Discrimination

  • March 18, 2026

    DOL Poised To Issue Joint Employer Rule

    The U.S. Department of Labor has sent a proposed rule laying out the Trump administration's test for joint employer status to the White House for review, teeing up the regulation for release.

  • March 17, 2026

    K&L Gates Adds Ex-Protection Law, Littler Labor Atty In LA

    K&L Gates LLP has added a labor and employment partner with experience at Protection Law Group and Littler Mendelson to its Labor, Employment and Workplace Safety practice in Los Angeles, according to an announcement Tuesday.

  • March 17, 2026

    NYC Asks To Stop Defending Eric Adams In Sex Assault Suit

    New York City's law department Tuesday moved to terminate its representation of former Mayor Eric Adams in a sexual assault suit filed by a former police department colleague, arguing Adams wasn't acting within the scope of his city employment at the time of the alleged incidents. 

  • March 17, 2026

    Jury Must Decide If Nexstar Defamed Pride Memo Authors

    A Michigan federal judge refused Tuesday to clear Nexstar of claims that it painted two former television news managers as anti-gay to save face amid negative publicity about an internal memo on the station's Pride Month coverage, teeing up a possible trial. 

  • March 17, 2026

    JPMorgan Says Arbitration Pact Stands Despite Atty's Gaffe

    JPMorgan Chase urged a Manhattan federal court Monday to send a former employee's race discrimination and pay bias claims to arbitration, arguing that an in-house lawyer's mistaken assurance prior to litigation that she wasn't bound by an arbitration agreement doesn't amount to a waiver of the right to enforce it.

  • March 17, 2026

    Auto Parts Co. Calls EEOC Info Demand 'Fishing Expedition'

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is seeking far more information than necessary to investigate whether Napa Auto Parts discriminated against Black applicants, the company argued, urging a Texas federal court to pare down the agency's "scattershot" demands.

  • March 17, 2026

    Pizza Hut Franchisee Cuts Deal In EEOC Sex Harassment Suit

    A Pizza Hut franchisee told a Texas federal judge Tuesday that it will pay $35,000 to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging the business fired a manager for complaining that her boss sabotaged her store because she ended a romantic relationship with him.

  • March 17, 2026

    4th Circ. Cautious About Ripple Effects In Trans Bias Suit

    A Fourth Circuit panel expressed consternation Tuesday about the ramifications of giving a Christian university the legal green light to turn away transgender job applicants, with one judge wondering if a win for the school would let religious entities reject candidates in interracial marriages.

  • March 17, 2026

    Tulsa Shuts Down Engineer's Age, Race Bias Suit At 10th Circ.

    The Tenth Circuit refused Tuesday to reopen a Tulsa, Oklahoma, employee's lawsuit claiming he was passed over for a promotion because he's a middle-aged Chinese man, ruling he couldn't overcome the city's assertion that it wanted someone with more leadership experience.

  • March 17, 2026

    Atty Seeks To Boot Ogletree From Microsoft Bias Suit

    An attorney who claimed Microsoft fired her out of pregnancy discrimination sought to disqualify Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC from representing the tech giant, telling a Washington federal judge the move is necessary because the firm also backs a client she's fighting in another case.

  • March 17, 2026

    Jushi, Ex-COO Settle Whistleblower Retaliation Suit

    A former Jushi Holdings Inc. executive who claimed a cannabis company fired him in retaliation for compliance with safety standards told a Florida federal court he has settled his suit.

  • March 17, 2026

    Nike Says EEOC Lodged Information Demand In Wrong State

    A U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit seeking to force Nike to fork over information to help the EEOC's probe into whether the company discriminated against white workers should be dismissed or transferred to Oregon, Nike told a Missouri federal judge.

  • March 17, 2026

    Boeing's Appeal Bid Grounded In Bias Suit Over Bonuses

    Boeing cannot immediately appeal to the Ninth Circuit a decision sending to state court a proposed class action accusing the aerospace company of denying a $12,000 bonus to workers on extended leave, a Washington federal judge ruled.

