Employment

April 03, 2025
'No Serious Question' Federal Firings Broke Law, Justices Told

Federal employee unions and advocacy groups urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to reject the Trump administration's bid to pause a California court order reinstating tens of thousands of probationary workers fired from six agencies, arguing the government can't escape self-inflicted harms brought on by its allegedly unlawful actions.
April 03, 2025
Security Workers Say Firm Edits Their Overtime Hours

A security firm manipulates the hours employees record in a timekeeping app in order to short them on overtime pay and cuts workers' hours if they complain about the practice, two security guards alleged in a proposed class and collective action filed in Colorado federal court.
April 03, 2025
DLA Piper Can't Escape Vax Refuser's Religious Bias Suit

An Illinois federal judge rejected DLA Piper's bid to shut down a suit accusing the firm of firing a Christian worker for shirking its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, saying it was too early to tell if the firm offered him a reasonable accommodation.
April 03, 2025
Jackson Walker Adds Chamberlain Hrdlicka Labor Duo In Texas

Jackson Walker LLP has strengthened the firm's labor and employment offerings with a pair of lawyers in Houston who came aboard from Chamberlain Hrdlicka White Williams & Aughtry.
April 03, 2025
Harvard Says Judge Ignored Time Limits In Coach's Bias Suit

A Massachusetts federal judge got it wrong when she recommended keeping in play a former ice hockey coach's sex bias lawsuit, Harvard University said, arguing that the judge's findings that the statute of limitations could be extended essentially allow limitless Equal Pay Act claims.
April 03, 2025
Ally Bank, White Ex-Worker End Suit Alleging Illegal Quotas

Ally Bank and a white, male former employee have agreed to end his discrimination suit alleging he was passed over for a senior role in favor of a woman with less experience so the company could check off diversity quotas, according to a North Carolina federal court filing.
April 03, 2025
Loan Fraud Plea Adds 6 Mos. To Pizzeria Owner's Prison Term

The owner of a Boston-area pizzeria chain who was sentenced to 8½ years in prison in October for an alleged forced-labor scheme will spend an additional six months behind bars after pleading guilty to submitting false information to the U.S. Small Business Administration to obtain a loan.
April 02, 2025
Perkins Coie Urges Court To End Trump's 'Assault' On Firm

Perkins Coie LLP on Wednesday asked a D.C. federal judge to permanently block enforcement of President Donald Trump's "unconstitutional assault" on the firm and the rule of law, filing a summary judgment bid the same day the federal government pushed for the firm's suit to be tossed.
April 02, 2025
Transfer Of SpaceX NLRB Challenge To Calif. Paused For Now

A Texas federal judge has paused an order transferring SpaceX's lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board's structure to California, saying he had mistakenly thought a Fifth Circuit mandate connected to the case had already been issued.
April 02, 2025
DC Circ. To Hear Trump Admin's Bid To Stay CFPB Injunction

A D.C. Circuit panel said Wednesday that it will hold a hearing next week on whether to stay a federal judge's order barring the Trump administration from shutting down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, taking up what has also become a jurisdictional dispute.
April 02, 2025
Attys Call Ending DOJ Tax Division 'Epic Failure' In Efficiency

The U.S. Department of Justice's plan to dissolve its Tax Division would jeopardize effective tax enforcement nationwide, a slew of tax controversy lawyers told the DOJ Wednesday, saying such a move would defeat President Donald Trump's stated overarching goal to improve government efficiency.
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.

Expert Analysis

Religious Accommodation Lessons From $12.7M Vax Verdict

A Michigan federal jury’s recent $12.7 million verdict against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan starkly reminds employers of the risks they face when assessing employees’ religious accommodation requests, highlighting pitfalls to avoid and raising the opportunity to consider best practices to follow, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.
What To Expect In Higher Ed Enforcement Under Trump

Colleges and universities should prepare for shifting priorities, as President-elect Donald Trump is likely to focus less on antitrust cases and more on foreign relations policy, while congressional oversight of higher education continues to increase, say attorneys at Steptoe.
Series

NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4

In 2024's final quarter, the New York State Department of Financial Services published guidance on mitigating the rising cybersecurity risks of artificial intelligence and remote technology workers with North Korean ties, and the state attorney general launched an antitrust investigation into Capital One's proposed Discover merger, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.
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.