Employment

April 08, 2025
Houston Atty Asks Court To Back $6.3M Verdict Against Rival

A Houston attorney urged a Texas appellate court Monday to back a $6 million verdict against a rival lawyer he accused of stealing his files in an attempt to recruit clients to file malpractice suits.
April 08, 2025
Small But Sharp Hurdles Remain To NCAA's NIL Settlement

Nearly a year after the NCAA and hundreds of thousands of athletes agreed on a settlement that would finally give athletes a share of billions of dollars in revenue, enough flaws remain in the agreement — related to roster limits and the rights of future athletes entering the new system — to indefinitely hold off on its final approval.
April 08, 2025
Starbucks Tears Into Missouri AG's 'Defective' DEI Lawsuit

Starbucks urged a Missouri federal judge to toss a suit from the state's attorney general claiming the company employs diversity quotas that discriminate against white and male applicants, arguing the state hasn't presented any evidence that its diversity, equity and inclusion policies have negatively affected Missourians.
April 08, 2025
9th Circ. To Hear Remaining AB 5 Challenge

A Ninth Circuit panel is set to hear arguments Wednesday in likely the last ongoing high-profile challenge to California's Assembly Bill 5, leaving a potential path to striking down the independent contractor classification law's application to the trucking industry.
April 08, 2025
Boston Pol To Resign After Admitting Kickback Scheme

A Boston city councilor said Tuesday she will resign from her position, after agreeing to plead guilty to using taxpayer funds in a bonus-kickback scheme that involved a secretive $7,000 cash handoff in a City Hall bathroom.
April 08, 2025
Hearing On Players' Rights Yields Call To 'Get The NCAA Out'

A congressional hearing Tuesday on the future of college sports under labor law mostly retread the same debates over athletes unionizing, though one Republican lawmaker's call to "get the [National Collegiate Athletic Association] out" drew attention from the other side of the aisle.
April 08, 2025
2nd Circ. Sinks Marital Bias Suit From Wendy Williams' Ex

The Second Circuit reversed a win Tuesday for the ex-husband of television personality Wendy Williams in his suit claiming he lost his producer gig after Williams asked him for a divorce, issuing a ruling that clarified the scope of New York City's marital bias law.
April 08, 2025
Tax-Dodging Ex-Software Exec Denied Bond Pending Appeal

A former software executive sentenced to a year in prison for failing to pay over $600,000 in employment taxes in the years before his company failed cannot remain free on bond while he appeals his conviction, a North Carolina federal judge said Tuesday.
April 08, 2025
Judge Won't Block IRS' Automatic Denials Of Worker Credits

An Arizona federal judge rejected a request by two tax assistance companies to stop the IRS from issuing batch denials of thousands of pandemic-era worker credit claims, saying the companies, which take a cut of the refunded credits as fees, lack the legally required interest in their clients' refunds.
April 08, 2025
Split 4th Circ. Lifts Block On DOGE's Access To Gov't Data

A split Fourth Circuit panel paused Monday a ruling blocking the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive information on millions of Americans held by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Personnel Management, while a dissenting judge disagreed "with all the energy an old judge can muster."
April 08, 2025
In Trump Order Against Perkins Coie, GCs See Harm For Cos.

Nearly 70 current and former general counsel for companies including Apple Inc. and Starbucks filed an amicus brief Tuesday supporting Perkins Coie LLP in its suit against an executive order from President Donald Trump targeting the firm, saying the order "tramples on corporate independence, the right to counsel, and First Amendment rights."
April 08, 2025
Littler Adds 4th DC Sports Employment Attorney From Akin

Littler Mendelson PC has brought on a former Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP attorney with experience representing sports leagues and teams as a shareholder in Washington, D.C., the management-side firm's latest addition to its burgeoning sports practice.
April 08, 2025
Ballard Spahr Fired Atty For Taking Medical Leave, Suit Says