  • March 16, 2026

    Pregnant Worker Fired After Harassment Complaint, Suit Says

    An ex-employee of a Seattle cannabis shop has filed a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit against the company, alleging she was fired after complaining about a co-worker's inappropriate comments and the store's illegal sales to minors.

  • March 16, 2026

    Trans Bias Fight Presents Novel Questions To 4th Circ.

    The Fourth Circuit will consider several questions that sit at the intersection of religious and LGBTQ+ rights when it hears Liberty University's challenge Tuesday to a ruling that allowed a transgender former employee to pursue a sex discrimination suit against the Christian school. Here's a look at five of those questions.

  • March 16, 2026

    Pilots Rip Hawaiian Airlines' Bid To Ditch COVID Vax Bias Suit

    Hawaiian Airlines shouldn't be allowed to boot a lawsuit out of court using the argument that the Railway Labor Act governs, because the dispute over Hawaiian's vaccine mandate can be resolved without invoking the law by bringing in the collective bargaining agreement, a group of pilots argued.

  • March 16, 2026

    5th Circ. Revives Vietnamese Ex-VA Worker's Bias Claims

    The Fifth Circuit reinstated part of an Asian former Department of Veterans Affairs worker's suit claiming she faced persistent harassment on the job and lost out on professional opportunities because of race bias, ruling Monday the lower court was too quick to cast off her hostile work environment claims.

  • March 16, 2026

    2nd Circ. Axes NYC Vax Challenge, Flags Fake Case Citations

    The Second Circuit refused Monday to reinstate a coalition of current and former New York City employees' challenge to the city's now-defunct COVID-19 vaccine mandate and referred the workers' lawyers to its grievance panel over fictional case citations in a court filing.

  • March 16, 2026

    Oil And Gas Co. Can't Sink Race, Disability Bias Suit

    An oil and gas company must face a lawsuit claiming it unlawfully refused to accommodate a worker's attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and fired her for complaining about colleagues' race-based comments, after a Texas federal judge ruled Monday that a jury needs to weigh the company's explanations for its actions.

  • March 16, 2026

    DOJ Says Trump's Trans Restroom Ban Isn't Discriminatory

    The U.S. Department of Justice has told a D.C. federal judge that the Trump administration's decision to prohibit transgender federal employees from using restrooms that match their gender identities was lawful, and that a proposed class action challenging it must fail.

  • March 16, 2026

    Mich. Jury Awards $10M To Med Resident Fired During Leave

    A Michigan state jury has awarded more than $10 million to a former medical student who said she was fired from a hospital's OB-GYN residency program after being forced to take a required licensing exam while on maternity leave.

  • March 16, 2026

    Chicago Female Cops Secure Trials In Sex Bias Suits

    The city of Chicago can't evade trial on three female cops' claims that gender discrimination cost them promotions or got them downgraded to lesser positions, an Illinois federal judge ruled, crediting evidence showing they may have been treated differently due to their sex.

  • March 16, 2026

    Disney Exec's $40M Bias Suit Says HR Tried To 'Dig Up Dirt'

    A Walt Disney Co. gaming executive accused the company Friday in California state court of discriminating and retaliating against him after he complained about a human resources executive contacting his executive coach to "dig up dirt," claiming the poor treatment is because he is Asian.

  • March 16, 2026

    Colorado Pushes For Early Win In Fight Over Sick Leave Law

    An airline trade group advanced only speculative arguments in its efforts to beat Colorado's bid for a pretrial win in the group's suit challenging Colorado's sick leave law, the state told a federal judge.

  • March 16, 2026

    1st Circ. Says Muldrow Can't Save IT Worker's Age Bias Suit

    The First Circuit refused to reopen a former information technology employee's age bias lawsuit, rejecting her argument that the U.S. Supreme Court's Muldrow decision meant that putting her on a performance improvement plan was significant enough to be the basis for a discrimination case.

