Discrimination

  • May 26, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Revive Wash. City Workers' Vax Mandate Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel Tuesday put an end to city workers' lawsuit challenging Bellingham, Washington's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, ruling that a lower court appropriately dismissed the action and barred the workers from amending their claims.

  • May 26, 2026

    Seattle Hospital Loses Appeal Of Dr.'s $21M Race Bias Verdict

    A Washington Court of Appeals panel Tuesday upheld a $21 million verdict against Seattle Children's Hospital in a Black ex-medical director's lawsuit claiming he faced racism in the workplace and retaliation for complaining about systemic inequities, ruling "substantial evidence" justified the jury's findings and damages award.

  • May 26, 2026

    Judge Says Ex-City Prosecutor's Bias Suit Should Be Tossed

    A Texas federal judge recommended Tuesday that a bias and retaliation suit against the city of Corpus Christi by a former assistant city attorney be tossed because he failed to show that comparable workers were treated better or that the city's performance-based reasons for firing him were false.

  • May 26, 2026

    EEOC, Health System Ink $325K Deal To End Flu Vax Probe

    Northwestern Medical Group will pay $325,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation into whether it unlawfully denied workers' requests for faith-based exemptions from an influenza vaccination policy, the agency announced Tuesday.

  • May 26, 2026

    Ball State President Settles With Worker Fired Over Kirk Post

    A former Ball State University employee will receive $225,000 to end her suit accusing the university's president of violating her constitutional rights by ousting her for a viral social media post about conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk after his killing, the ACLU of Indiana announced Tuesday.

  • May 26, 2026

    9th Circ. Backs Reinstating DEI Grants Nixed By Trump

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday partially upheld a lower court's preliminary injunction and class certification orders in litigation from University of California researchers against President Donald Trump, backing the reinstatement of grants terminated due to presidential orders against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives while reversing the injunction for those grants that were rescinded without explanation.

  • May 26, 2026

    EEOC Says Gas Chain Axed Disabled Worker Over Need To Sit

    Texas-based gas station and convenience store chain Buc-ee's denied a cashier's request to sit on the job because of an autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness and ultimately fired him, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Tuesday.

  • May 26, 2026

    J&J Strikes Deal To End Ex-Engineer's FMLA Claims

    A former Johnson & Johnson engineer and the company have agreed to end his lawsuit alleging the medical device maker retaliated against him for taking parental and medical leave, according to a Tuesday filing in Massachusetts federal court.

  • May 26, 2026

    Ironworkers Union Local Must Face NJ AG's Bias Suit

    A New Jersey Superior Court judge refused to dismiss the state's discrimination lawsuit accusing an Ironworkers local of systematically passing over Black union members for job assignments, ruling that the claims are not time-barred or preempted by federal labor law.

  • May 26, 2026

    Wage Disclosure Suit Doesn't Trigger Coverage, Judge Says

    A federal judge has sided with a Tokio Marine Holdings Inc. unit in a coverage dispute over a Washington Equal Pay and Opportunities Act class action, finding that an alleged failure to disclose salary ranges in job postings does not qualify as discrimination under the restaurant operator's employment practices liability insurance policy.

  • May 26, 2026

    5th Circ. Won't Reopen White Ex-News Anchor's Bias Suit

    The Fifth Circuit backed a Mississippi television station's win over a white former news anchor's lawsuit claiming she was fired because of her race, saying she couldn't overcome the company's explanation that she'd used two racially insensitive terms on air within six months.

  • May 26, 2026

    Justices Deny Bishops' Bid For Church Autonomy Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a request by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to consider broadening religious protections under the First Amendment, turning away a case that could have helped religious organizations avoid lawsuits entirely or get quick appeals on constitutional autonomy rulings.

  • May 26, 2026

    Justices Sidestep Question On NFL Arbitration Process

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to review a Second Circuit opinion finding the National Football League's arbitration process unenforceable, in a case that sought clarity on whether district courts have authority to decide whether an arbitration process is fair.

  • May 22, 2026

    Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar

    This past year, 10 lawyers across the country at plaintiffs' firms big and small helped secure millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for their clients, going up against powerful defendants like Google, Monsanto and the Trump administration, earning the attorneys recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2026.

  • May 22, 2026

    1st Circ. Revives Puerto Rico Worker's Political Bias Suit

    The First Circuit reinstated a worker's suit claiming a Puerto Rico municipality sabotaged his success and forced him to quit because his political affiliation differed from that of an incoming mayor, saying he backed his allegations with enough evidence of potential bias.

  • May 22, 2026

    Workplace DEI Recap: NY Times, 10th Circ., NFL

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accused the New York Times of unlawfully rejecting a white male editor for a promotion, the 10th Circuit rejected a suit from a white ex-correction officer over racial sensitivity training, and the NFL is facing a subpoena from Florida's attorney general over its diversity policies. Here's a roundup of the notable diversity, equity and inclusion-related legal developments we've seen so far in May.  

