Breaks Suit In Calif.

An Amazon delivery service partner offering delivery and assembly of large items didn't pay employees for all hours worked, violated rest breaks law and paid just $5 per pay period to cover their cellphone expenses, according to a proposed class action in California state court.
April 02, 2025
Fintech Execs Want $2M Award Confirmed For 'Nonperformer'

A trio of financial technology executives asked a Connecticut state judge to confirm a $2 million arbitration award in favor of another executive they say they pushed out for being a "chronic nonperformer" who failed to negotiate the terms of his exit in good faith.
April 02, 2025
Ex-Bank VP's Defamation Claims Dismissed By NJ Panel

A former Pennsylvania bank vice president's claims of retaliation, defamation and trade libel were properly tossed by a New Jersey trial court that found the bank's statement that she had engaged in criminal behavior was substantially true even though she was never convicted of a crime, a state appellate panel said in a published opinion.
April 02, 2025
Cal State Again Escapes Professor's Reimbursement Suit

California State University does not have to foot the bill for the computer a biology professor purchased at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a state panel said, finding the state's Legislature intended for public entity employers to be exempt from laws mandating workers be reimbursed for business expenses.
April 02, 2025
'Ashamed' COVID Fraudster Asks To Keep Firefighter Pension

A former West Haven, Connecticut, municipal employee testified Wednesday that he is "ashamed" of stealing tens of thousands of dollars of COVID-19 relief money from the city, but he is asking a state court judge to prevent the attorney general's office from docking or revoking the pension that he separately earned as a New Haven firefighter.
April 02, 2025
Ex-Kirkland Atty To Drop Bias Suit, Appeal Atty Firing Ruling

A former Kirkland & Ellis LLP intellectual property associate is expected to drop her claims against the law firm and related defendants, while also appealing a ruling that precluded her from firing her attorney in the case, the parties told a California federal court Tuesday.
April 02, 2025
Ogletree Opens Kentucky Office With Boutique Attys

Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC, a big law firm representing employers in labor and employment disputes, is opening a Lexington, Kentucky, office and has hired the two leaders of a Kentucky boutique law firm with experience in representing mining companies.
April 02, 2025
Pipe Inspector's Pay Wasn't A Salary, 6th Circ. Rules

An employment agency didn't calculate a pipe inspector's pay on a salary basis but rather calculated his compensation daily, a split Sixth Circuit panel ruled, flipping a Tennessee federal court's decision deeming him overtime-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
April 02, 2025
Insurer Gets Education Co.'s $2.2M Theft Coverage Bid Tossed

A Maryland federal court tossed an education management company's suit seeking excess coverage for over $2.2 million in employee embezzlement losses, saying the company failed to show its loss occurred during the relevant policy period.
April 02, 2025
MLB Club Settles Deaf Job Seeker's Discrimination Suit

The Atlanta Braves agreed to settle a suit alleging they turned down an information technology director candidate because they believed his deafness would have caused issues for the organization, according to a filing in Georgia federal court.
April 02, 2025
3rd Circ. Says CVS Sex Bias Arbitration Fight Needs 2nd Look

The Third Circuit on Wednesday rejected a former CVS worker's argument that a 2022 federal law shielded her sex harassment case from mandatory arbitration, but it revived her suit to give the trial court a chance to explore whether the arbitration pact at issue was valid.
April 02, 2025
Justices Broaden RICO Reach To Personal Injuries

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday expanded the type of civil actions that can be brought under a federal racketeering statute, asserting that claims stemming from personal injuries are redressable if they can be shown to have caused economic harm.
April 01, 2025
Trump Admin Layoffs 'Probably Broke Laws,' Judge Says

A Maryland federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration "probably broke the laws that regulate en masse terminations of government employees," ordering the federal government to reinstate thousands of probationary employees who were abruptly fired from their jobs in 19 states and the District of Columbia.
April 01, 2025
Ex-Microsoft Manager Says He Was Fired For Whistleblowing

A former project manager for Microsoft says he was fired after flagging compliance issues and misconduct, including being forced to leak sensitive data from client Freddie Mac's workforce platform and being asked to falsify a report to cover up fraud, according to a suit filed Monday in Texas federal court.
April 01, 2025
9th Circ. Won't Revive Wash. Atty's Bias Firing Suit