Expert Analysis

  • Challenging A Class Representative's Adequacy And Typicality

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    Recent cases highlight that a named plaintiff cannot certify a putative class action unless they can meet all the applicable requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, so defendants should consider challenging a plaintiff's ability to meet typicality and adequacy requirements early and often, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • Age Bias Ruling Holds Harassment Policy Lessons

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    A Kansas federal court's recent decision in Holman v. Textron Aviation, rejecting an employee's assertion that his termination for failing to report harassment was pretextual and due to age bias, provides insight into how courts analyze whether actions are pretextual and offers lessons about enforcing anti-harassment policies, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • Employer Tips As Deepfakes Reshape Workplace Harassment

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    As the workplace harassment landscape faces the rising threat of fabricated media that hyperrealistically depict employees in sexual or malicious contexts, employers can stay ahead of the curve by tracking new legal obligations, and proactively updating policies, training and response protocols, say attorneys at Littler.

  • How To Balance AI Adoption With Employee Privacy Risks

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    As artificial intelligence transforms the workplace, organizations must learn to leverage AI's capabilities while safeguarding against employee privacy risks and complying with a complex web of regulations, including by vetting vendors, mitigating employee misuse and establishing a governance framework, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • How Ending OFCCP Will Affect Affirmative Action Obligations

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    As President Donald Trump's administration plans to eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which enforces federal contractor antidiscrimination compliance and affirmative action program obligations, contractors should consider the best compliance approaches available to them, especially given the False Claims Act implications, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • Employer Best Practices For Navigating Worker Separations

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    As job cuts hit several major industries, employers should take steps to minimize their exposure to discrimination claims, information leaks and enforcement challenges, such as maintaining sound documentation, strategic planning and legal coordination, says Mark Romance at Day Pitney.

  • Employer Tips For Responding To ICE In The Workplace

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    Increased immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump's administration has left employers struggling to balance their compliance obligations with their desire to provide a safe workplace, so creating a thorough response plan and training for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's presence at the workplace is crucial, say attorneys at Hanson Bridgett.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Shifting Worker Accommodation Rules

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    Since President Donald Trump took office, many changes have directly affected how employers must address accommodation requests, particularly those concerning pregnancy-related medical conditions and religious beliefs, underscoring the importance of regularly reviewing and updating accommodation policies and procedures, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Shifting DEI Expectations Put Banks In Legal Crosshairs

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    The Trump administration's rollbacks on DEI-friendly policies create something of a regulatory catch-22 for banks, wherein strict compliance would contradict established statutory and administrative mandates regarding access to credit for disadvantaged communities, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • Compliance Tips After Court Axes EEOC's Trans Rights Take

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    A Texas federal court's recent decision struck portions of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's 2024 guidance pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity under Title VII, barring their use nationwide and leaving employers unsure about how to proceed in their compliance efforts, say attorneys at Dorsey & Whitney.

  • 5 Insurance Claims That Could Emerge After NCAA Settlement

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    Following the recent NCAA class action settlement that will allow revenue sharing with college athletes, there may be potential management liability for universities, their executive leadership and boards that could expose insurers to tax, regulatory, breach of contract and other claims, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.

  • 8th Circ. Ruling Highlights Complicated Remote Work Analysis

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    The Eighth Circuit’s recent opinion in Kuklenski v. Medtronic USA demonstrates that the applicability of employment laws to remote workers is often a fact-driven analysis, highlighting several parameters to consider when evaluating what state and local laws may apply to employees who work remotely, say attorneys at Vedder Price.

  • Philly Law Initiates New Era Of Worker Protections

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    A new worker protection law in Philadelphia includes, among other measures, a private right of action and recordkeeping requirements that may amount to a lower evidentiary standard, introducing a new level of accountability and additional noncompliance risks for employers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.