Discrimination

  • February 05, 2026

    Arbitration Pact Doesn't Block Race Bias Suit, 6th Circ. Says

    The Sixth Circuit backed a trial court's ruling that an arbitration agreement didn't apply to a Black ex-security officer's suit claiming Detroit's Renaissance Center failed to address concerns that white officers mistreated their Black co-workers, ruling a grammatical decision in the pact keeps his case in court.

  • February 05, 2026

    Harvesting Co. To Pay $6.1M To Settle Calif. Wage Suit

    A California-based harvesting company and related entities will pay over $6.1 million for failing to tell farmworkers about their paid sick leave options and stiffing them on their full wages, the California Labor Commissioner's Office has said.

  • February 04, 2026

    OSU's Defensive Analyst Says Gender Bias Got Him Fired

    Ohio State University was sued Tuesday in federal court by a former football program employee alleging it applied "gendered assumptions about credibility, aggression and victimhood" against him and fired him after he complained about a female colleague's hostile behavior.

  • February 04, 2026

    Colo. Court Considers Hospital's Gender-Affirming Care Halt

    The families of patients of Children's Hospital Colorado who allege it is discriminating against their children through its suspension of gender-affirming medical care for youth patients told a Colorado state court Wednesday the stoppage has significantly harmed their children.

  • February 04, 2026

    9th Circ. Seems Reluctant To Keep Netflix Bias Case In Court

    The Ninth Circuit zeroed in on timing Wednesday as a former Netflix worker pushed to keep her sexual harassment suit out of arbitration, appearing sympathetic to the streaming company's argument that her dispute began before a law banning mandatory arbitration for sexual harassment claims became effective.

  • February 04, 2026

    EEOC Sues Nike To Pry Loose Info For Anti-White Bias Probe

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Nike in Missouri federal court Wednesday, claiming the sports apparel giant hasn't complied with demands for information in a probe assessing whether Nike discriminated against white workers through diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

  • February 04, 2026

    Ex-Fox News Host Decries Judge Pick's Arbitration Stance

    Gretchen Carlson, a former Fox News anchor and a leading advocate for ending forced arbitration of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace, has come out against a federal judicial nominee for Louisiana for her past comments on the issue.

  • February 04, 2026

    4th Circ. Backs Chicken Processor In Fired Worker's ADA Suit

    The Fourth Circuit declined Wednesday to reinstate a suit from a worker who said a chicken processor unlawfully terminated him after a shooting left him with lingering medical issues, saying he failed to show he could perform the key functions of his job.

  • February 04, 2026

    3rd Circ. Ponders Pa. Professor's Virtual Teaching Denial

    A Third Circuit panel on Wednesday quizzed attorneys in a case involving a Kutztown University professor who was denied remote teaching accommodations about if she should have expected in-person instruction to be an essential function of her position, despite the lack of a job description or written policy saying so.

  • February 04, 2026

    United Says Pilot's Vax Accommodation Should End Dispute

    United Airlines has urged an Illinois federal judge to hand it a pretrial win over a pilot's accusation that the airline failed to properly handle his religious-based COVID-19 vaccination exemption request, arguing he received an accommodation that should be considered reasonable and defeat his claims.

  • February 04, 2026

    Ex-DLA Piper Partner Aims To Toss Claim He Raped Associate

    Allegations that an ex-DLA Piper partner raped a former Boston-based associate in Delaware in 2022 should be tossed since the Massachusetts state court the case was filed in has no jurisdiction over the Delaware claim, according to the accused former partner.

  • February 04, 2026

    Fired Boston Staffer's Suit Trimmed As Mayor Ducks Claims

    A federal judge has dismissed most of a former Boston City Hall staffer's employment lawsuit, including claims accusing Mayor Michelle Wu of firing her to protect a cabinet official from sexual harassment allegations.

  • February 04, 2026

    Calif. Opens Pay Data Reporting Portal For Large Cos.