An attorney can't revive his complaint alleging the Washington State Attorney General's Office fired him based on his PTSD diagnosis linked to being a closeted gay Mormon youth, after the Ninth Circuit said the case was time-barred and was an attempt to relitigate claims already tossed.
April 01, 2025
AG Paxton Objects To Whistleblowers' $2.4M Fee Award

The Texas attorney general's office color-coded over 100 pages of billing records provided by attorneys for its former deputies, telling an Austin court that eight categories of their work should be subtracted from a proposed $2.4 million fee award.
April 01, 2025
Nurse's Job Denial Dispute With Senior Home Stays In Court

A senior living home operator must face a federal lawsuit claiming it violated the New York City Human Rights Law by retracting a nurse's job offer because she refused to consent to a credit check, a New York federal judge ruled, denying the company's bid to compel arbitration.
April 01, 2025
7th Circ. Revives Officer's Back Pay Bid In ADA Row

The Seventh Circuit reinstated Tuesday a former corrections officer's back pay request that was rejected by a lower court after a jury found the county sheriff he worked for violated disability bias law by subjecting him to an unnecessary medical exam, but didn't owe him any damages.

Expert Analysis

How Trial Attys Can Wield Amended Federal Evidence Rules

Trial lawyers should assess recent amendments to four Federal Rules of Evidence and a newly enacted rule on illustrative aids to determine how to best use the rules to enhance pretrial discovery and trial strategy, says Stewart Edelstein, former litigation chair at Cohen & Wolf.
Series

Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.
Lessons From United's Axed Win In Firing Over Online Pics

In Wawrzenski v. United Airlines, a California state appeals court revived a flight attendant’s suit over her termination for linking photos of herself in uniform to her OnlyFans account, providing a cautionary tale for employers navigating the complexities of workplace policy enforcement in the digital age, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
3 Factors Affecting Retail M&A Deals In 2025

Retailers considering mergers and acquisitions this year face an evolving antitrust environment, including a new administration under President-elect Donald Trump, revised merger guidelines and a precedent set last year by a canceled $8.5 billion handbag merger, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
How Trump Admin May Approach AI In The Workplace

Key indicators suggest that the incoming Trump administration will adopt a deregulatory approach to artificial intelligence, allowing states to fill the void, so it is critical that employers pay close attention to developing legal authority concerning AI tools, say attorneys at Littler.
Top 10 Legal Issues This Year For Transportation Industry GCs

General counsel must carefully consider numerous legal and policy challenges facing the automotive and transportation industry in the year to come, especially while navigating new technologies, regulations and global markets, says Francesco Liberatore at Squire Patton.
Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.
What 2024's Noncompete Turmoil Means For Banks In 2025

A look back at the most significant legal challenges to the enforceability of various restrictive covenants like noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements in 2024 can help financial institutions address the use of these critical tools this year, say attorneys at Maynard Nexsen.
Lessons Learned From 2024's Top FMLA Decisions

Last year's major litigation related to the Family and Medical Leave Act underscores why it is critical for employers to understand the basics of when leave and accommodations are required, say attorneys at Dechert.
New Year, New Risks: 8 Top Cyber Issues For Finance In 2025

As financial institutions forge ahead in 2025, they must strike a delicate balance between embracing technological innovation and guarding against its darker threats, which this year could include everything from supply chain vulnerabilities to deepfakes, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.
Lessons Learned From 2024's Top ADA Decisions

Last year's major litigation related to the Americans with Disabilities Act highlights that when dealing with accommodation requests, employers must communicate clearly, appreciate context and remain flexible in addressing needs, say attorneys at Dechert.
Series

Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.
Lessons From The SEC's 2024 Crackdown On AI Washing

AI washing was the subject of increased scrutiny from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2024 following a surge in the commercial adoption of generative artificial intelligence technologies in 2023, highlighting the importance of transparency, accuracy and accountability when communicating about AI, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
Identifying Deepfakes During Evidence Collection, Discovery

Excerpt from Practical Guidance

Attorneys must familiarize themselves with the tools used to create and detect deepfakes — media manipulated by artificial intelligence to convincingly mimic real people and events — as well as best practices for keeping this fabricated evidence out of court, says Bijan Ghom at Saxton & Stump.
An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.