Discrimination

  • January 23, 2026

    NJ Teachers Union Accused Of Racial Pay Disparity

    A Black longtime employee of the New Jersey Education Association has been paid less than her colleagues because of her race, she told a state court.

  • January 23, 2026

    DOJ Alumni Back Maurene Comey In Effort To Keep Suit Alive

    U.S. Department of Justice alumni and a group that includes attorneys, law professors and former judges have filed briefs supporting former Manhattan federal prosecutor Maurene Comey's call for a New York federal court to reject the DOJ's bid to dismiss a suit over her firing.

  • January 23, 2026

    Calif. Forecast: Court Weighs BlackBerry Discrimination Suit

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for a summary judgment hearing in a former BlackBerry Corp. executive's discrimination and harassment suit. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • January 23, 2026

    Safeway, Union Local Must Face Pro Se Bias Suit

    Safeway and a United Food and Commercial Workers local must face an ex-cashier's claims that discrimination played into the store's hostile treatment of him and the union failed to adequately fight for him, with an Oregon federal judge preserving most of the pro se litigant's suit.

  • January 23, 2026

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Weighs Reviving SEIU Fund Bias Suit

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider whether to revive a discrimination suit a former worker for a Service Employees International Union benefit fund brought claiming the fund fired him after refusing to accommodate a disability that prevented him from driving for long periods of time.

  • January 23, 2026

    EEOC Leaders Tighten Grip On Power To Sue Employers

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has updated its internal processes to further consolidate in its political leadership the ability to haul employers into court by tightening its top lawyer's ability to file routine cases from an approximately 5-year-old framework.

  • January 23, 2026

    7th Circ. OKs Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund Bias Suit Win

    The Seventh Circuit on Wednesday affirmed the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund's win in a former accountant's lawsuit claiming he was fired because he is a Black man in his 60s, holding that the lower court didn't err in finding that poor job performance led to his termination.

  • January 22, 2026

    6th Circ. Won't Revive Ex-Detroit Worker's Race Bias Suit

    The Sixth Circuit on Wednesday refused to reinstate a discrimination suit alleging the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department fired a Black female accountant because of her race, finding her performance reviews reflected continuous issues like missing work deadlines or making errors that took weeks to fix.

  • January 22, 2026

    DC Circ. Presses Feds To Justify Military Trans Ban

    A D.C. Circuit judge pressed the government on Thursday to justify a policy that effectively bars transgender people from serving in the military, questioning why Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth imposed a more stringent policy than the first Trump administration did. 

  • January 22, 2026

    Debt Collector Takes Computer Fraud Ruling To High Court

    A debt collection agency asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to pause a Third Circuit decision that found an ex-employee's sharing of a password spreadsheet didn't make for a case under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, saying the appeals court improperly narrowed the scope of the statute.

  • January 22, 2026

    CTA's Vax Mandate Was An 'Impossible Dilemma,' Jury Hears

    The Chicago Transit Authority put a former employee into an "impossible dilemma" and forced him to choose between honoring his Christian faith or receiving a COVID-19 vaccine when it flatly rejected his vaccination exemption request and later fired him for mandate noncompliance, Illinois federal jurors heard Thursday.

  • January 22, 2026

    Assistant DA Isn't 'Employee' In Her Race Bias Suit, Court Told

    A North Carolina prosecutor can't be targeted in a race bias and retaliation suit under Title VII, as the Black assistant district attorney alleging an unlawful pay disparity isn't an "employee" under the federal statute, the prosecutor's counsel told a North Carolina federal court Thursday.

  • January 22, 2026

    EEOC Argues Sexual Harassment Case Can Dodge Arbitration

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission urged the Fourth Circuit to back a broad reading of a law barring sexual harassment disputes from arbitration, arguing a Barclays executive's sex bias suit didn't need to claim mistreatment of a sexual nature to avoid an out-of-court resolution.

  • January 22, 2026

    Judge Recommends Toss Of Ex-Deputy's Political Firing Suit

    A Georgia federal judge has recommended tossing a former metropolitan Atlanta deputy sheriff's suit alleging he was forced to resign because he supported the sheriff's 2024 election opponent, while also urging sanctions against the deputy's attorney for citing nonexistent cases and misstating the law.

  • January 22, 2026

    Bally's Casino Beats Bartenders' Age Bias Suit Appeal

    A New Jersey appellate court on Thursday upheld dismissal of claims accusing Bally's Atlantic City Hotel & Casino of preventing unionized bartenders from working at a new casino bar because of their age, finding that the claims fail to show a discriminatory motive for the bar's hiring decisions.

  • January 22, 2026

    Colo. Hospital Faces Suit Over Halt To Gender-Affirming Care

    Patients of Children's Hospital Colorado filed a proposed class action in Colorado state court alleging the healthcare provider is discriminating against them through its suspension of gender-affirming medical care for patients under the age of 18 amid recent federal government mandates.

  • January 22, 2026

    11th Circ. Reopens Telemundo Sexual Harassment Claims

    The Eleventh Circuit gave new life Thursday to a sexual harassment suit from a former Telemundo employee who said she faced retribution for reporting what she alleged was her superiors' misconduct, ruling that she "unquestionably" engaged in protected activity amid "humiliating and degrading" treatment.

  • January 22, 2026

    10th Circ. Grapples With White Officer's Diversity Fight

    The Tenth Circuit wrestled Thursday with whether to revive a white former corrections officer's twice-dismissed suit accusing the Colorado Department of Corrections of creating a racially hostile environment through diversity training, with one judge questioning the impact of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that favored majority group plaintiffs.