    The California Civil Rights Department has opened its portal for employers with 100 or more employees to report pay data from 2025, the agency announced.

  • February 04, 2026

    EEOC Slaps Hotel Co. With Pregnancy, Religious Bias Suit

    A hotel management company refused to provide a pregnant employee with an adequate chair and pushed a front desk clerk to work Saturday overnight shifts even though that conflicted with his duties as an assistant pastor, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged in Illinois federal court.

  • February 03, 2026

    Guam Defends Bid To Appeal Loss Of Military Leave Suit

    A retirement fund for Guam government employees fired back at the federal government's attempt to prevent it from appealing an order finding the fund and Guam liable for shortchanging pension contributions for employees who take paid leave while serving in the military. 

  • February 03, 2026

    6th Circ. Backs Chemical Co.'s Win In Disability Bias Suit

    A Sixth Circuit panel kept a Michigan chemical facility operator's win Tuesday in a former worker's suit claiming that he was fired because of his disability, finding that the worker could no longer perform all of his job duties.

  • February 03, 2026

    Palm Steakhouse Chain, Black Ex-GC Resolve Race Bias Case

    The owners behind The Palm steakhouse chain and a Black former general counsel who said she was fired after being diagnosed with lung cancer have agreed to end her federal race bias lawsuit, according to a Tuesday filing in New York federal court.

  • February 03, 2026

    ESPN Wants Worker's COVID Vaccine Bias Lawsuit Dismissed

    ESPN has asked a judge to dismiss a former remote video operator's religious bias lawsuit stemming from a COVID-19 booster vaccine mandate, saying the onetime worker exaggerated its corporate parent's links to the government when accusing the company of being an arm of the state.

  • February 03, 2026

    Calif. Food Cos. To Pay $900K To End EEOC Harassment Suit

    A California produce processing operation has agreed to pay $900,000 to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging higher-ups looked the other way while female employees faced pervasive sexual harassment. 

  • February 03, 2026

    Clorox Settles Male Worker's Gender Bias Suit On Eve Of Trial

    Clorox has settled a gender discrimination suit from a former employee who claimed he was fired because the company wanted more women managers, right before the case was set to go to trial and just under a year after it was revived by the Ninth Circuit.

  • February 02, 2026

    Calif. Justices Revive 'Unreadable' Arbitration Agreement Suit

    In a 6-1 decision, the California Supreme Court clarified on Monday that courts must "closely scrutinize the terms of difficult-to-read contracts for unfairness or one-sidedness," but the "illegibility" — font size, placement, prominence, etc. — of agreements do not themselves indicate that it is unconscionable.

  • February 02, 2026

    Bikini Barista Boss Says Wash. AG Defamed Him In Wage Suit

    The owner of Seattle-area Paradise Espresso stands slammed the Washington State Office of the Attorney General on Monday for filing a wage theft and employment discrimination lawsuit "containing known falsehoods" and disparaging his bikini barista business in a related press release.

  • February 02, 2026

    8th Circ. Rejects Minn. Health Worker's COVID-19 Suit

    The Eighth Circuit ruled Monday that the Minnesota Department of Human Services didn't illegally fail to exempt a Catholic employee from mandatory weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated individuals, saying the pandemic-era requirement was lawful.

  • February 02, 2026

    6th Circ. Says High Court Ruling Buoys Bias Suit Against GM

    The Sixth Circuit reinstated a male General Motors worker's sex bias suit claiming he got harsher discipline than a female colleague, ruling Monday that his case needs a second look after the U.S. Supreme Court clarified the standards for discrimination cases brought by workers in majority groups.

  • February 02, 2026

    Curaleaf Can't Ditch All Ill. Whistleblower Act Claims

    An Illinois magistrate judge on Monday mostly denied a bid from Curaleaf Inc. to throw out a former regional director's Illinois Whistleblower Act claims, saying the complaint is sufficient to allege that he was retaliated against for reporting compliance violations to the state government.

