Employment

February 14, 2025
Judge Leaves Curbs On DOGE Treasury Access After Hearing

A Manhattan federal judge left in place temporary curbs on sweeping powers handed by President Donald Trump to Elon Musk's government-slashing U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization, after 19 states challenged the organization's access to U.S. Treasury payment systems.
February 13, 2025
More CFPB Employees Axed As Union Presses For Injunction

The Trump administration moved late Thursday to slash more of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's workforce, initiating another round of layoffs shortly after lawyers for the agency's union petitioned a D.C. federal court for an emergency injunction to prevent it.
February 13, 2025
Fed. Unions' New Suit Fights Layoffs, Resignation Incentive

A second group of unions representing federal workers has challenged the Trump administration's attempt to shrink the federal workforce through layoffs and a resignation incentive program, telling a D.C. federal judge that the executive branch's actions violate separation-of-powers principles because Congress largely controls federal agencies.
February 13, 2025
DOD Says Injunction Isn't Needed In Transgender Ban Suit

The U.S. Department of Defense has urged a D.C. federal judge to deny a preliminary injunction in a challenge to an executive order effectively barring transgender troops from serving in the military, saying the motion is premature and unlikely to succeed.
February 13, 2025
Wash. Justices Wary Of Pay Transparency Law Stances

Washington's highest court grilled attorneys on both sides of a debate over state pay transparency law on Thursday, with some justices suggesting the employer's stance put too much onus on workers while another expressed doubt the protections should extend to people who apply for jobs they have no chance to get.
February 13, 2025
Tesla, Objector Appeal $730M Chancery Board Pay Deal

Tesla Inc. and a stockholder objector have appealed a Delaware Court of Chancery approval of the return of more than $730 million in director stock, option and grant awards to the company that would resolve a suit accusing the electric-car maker's board of raking in "outrageous" compensation packages that cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars.
February 13, 2025
Tax Atty's Firing Not Due To Husband's Testimony, Judge Says

A man failed to prove that his testimony against a Connecticut Department of Revenue Services official during a state legislative hearing cost his high-level tax attorney wife her job, a federal judge has ruled, issuing a win to two agency leaders.
February 13, 2025
Wash. Justices Say Cops At Jan. 6 Riot Can't Stay Incognito

The Washington State Supreme Court on Thursday said four Seattle police officers who attended the Jan. 6 "Stop the Steal" mayhem in D.C. can't litigate their privacy claims under John Doe pseudonyms as the justices rejected their claim that their identities should be shielded under the state's public records law.
February 13, 2025
Dem AGs Urge Companies To Keep DEI Programs In Place

A coalition of 16 Democratic state attorneys general told companies Thursday not to immediately scrap programs meant to promote diversity, equity and inclusion within their organizations, saying these initiatives are largely legal despite threats from President Donald Trump's administration.
February 13, 2025
Walmart Says CFPB Suit Should Wait Amid Agency Chaos

Walmart and fintech company Branch Messenger Inc. asked a Minnesota federal judge to stay the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's enforcement case over allegedly mandatory deposit accounts for delivery drivers until policymakers untangle the agency's role under the Trump administration.
February 13, 2025
Judge Extends Restraining Order On USAID Gutting

A D.C. federal judge extended his temporary restraining order barring USAID from placing thousands of employees on administrative leave for another week on Thursday, saying he needed more time to rule on the plaintiff employees unions' preliminary injunction request to stop the agency's overhaul while the case proceeds.
February 13, 2025
Ore. Cannabis Labor Pact Law Is Unconstitutional, Cos. Say

An Oregon state law requiring businesses to have labor peace agreements with unions in order to obtain a license is preempted by federal labor law and violates the 14th Amendment, two cannabis companies argued as they urged a federal court to block enforcement of the law.
February 13, 2025
NC Biz Court Bulletin: Defaulted Notes, EB-5 Investor Fraud

The North Carolina Business Court has been handed in the first half of February a receivership case involving a defaulted $17.5 million promissory note, a fraud suit by Chinese EB-5 investors and a request to depose the chief legal officer of Smithfield Foods Inc.
February 13, 2025
Ex-VP's Defamation Suit Against Cardinals Sent To Arbitration

An Arizona federal judge has sent the defamation suit by a former Arizona Cardinals executive to an arbitration process overseen by the NFL, making a previous tentative ruling official after the two sides agreed to call off a scheduled Thursday hearing.
February 13, 2025
Ohio Ordered To Get Rescinded Unemployment From DOL

An Ohio court on Wednesday ordered the state government to "take all action necessary" to get its share of a COVID-19 pandemic unemployment relief program that Gov. Mike DeWine pulled it out of in 2021 and to distribute that money to qualified residents who missed out.
February 13, 2025
DOL Board Revives Mich. Gutter Co.'s H-2B Bid For Helpers

A U.S. Department of Labor appeals board judge partly reversed the denial of a Michigan gutter company's petition to hire five foreign workers for temporary installation help, ruling a certifying officer, or CO, unreasonably rejected payroll info that the company submitted to justify its need.
February 13, 2025
Cruise Co.'s Bid To Force Spa Worker Into Arbitration Fails

A Florida federal judge denied Norwegian Cruise Line's bid to force a masseuse's negligence and unseaworthiness lawsuit into Bahamian arbitration, saying the company isn't a signatory to her underlying employment agreement and that it failed to establish an exception to send the case out of court.
February 13, 2025
Landscape Workers Seek Sanctions Over Lacking Class Lists

U.S. citizens and H-2B landscape workers have called on a Kansas federal judge to sanction a company accused of cheating them out of overtime pay, saying it supplied "woefully incomplete" class lists that were not in compliance with court orders.
February 13, 2025
House Republican Debuts Independent Contractor Status Test