  • January 22, 2026

    Meta Can't Arbitrate Suit Alleging Bias Against White Workers

    Meta Platforms can't arbitrate a former engineer's suit alleging it fostered a hostile work environment that discriminated against white male employees and job applicants for hiring opportunities, promotions and bonuses, according to a minute order issued by a California state judge.

  • January 22, 2026

    NYC Homeless Nonprofit Shaved Hours, Ex-Worker Says

    A New York City nonprofit that operates homeless shelters shaved time off of employees' hours, resulting in unpaid wages and overtime, according to a proposed class and collective action complaint filed Thursday in New York federal court.

  • January 22, 2026

    Ex-Baker McKenzie Atty Alleges Assault In New DC Lawsuit

    A former Baker McKenzie associate who was sued for defamation over a series of social media posts accusing the firm's Washington, D.C., managing partner of sexual assault has brought her own lawsuit, marking the first time she publicly detailed her allegations in court records.

  • January 22, 2026

    Walmart Defeats Black Manager's Race Bias, Harassment Suit

    Walmart prevailed Thursday over a suit from a Black former manager who said he was denied a promotion and subjected to racist harassment on the job, when a Michigan federal judge ruled he lacked evidence that he was qualified for higher roles or had endured severe mistreatment.

  • January 22, 2026

    Littler Names New Board Of Directors Chair, Adds 3 Members

    Littler Mendelson PC has elected New York shareholder William J. Anthony to serve as chair of its 19-member 2026 Board of Directors and named three new board members.

  • January 22, 2026

    Delivery Co., EEOC End Suit Over Deaf Applicant's Nixed Offer

    A freight delivery company has agreed to pay $47,000 to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit that said it yanked a job offer from a deaf applicant after she asked for a sign language interpreter.

  • January 22, 2026

    Calif. Universities, Faculty Settle EEOC Info-Sharing Fight

    The California State University system has struck a deal with faculty labor unions to resolve a suit claiming the CSU improperly shared employee contact information with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to aid an investigation into antisemitism on its campuses.

Expert Analysis

  • What Employers Should Consider When Drafting AI Policies

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    As generative artificial intelligence continues to evolve and transform the workplace, employers should examine six issues when creating their corporate AI policies in order to balance AI's efficiencies with the oversight needed to prevent potential biases and legal pitfalls, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Eye On Compliance: When Calif. Jobs Require Driver Licenses

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    With a California law banning unnecessarily requiring job applicants to have driver's licenses rolling out Jan. 1, employers should take to heart the law's goal of preventing discriminatory barriers while they assess and revise their employment materials for compliance, says Ani Khachatryan at Wilson Elser.

  • Ring In The New Year With An Updated Employee Handbook

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    One of the best New Year's resolutions employers can make is to update their employee handbooks, given that a handbook can mitigate, or even prevent, costly litigation as long as it accounts for recent changes in laws, court rulings and agency decisions, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • 5 Employer Defenses To Military Status Discrimination Claims

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    A Colorado federal court's recent ruling, finding a Navy reservist wasn't denied promotion at his civilian job due to antimilitary bias, highlights several defenses employers can use to counter claims of violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, say attorneys at Littler Mendelson.

  • Justices Mull Sex-Based Classification In Trans Law Case

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in U.S. v. Skrmetti this week, it appears that the fate of the Tennessee law at the center of the case — a law banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender adolescents — will hinge on whether the majority read the statute as imposing a sex-based classification, says Alexandra Crandall at Dickinson Wright.

  • Pa. Ruling Highlights Challenges Of Employer Arb. Appeals

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    A Pennsylvania federal court's recent ruling in Welch Foods v. General Teamsters Local Union No. 397 demonstrates the inherent difficulties employers face when seeking relief from labor arbitration decisions through appeals in court — and underscores how employers are faced with often conflicting legal priorities, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 7 Ways To Prepare For An I-9 Audit Or Immigration Raid

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    Because immigration enforcement is likely to surge under the upcoming Trump administration, employers should take steps to ensure their staff is trained in employment eligibility verification requirements and what to do in the event of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement I-9 audit or workplace raid, say attorneys at Littler.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • Disentangling Various Forms Of Workplace Discrimination

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    Pay inequity can be missed where it exists and misidentified due to incorrect statistics, leaving individuals to face multiple facets of discrimination connected by a common root cause, meaning correct identification and measurement is crucial, says Daniel Levy at Advanced Analytical.

  • Key Requirements In New Maryland Pay Transparency Laws

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    Although several jurisdictions now require pay transparency in job advertisements, Maryland's new law is among the broadest in the country, both in terms of what is required and the scope of its applicability, says Sarah Belger at Quarles & Brady.

  • Lessons From EEOC Case Of Fla. Worker Fired After Stillbirth

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    A recent federal court settlement between a Florida resort and a fired line cook shows that the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission sees stillbirth as protected under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, also providing four other important lessons, says Gordon Berger at Pierson Ferdinand.

  • Advising Employers As AI Meets DEI And Discrimination

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Though companies can use artificial intelligence tools to develop more diverse and inclusive workforces, counsel should also prepare employers for how AI can stymie these efforts, provoke discrimination claims and complicate resulting litigation, says Emily Schifter at Troutman Pepper.

  • A Look At The Hefty Demands In Calif. Employer AI Draft Regs

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    California's draft regulations on artificial intelligence use in employment decisions show that the California Privacy Protection Agency is positioning itself as a de facto AI regulator for the state, which isn't waiting around for federal legislation, says Lily Li at Metaverse Law.