Discrimination

  • June 18, 2025

    2nd Circ. Says NYU Langone Retaliation Verdict Wrongly Axed

    The Second Circuit reinstated a $700,000 jury verdict in favor of a former NYU Langone doctor who claimed her contract wasn't renewed after she complained about supervisors' sexist behavior, ruling Wednesday she'd presented enough evidence to support the jurors' decision.

  • June 18, 2025

    EEOC's Lucas Faces Pointed Questions On Trans Rights

    Acting U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Andrea Lucas faced tough questions from Democratic lawmakers Wednesday about the agency scaling back enforcement efforts on behalf of transgender and nonbinary workers, as she defended the EEOC's alignment with the Trump administration's priorities.

  • June 18, 2025

    Mich. Panel Revives Contract Carpenter's Racial Bias Suit

    A Michigan appellate panel has reopened a Black man's employment discrimination lawsuit against a carpentry company where he claimed to have been called racial slurs by coworkers, saying a trial court was wrong to toss the suit solely because the worker was an independent contractor.

  • June 18, 2025

    Age Bias Taints Kansas Health Dept. Promotions, EEOC Says

    The Kansas Department of Health and Environment overlooked an older worker for promotions to more senior lab tech roles solely because of her age, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told a federal court.

  • June 18, 2025

    Nursing Home Supervisor Mocked Older Workers, EEOC Says

    A New Mexico long-term care facility allowed employees over 40 to be belittled and held to different standards than younger workers, and workers who complained faced termination, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged Wednesday in federal court.

  • June 18, 2025

    Senate Panel Sets Vote On Trump Nominees For EEOC, DOL

    A Senate panel announced on Wednesday a June 26 vote that will affect who will chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Trump administration's picks to lead the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and employee benefits arm.

  • June 18, 2025

    Paralegal Says Firm Fired Her For Cancer Recurrence

    A paralegal alleged in North Carolina federal court that The Driscoll Firm PC fired her one day after she informed her superiors about the recurrence of her ovarian cancer, violating federal disability and state wage laws.

  • June 18, 2025

    NJ Judiciary Hit With Pregnancy Bias Suit From Court Exec

    A court executive has claimed that the New Jersey judiciary is guilty of retaliating and discriminating against her by allegedly reducing her pay raise because she went on maternity leave, according to a new state complaint.

  • June 18, 2025

    5th Circ. Won't Undo GM's Win In Worker's Disability Bias Suit

    The Fifth Circuit refused to reinstate an ex-General Motors worker's suit claiming the company refused to accommodate a concussion she got on the job and then fired her, ruling she failed to show she could perform any open positions after taking issue with the roles she was transferred to.

  • June 18, 2025

    Ex-Public Defender Says Bogus Bias Reports Got Her Fired 

    The former chief public defender for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, said Wednesday in a lawsuit that she was wrongfully accused of racial bias and unilaterally fired by the county manager, rather than by the county executive who had appointed her.

  • June 18, 2025

    Steptoe & Johnson Adds Ex-Buchanan Atty In Pittsburgh

    An employment attorney looking to expand his services beyond litigation moved his practice recently to Steptoe & Johnson PLLC's Pittsburgh office after more than four years with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC.

  • June 18, 2025

    Applebee's Franchise Settles NY Pay Disparity Claims

    The operator of New York City-area Applebee's restaurants entered into a National Labor Relations Board settlement after a former server claimed he was fired after complaining about Black workers getting paid less than white employees, advocacy group One Fair Wage announced Wednesday.

  • June 18, 2025

    UPS Denied Promotion Over Sabbath Request, Suit Says

    A Boston man has brought a lawsuit against UPS in Massachusetts state court, alleging the shipping company denied him a higher-paying job as a driver because as a Seventh-day Adventist he could not work Friday night or Saturday.