A U.S. House Republican who has vocally opposed Democratic-backed analyses for determining whether a worker is an independent contractor or employee announced two bills related to the issue Thursday, proposing a new worker classification standard in one of the measures.
February 13, 2025
Ga. Plant Boss Accused Of Trying To Bribe Opposing Counsel

The director of a Georgia plastics manufacturing plant has been accused of offering to pay the attorney representing a brother and sister in a federal discrimination lawsuit in exchange for a quick settlement, with the siblings claiming the defendant's "assertions are tantamount to bribery and fraud."
February 13, 2025
Congress' Dems Call For Fired NLRB Member's Reinstatement

President Donald Trump should immediately reinstate the Democratic member of the National Labor Relations Board he fired in January, House and Senate Democrats told the White House on Thursday, saying that leaving the board without a quorum "encourages bad employers to violate the law and trample on workers' rights."
February 13, 2025
Amazon Worker's $1.6M Fee Bid Slashed In Military Bias Suit

A Washington federal judge awarded an Amazon worker a fraction of the $1.6 million in attorney fees he requested in his recently settled suit claiming the company blocked him from promotions due to his military service, finding the outcome of the case didn't warrant an amount that high.
February 13, 2025
Small But Mighty Busy: 1st Circ. A Hub For Anti-Trump Suits

The Boston-based First Circuit will play an outsize role in litigation challenging the aggressive start to President Donald Trump's second administration, but the liberal stronghold's philosophic divergence with the U.S. Supreme Court may make any victories fleeting.
February 13, 2025
Goldstein Freed As Judge Doubts Feds' Crypto Claims

A Maryland federal magistrate judge on Thursday ordered Tom Goldstein released from jail after expressing skepticism toward federal prosecutors' claims that the SCOTUSblog publisher and U.S. Supreme Court advocate secretly made millions of dollars' worth of cryptocurrency transactions in recent days.
February 13, 2025
6th Circ. Won't Revive Ex-Professor's Promotion Bias Suit

The Sixth Circuit stood by a lower court's ruling against a Black former English professor at Delta College in her promotion bias suit, ruling that she failed to provide meaningful evidence that she was passed over for a promotion because of her race and her pro-unionization sentiments.

Expert Analysis

Series

Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer

While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.
7 Employment Contracts Issues Facing DOL Scrutiny

A growing trend of U.S. Department of Labor enforcement against employment practices that limit workers' rights and avoid legal responsibility shines a light on seven unique contractual provisions that violate federal labor laws, and face agressive litigation from the labor solicitor, says Thomas Starks at Freeman Mathis.
5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025

Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
How Deregulation Could Undermine Trump's Anti-DEI Agenda

While rolling back federal agency power benefited conservative policies during the Biden administration, it will likely undermine President Donald Trump's ability to wield agencies like the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives beyond the federal workforce and into the private sector, says Ally Coll at the Purple Method.
Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.
How DOGE's Bite Can Live Up To Its Bark

All signs suggest that the Department of Government Efficiency will be an important part of the new Trump administration, with ample tools at its disposal to effectuate change, particularly with an attentive Republican-controlled Congress, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
5 Notable Information Security Events In 2024

B. Stephanie Siegmann at Hinckley Allen discusses 2024's largest and most destructive data breaches seen yet, ranging from ransomware disrupting U.S. healthcare systems on a massive scale, to tensions increasing between the U.S. and China over cyberespionage and the control of U.S. data.
Opinion

Trump Should Pass On Project 2025's Disparate Impact Plan

The Trump administration should reject Project 2025's call to eliminate the disparate impact doctrine because, as its pro-business Republican creators intended, a focus on dismantling unnecessary barriers to qualified job candidates serves companies' best interests more successfully than the alternatives, says Susan Carle at American University.
Series

Playing Rugby Makes Me A Better Lawyer

My experience playing rugby, including a near-fatal accident, has influenced my legal practice on a professional, organizational and personal level by showing me the importance of maintaining empathy, fostering team empowerment and embracing the art of preparation, says James Gillenwater at Greenberg Traurig.
Opinion

No, Litigation Funders Are Not 'Fleeing' The District Of Del.

A recent study claimed that litigation funders have “fled” Delaware federal court due to a standing order requiring disclosure of third-party financing, but responsible funders have no problem litigating in this jurisdiction, and many other factors could explain the decline in filings, say Will Freeman and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.
The Compliance Trends And Imperatives On Tap In 2025

The corporate ethics and compliance landscape is rapidly evolving, posing challenges from conflicting stakeholder expectations to technological disruptions, and businesses will need to explore human-centered, data-driven and evidence-based practices, says Hui Chen at CDE Advisors.
How Trump Presidency May Influence NLRB's Next Phase

Attorneys at Paul Hastings discuss how last year’s key National Labor Relations Board developments may progress once President-elect Donald Trump takes office, including the wave of lawsuits challenging the board’s constitutionality and two landmark board decisions that upset decades of precedent.
Top 10 Noncompete Developments Of 2024

Following an eventful year in noncompete law at both state and federal levels, employers can no longer rely on a court's willingness to blue-pencil overbroad agreements and are proceeding at their own peril if they do not thoughtfully review and carefully enforce such agreements, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2025 And Beyond

In the year to come, e-discovery will be shaped by new and emerging trends, from the adoption of artificial intelligence provisions in protective orders, to the proliferation of emojis as a source of evidence in contemporary litigation, say attorneys at Littler.
Celebs' Suits Show Limits Of Calif. Anti-SLAPP Laws

Two recent cases including Amanda Ghost v. Rebel Wilson and Leviss v. Sandoval highlight the delicate balancing act courts must perform in weighing free speech against privacy and reputational harm under California's robust anti-strategic lawsuit against public participation laws, say attorneys at Nixon Peabody.