Employment

January 23, 2025
Employment Group Of The Year: Paul Hastings

Paul Hastings LLP represents major companies like Nike and Google, and handled overlapping discrimination government investigations against video game company Activision Blizzard, ultimately notching settlements that closed the book on both probes, earning the firm a spot among the 2024 Law360 Employment Groups of the Year.
January 23, 2025
Robocall Schemer's Estate Agrees To Pay $4.3M In Payroll Tax

Federal prosecutors and the estate of a telemarketing company owner asked a Michigan federal judge to approve a consent judgment ordering the estate to pay $4.3 million of the company's outstanding employment taxes.
January 23, 2025
Starbucks Claims Ex-Exec Owes Company $830K

Starbucks claimed in New Jersey federal court Wednesday that a former senior vice president has failed to pay back the pro rated portion of his $1 million signing bonus, saying the former employee owes $830,000.
January 23, 2025
Protest Of EEOC's Harassment Guidance Must Stand, AGs Say

A coalition of Republican state attorneys general urged a Tennessee federal court not to shut down the group's legal challenge to U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance on workplace harassment, saying the agency's Democratic majority has shown no intention of rescinding the guidelines.
January 23, 2025
'Not Just A Game': Producers Fight Pause On 'The Deb' Suit

Producers of the musical film "The Deb" urged a Los Angeles judge on Thursday not to pause Rebel Wilson's embezzlement claims while the actress appeals another portion of the case, saying they need a resolution in order to sell the movie and recoup nearly $14 million for investors.
January 23, 2025
Calif. Appeals Court Backs Apprentice Work Regulations

A California appeals court refused to reinstate a challenge from several employer associations seeking to strike down new regulations governing how apprentices can spend their time working, saying the California Apprenticeship Council was in the clear to promulgate the new rules.
January 22, 2025
Apple Can't Yet Ditch Bulk Of Proposed Pay Bias Class Action

A California state judge refused to ax the majority of a proposed class action accusing Apple of systematically underpaying women employees, ruling that, at this stage, the workers have adequately alleged violations of the California Equal Pay Act and disparate treatment under the Fair Employment and Housing Act.
January 22, 2025
Kroger Faces EEOC Suit Over Cancer Disability Bias Claims

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Wednesday announced that it filed suit against The Kroger Co. in Georgia federal court for firing an employee who complained about alleged workplace discrimination stemming from a disability caused by breast cancer treatments.
January 22, 2025
Equal Rights Org. Sues Illinois Over Demographic Data Law

A national equal rights organization filed suit Tuesday asking an Illinois federal judge to block the state from enforcing a statute it says unconstitutionally requires its members to publicize their demographic data.
January 22, 2025
GAO Says Army Corps Reasonably Rejected Contractor's Bid

The Government Accountability Office has rejected a Georgia-based construction contractor's challenge to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' denial of its building repair contract proposal, saying the agency reasonably deemed the contractor's project labor agreement to be insufficient.
January 22, 2025
Miami Official Used Public Funds For Political Gain, Suit Says

Two former Miami city employees have brought a whistleblower lawsuit against District 3 Commissioner Joe Carollo in Florida federal court, alleging that he ousted them for exposing misuse of public funds meant to manage parks that were instead used to pay for his political ventures and personal expenses.
January 22, 2025
Wayne-Sanderson Flouting Wage-Fix Settlement, DOJ Says

The Justice Department is accusing poultry giant Wayne-Sanderson Farms of shirking its obligations under a settlement resolving wage-suppression allegations, asking a Maryland federal court to put a freeze on any information sharing by the company through Agri Stats and to impose a multiyear extension on its 10-year consent decree.
January 22, 2025
Ga. Tech Says Gov't Hasn't Shown Cybersecurity False Claims

The Georgia Institute of Technology has pushed for dismissal of a False Claims Act suit accusing it of knowingly violating U.S. Department of Defense cybersecurity standards, saying the government hadn't adequately explained how those rules apply to the university.
January 22, 2025
Mich. Justices Doubt Boss Can 'Trap' Workers In Meeting

Michigan Supreme Court justices struggled with the proposition Wednesday that a supervisor has some ability to keep employees in a meeting by force, during oral arguments in a former assistant county prosecutor's whistleblower appeal.
January 22, 2025
Wash. City Beats Fired Workers' Suit Targeting Vax Mandate

A Washington federal judge tossed a suit brought by city workers claiming they were illegally fired for opposing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, ruling that the city they worked for didn't violate any of their rights by requiring them to get immunized or lose their jobs.
January 22, 2025
Amazon Drivers Want Class Cert. In Suit Alleging Unpaid Tips

Amazon Flex delivery drivers urged a Washington federal court to certify a 150,000-member class in their lawsuit accusing the company of violating Evergreen State laws by withholding portions of drivers' tips, saying they were all impacted by the same unlawful practice.
January 22, 2025
#MeToo Claims Against Ex-Defender's Boss To Stay Sealed

A federal judge on Wednesday shot down a former assistant public defender's renewed attempt to lay bare certain #MeToo complaints against her one-time employer as part of a long-running case casting a spotlight on the judiciary's internal complaint process for workplace misconduct.
January 22, 2025
Logistics Cos. Say Workers' Tobacco Fee Suit Filed Too Late

A pair of logistics companies are asking a Connecticut federal court to throw out a proposed class action alleging they violated federal law by not fully reimbursing employees who paid an additional tobacco-use fee on their healthcare, saying all the claims in the suit are barred by statutes of limitation.
January 22, 2025
Feds Drop Case Against Atty's Accomplice In COVID Loan Fraud

A Savannah, Georgia, man who conspired with two attorneys to defraud the federal pandemic relief effort of $300,000 has had the charges against him in Georgia federal court dropped, after he completed a year of a pretrial diversion program.
January 22, 2025
Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds Slam Baldoni Atty's 'Media Blitz'

Counsel for celebrity couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds told a New York federal judge that Justin Baldoni's attorney from Liner Freedman Taitelman & Cooley LLP has violated ethical rules with an "all-out media blitz" during their thorny litigation over the movie "It Ends With Us."
January 22, 2025
Employment Group Of The Year: Epstein Becker

Epstein Becker Green's employment team convinced the Fifth Circuit to strike down a major U.S. Department of Labor rule governing employers' ability to take tip credits out of servers' wages, a blockbuster achievement that snagged it a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Employment Groups of the Year.
January 22, 2025
Judge Cans Biden Order Supporting Union Contractors

A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge has invalidated a 2022 executive order by then-President Joe Biden requiring contractors to work with unions to be considered for federal construction projects over $35 million, saying the mandate "stifles competition."
January 22, 2025
Case Removal Rules Aimed At Fairness, Ex-Atty Tells 5th Circ.

Several Fifth Circuit judges seemed keen Wednesday to clarify what activity in state court would bar litigants from removing their cases to federal court, as the full appeals court reconsidered a remand order for a Houston firm's poaching suit.
January 22, 2025
Sheriff's Workers' Wage Suit Should Survive, Judge Says

A North Carolina federal judge recommended rejecting a sheriff's office's bid to escape detention center employees' wage and hour class action, saying a jury should decide whether the office's use of a fluctuating workweek payment model was appropriate.
January 22, 2025
Calif. Panel Upholds $200K Fee Award In Dispatchers' OT Row

Two train dispatchers could recover $200,000 in attorney fees and costs after snagging a bench trial win in their overtime suit against a transportation company because a California state court looked at their case anew, a state appellate panel ruled.

Expert Analysis

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.
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.