  • June 18, 2025

    Paralegal Says Pregnancy Announcement Got Her Fired

    A personal injury law firm fired a paralegal under the guise of downsizing one month after she informed the firm she was pregnant, a lawsuit in Pennsylvania federal court says.

  • June 18, 2025

    5th Circ. Affirms Nix Of Ex-Hospital Workers' COVID Vax Suit

    The Fifth Circuit backed a Houston hospital's defeat of a lawsuit alleging that hundreds of employees were unlawfully fired when they refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, saying the workers couldn't demonstrate that their right to reject the shot had been violated.

  • June 18, 2025

    Retirement Homes Reach Deal To End EEOC Race Bias Suit

    The operator of three retirement communities in the Washington, D.C., area agreed to pay $85,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit accusing it of illegally passing over a Black worker for promotion and subsequently replacing her with a white employee.

  • June 17, 2025

    6th Circ. Revives Ex-Chili's Manager's Age Discrimination Suit

    The Sixth Circuit Tuesday revived a terminated Chili's restaurant manager's age discrimination case against the casual dining chain, saying the former employee offered enough evidence to rebut the chain's contention he was actually fired for not "living the Chili's way."

  • June 17, 2025

    HHS Says Trump Orders Merit Ending Trans Health Rule Case

    The federal government urged a Mississippi federal court to end a lawsuit challenging a Biden-era rule that protected gender-affirming care under the Affordable Care Act, arguing the Republican attorneys general leading the case can't show imminent harm given the Trump administration's position on the definition of "sex."

  • June 17, 2025

    NFL Coach's Lawyer Faces Scrutiny Over NY Practice Claims

    A federal judge on Tuesday chastised a lawyer defending a former NFL coach in his discrimination suit against the league, ordering him to show why he claimed he could practice in the Southern District of New York even though it appears "that is not accurate."

  • June 17, 2025

    General Motors Says Precedent 'Eviscerates' EEOC Bias Suit

    General Motors urged an Indiana federal judge Tuesday to toss a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it discriminated against older workers by reducing disability benefits if they also received Social Security, arguing the policy says nothing about age, allowing it to stand under high court precedent.

  • June 17, 2025

    Packaging Co. Ex-Worker's Genetic Privacy Suit Dropped

    A former employee claiming a food packaging company unlawfully asked her and other prospective workers about their family medical history have agreed to drop a lawsuit alleging her ex-employer violated Illinois' privacy law, according to a joint filing in Illinois federal court.

  • June 17, 2025

    UMB Says It Granted Ex-VP's Request For More Cancer Leave

    UMB Financial Corp. said an ex-executive's suit claiming she was illegally denied leave to recover from chemotherapy treatments can't stay in Colorado federal court, telling a judge her request to extend her monthslong leave was ultimately approved after the company initially raised concerns about her changing return-to-work date.

  • June 17, 2025

    Ex-Stone Hilton Employee Adds Sexual Harassment Claim

    A onetime executive assistant has expanded a federal lawsuit against her ex-employer Stone Hilton PLLC — founded by former top prosecutors in the Texas attorney general's office — to include a sexual harassment claim after the Texas Workforce Commission found there is reasonable cause.

  • June 17, 2025

    EEOC Says Survey Sent In Walmart ADA Suit Is Privileged

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission shouldn't have to turn over communications with potential class members and third parties in its suit alleging Walmart used a training test to disqualify workers with disabilities, the agency told an Arkansas federal court, arguing that the information is private and protected.

  • June 17, 2025

    Fuel Co. Says Fired CEO's 'Incompetence' Dooms Bias Suit

    A Michigan-based petroleum distributor urged a federal judge to toss its ex-CEO's suit claiming she was fired from the family-run business out of gender and disability bias, arguing that her claims fall flat against evidence that she was sacked for years of lackluster profits under her leadership.