A former attorney for Ballard Spahr LLP filed suit against the firm and the head of its employee benefits group Tuesday in New York federal court, claiming she was fired for taking medical leave and seeking a more flexible work schedule to deal with her epilepsy and a gastrointestinal condition.
April 08, 2025
Seyfarth Elevates 6 Leaders In Its Labor, Employment Practice

Seyfarth Shaw LLP this week unveiled a slate of six newly appointed labor and employment leaders on both coasts, praising the impact they've had on the firm and its clients throughout their tenures so far.
April 08, 2025
Former Prada GC Fashions Move To Fisher Phillips In NY

Fisher Phillips has hired the legal function leader of Prada Group as a New York office partner to expand the firm's retail industry offerings.
April 08, 2025
Farmworkers Fight To Keep Wages Collective Suit Standing

A North Carolina federal judge should reject three farms' attempts to detangle a collective and snag an early win in a suit accusing them of failing to reimburse farmworkers for travel and visa expenses, the workers said, standing by claims they said are timely and well-supported.
April 08, 2025
Justices Halt Order To Reinstate Federal Workers

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday hit pause on a California federal court order reinstating tens of thousands of probationary federal workers who were fired from six agencies, agreeing with the Trump administration that the nonprofit groups that obtained the order lack standing to challenge the firings.
April 08, 2025
Freight Co. XPO Sues Ex-Executive Who Left For Nearby Rival

Less-than-truckload transportation company XPO Inc. has accused a former local account executive of breaking a noncompete agreement after he left his job at its Cincinnati service center to work at a competitor only a six-minute drive away.
April 07, 2025
NCAA's $2.8B NIL Deal Sent Back For 'Fixes' Amid Objections

A California federal judge declined Monday to immediately approve the National Collegiate Athletic Association's $2.78 billion name, image and likeness deal, giving counsel a week to propose "fixes" that address objections raised by some athletes, including ex-Seattle Seahawks linebacker Benjamin Burr-Kirven and gymnast and social media influencer Olivia Dunne.
April 07, 2025
Pa. Supreme Court Snapshot: Electric Bills, Jock Tax

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will open its three-day session in Pittsburgh Tuesday with arguments over how to weigh when a coworker or co-owner shares in an employer's immunity from lawsuits under the state's workers' compensation law, and if electricity providers can get additional services put on the utility bills drawn up by power distributors.
April 07, 2025
Snyder's-Lance Looks To Ax Proposed Class Wage Claims

The company that makes Snyder's pretzels asked a North Carolina federal judge Monday to deny a Pennsylvania employee's bid to represent a class of workers from 12 states in a wage lawsuit, arguing she can't sue under the laws of the 11 states she doesn't live or work in.
April 07, 2025
Ga. Management Co. Fired Worker Over Tremors, Suit Says

Crisp Inc., an Atlanta-based business management company, was sued Monday in federal court by a former client success manager who alleged she was fired for asking to work from home due to psychogenic tremors.
April 07, 2025
NJ Panel Upholds Nix Of Police Unions' Retroactive Pay Suit

Two New Jersey police unions couldn't convince a state appeals court that Atlantic City and the state owed retroactive raises to officers, an appellate panel ruled Monday, finding a law focused on assisting municipalities with financial troubles supplants agreements about wage increases and promotions.
April 07, 2025
AFGE Demands Halt To Homeland Security's CBA Termination

The American Federation of Government Employees and one of its affiliates requested an injunction to block U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's move to end a collective bargaining agreement covering Transportation Security Administration employees, accusing the Trump administration of retaliating against the union.
April 07, 2025
Wage Access Co. Says NY AG Threatened Suit, Seeks Relief

Earned-wage access provider DailyPay sued Letitia James on Monday seeking a declaratory judgment that its payments do not constitute loans under New York law or violate federal and state laws, alleging the state attorney general has effectively declared all such products illegal.

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.