Expert Analysis

  • What Trump Admin's Anti-DEI Push Means For FCA Claims

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    President Donald Trump's recent rescission of a 60-year-old executive order imposing nondiscrimination requirements on certain federal contractors has far-reaching implications, including potential False Claims Act liability for contractors and grant recipients who fail to comply, though it may be a challenge for the government to successfully establish liability, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

  • It Starts With Training: Anti-Harassment After 'It Ends With Us'

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    Actress Blake Lively's recent sexual harassment and retaliation allegations against her "It Ends With Us" co-star, director and producer, Justin Baldoni, should remind employers of their legal obligations to implement trainings, policies and other measures to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, say attorneys at Morrison Cohen.

  • What Day 1 Bondi Memos Mean For Corporate Compliance

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    After Attorney General Pam Bondi’s flurry of memos last week declaring new enforcement priorities on issues ranging from foreign bribery to diversity initiatives, companies must base their compliance programs on an understanding of their own core values and principles, says Hui Chen at CDE Advisors.

  • 5 Things For Private Employers To Do After Trump's DEI Order

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    Following President Donald Trump's recent executive order pushing the private sector to narrow, and even end, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, employers should ensure DEI efforts align with their organization's mission and goals, are legally compliant, and are effectively communicated to stakeholders, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Zuckerberg's Remarks Pose Legal Risk For Meta Amid Layoffs

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    Within days of announcing that Meta Platforms will cut 5% of its lowest-performing employees, Mark Zuckerberg remarked that corporations are becoming "culturally neutered" and need to bring back "masculine energy," exposing the company to potential claims under California employment law, says Andi Mazingo at Lumen Law Center.

  • Preparing For A Possible End To The Subminimum Wage

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    The U.S. Department of Labor's proposed rule to end the subminimum wage for employees with disabilities may significantly affect the community-based rehabilitation and training programs that employ these workers, so certified programs should be especially vigilant about compliance during this period of evaluation and scrutiny, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'Harry Potter' Reveals Magic Of Feedback

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    Troutman Pepper's Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter chat with Wicker Park Group partner Tara Weintritt about various feedback methods used by "Harry Potter" characters — from Snape's sharp and cutting remarks to Dumbledore's lack of specificity and Hermione's poor delivery — and explore how clear, consistent and actionable feedback can transform workplaces.

  • What To Expect From Trump's Deputy Labor Secretary Pick

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    President Donald Trump's nominee for deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, Keith Sonderling, has a track record of prioritizing clear guidance on both traditional and cutting-edge issues, which can provide insight into what employers can expect from his leadership, say attorneys at Littler.

  • A Look At Order Ending Federal Contractor Affirmative Action

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    To comply with President Donald Trump's executive order revoking affirmative action requirements in the next 90 days, federal contractors should focus on identification of protected groups, responsibilities of "diversity officer" positions and annual compliance reviews, says Jeremy Burkhart at Holland & Knight.

  • Parsing 3rd Circ. Ruling On Cannabis, Employee Private Suits

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    The Third Circuit recently upheld a decision that individuals don't have a private right of action for alleged violations of New Jersey's Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Act, but employers should stay informed as the court encouraged the state Legislature to amend the law, say attorneys at Mandelbaum Barrett.

  • EEOC Wearable Tech Guidance Highlights Monitoring Scrutiny

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent fact sheet on wearable technologies cautions against potential issues with federal anti-discrimination laws and demonstrates growing concern from regulators and legislators about intrusive technologies in the workplace, say attorneys at Littler.

  • 4 Employment Law Areas Set To Change Under Trump

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    President Donald Trump's second term is expected to bring significant changes to the U.S. employment law landscape, including the potential for updated worker classification regulations, and challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion that are already taking shape, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • What Employment Bias Litigation Looks Like After Muldrow

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    Nine months after the U.S. Supreme Court created an undemanding standard for discrimination claims in Muldrow v. St. Louis, Eric Schnapper at the University of Washington discusses how the Title VII litigation landscape has changed and what to expect moving forward.