Expert Analysis

  • Mich. Whistleblower Ruling Expands Retaliation Remedies

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    The Michigan Supreme Court's recent Occupational Health and Safety Act decision in Stegall v. Resource Technology is important because it increases the potential exposure for defendants in public policy retaliation cases, providing plaintiffs with additional claims, say Aaron Burrell and Timothy Howlett at Dickinson Wright.

  • How States Are Approaching AI Workplace Discrimination

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    As legislators across the U.S. have begun addressing algorithmic discrimination in the workplace, attorneys at Reed Smith provide an overview of the status, applicability and provisions of 13 state and local bills.

  • The Risks Of Employee Political Discourse On Social Media

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    As election season enters its final stretch and employees increasingly engage in political speech on social media, employers should beware the liability risks and consider policies that negotiate the line between employees' rights and the limits on those rights, say Bradford Kelley and James McGehee at Littler.

  • 7th Circ. Rulings Offer Employee Vaccine Exemption Guidance

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    Dawn Solowey and Samantha Brooks at Seyfarth explain how two recent Seventh Circuit rulings in Passarella v. Aspirus and Bube v. Aspirus could affect litigation involving employee vaccine exemptions, and discuss employer best practices for handling accommodation requests that include both religious and secular concerns.

  • Employers Should Not Neglect Paid Military Leave Compliance

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    An August decision from the Ninth Circuit and the settlement of a long-running class action, both examining paid leave requirements under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, are part of a nationwide trend that should prompt employers to review their military leave policies to avoid potential litigation and reputational damage, says Bradford Kelley at Littler.

  • Old Employment Law Principles Can Answer New AI Concerns

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    Despite growing legal and regulatory concerns about how artificial intelligence tools may affect employment decisions and worker rights, companies should take comfort in knowing that familiar principles of employment law and established compliance regimes can still largely address these new twists on old questions, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • NYC Wage Info Bill Highlights Rise In Pay Transparency Laws

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    With New York City the latest to mull requiring companies to annually report employee wage data, national employers should consider adapting their compliance practices to comply with increasingly common pay transparency and disclosure obligations at state and local levels, says Kelly Cardin at Littler Mendelson.

  • Workday AI Bias Suit Suggests Hiring Lessons For Employers

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    As state laws and a federal agency increasingly focus on employment bias introduced by artificial intelligence systems, a California federal court's recent decision to allow a discrimination suit to proceed against Workday's AI-driven recruitment software, shows companies should promptly assess these tools' risks, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.

  • How Anti-DEI Bill Could Affect Employers' Diversity Efforts

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    Sen. J.D. Vance's recently introduced Dismantle DEI Act would substantially limit employers’ ability to implement and promote workplace diversity, equity and inclusion, but there are still steps employers can take to support a diverse workforce, says Peter Ennis at Cozen O’Connor.

  • US Labor And Employment Law Holds Some Harsh Trade-Offs

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    U.S. labor and employment laws have evolved into a product of exposure-capping compromise, which merits discussion in a presidential election year when the dialogue has focused on purported protections of middle-class workers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Immigration Insights From 'The Proposal'

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    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper chat with their colleague Robert Lee about how immigration challenges highlighted in the romantic comedy "The Proposal" — beyond a few farcical plot contrivances — relate to real-world visa processes and employer compliance.

  • Employers Face Uncertainty After Calif. Justices' Slur Ruling

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    In Bailey v. San Francisco District Attorney's Office, the California Supreme Court recently ruled that a singular use of a racial slur may be sufficiently severe to support a hostile work environment claim, leaving employers to speculate about what sort of comments or conduct will meet this new standard going forward, says Stephanie Roeser at Manatt.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Flags Work Harassment Risks Of Social Media

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    The recent Ninth Circuit ruling in Okonowsky v. Garland, holding an employer could be liable for a co-worker's harassing social media posts, highlights new challenges in technology-centered and remote workplaces, and underscores an employer's obligation to prevent hostile environments wherever their employees clock in, say Jennifer Lada and Phillip Schreiber at Holland & Knight.