  • May 22, 2026

    Health Workers Say US Solicitor Wrong In NY Vax Case

    The U.S. solicitor general's position that the nation's highest court shouldn't take up a religious bias suit over a New York state COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers incorrectly claimed that accommodations were obtainable, the mandate's challengers told the justices Friday.

  • May 22, 2026

    'Can't Just Make Up Names And Sue,' 7th Circ. Judge Says

    A Seventh Circuit judge rebuked a lawyer Friday for naming a "made up" entity, rather than the correct institution, in a workplace sexual harassment lawsuit against the Wisconsin Court System and a former judge, demanding the error be corrected immediately.

  • May 22, 2026

    Ex-Public Defender, Ex-Boss Spar Over Bias Suit Discovery

    The administrative office overseeing indigent defense in metro Detroit has asked a Michigan federal judge to end bias claims a former public defender brought against the office, arguing she ignored discovery orders, while the lawyer asked the court to reconsider an April discovery order, arguing the defendants omitted facts in the motion to compel.

  • May 22, 2026

    United Airlines Can't Escape Catholic Pilot's Vax Bias Suit

    An Illinois federal judge said United Airlines can't escape a Catholic pilot's suit claiming he was forced to get immunized against COVID-19 in violation of his beliefs or remain on indefinite leave, after rejecting timeliness concerns given allegations that he was subjected to a long-running "coercive campaign."

  • May 22, 2026

    NY Forecast: Thompson Hine Bias Suit At 2nd Circ.

    In the week ahead, the Second Circuit will consider Thompson Hine LLP's challenge to an order keeping a former partner's discrimination suit in federal court instead of sending it to arbitration. Here, Law360 looks at this and other cases on the docket in New York.

  • May 22, 2026

    Calif. Forecast: Job Applicants Seek Info In AI Hiring Dispute

    In the week ahead, attorneys should watch for a motion hearing in a discrimination collective action that job applicants are bringing against Workday Inc. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • May 21, 2026

    EEOC Gets Access To American Airlines' Software In ADA Suit

    A Texas federal judge allowed the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Thursday to inspect American Airlines software in a suit claiming the company fired a blind employee who asked to use a screen reader but limited the agency's access to programs the worker would have used.

  • May 21, 2026

    Virginia Gov. Rejects Menopause Bias Legislation

    Virginia's governor vetoed a bill that would've made it illegal for employers to discriminate against workers or deny accommodations for menopause or perimenopause, citing the Legislature's rejection of her proposed amendment to instead commission a study on the issue.

  • May 21, 2026

    EEOC Disability Bias Suit Threadbare, Retailer Tells 10th Circ.

    An appliance retailer called on the Tenth Circuit on Wednesday to preserve its win in a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission disability discrimination lawsuit on behalf of a fired sales associate, arguing there's no evidence the company knew the employee had a disabling medical condition.

Expert Analysis

  • 7 Tips For Employers On Calif. Decision-Making Tech Rules

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    Over the next eight months, many California employers must prepare to comply with challenging new requirements under the California Consumer Privacy Act that constitute the most comprehensive set of rules in the country on the use of automated decision-making technology, say attorneys at Littler.

  • What To Know About NY's Employment Credit Check Ban

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    An amendment to the New York state Fair Credit Reporting Act prohibiting applicants' or employees' consumer credit history from being used in employment-related decisions statewide will take effect in a few days, so employers should update policies, train teams and audit positions for narrow exemptions, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Gender-Expansive Calif. Equal Pay Laws Widen Employer Risk

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    California's recent amendments to strengthen its Equal Pay Act and Pay Transparency Act aim to shrink the wage gap, not only for women, but also for nonbinary and transgender employees, creating new compliance obligations for employers and increasing their potential exposure, say attorneys at the Jhaveri-Weeks Firm.

  • AI Recruiting Suit Shows Old Laws May Implicate New Tools

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    The Fair Credit Reporting Act allegations recently filed in Kistler v. Eightfold AI, are the latest example of broad definitional language in legacy statutes proving far more dangerous to companies deploying artificial intelligence – particularly in hiring – than any purpose-built artificial intelligence regulation, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • What's Missing From Latest Gov't Claims Against Harvard

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    The most interesting thing about the Trump administration’s recent civil rights enforcement efforts targeting Harvard University is its decision not to assert violations of the False Claims Act when given the opportunity, despite signals that its enforcement efforts will include use of the federal FCA, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

  • Preparing For New Calif. Pay Data Reporting Requirements

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    California's S.B. 464 overhauls the state's pay data reporting framework by requiring employers to use job categories that are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, increasing both the potential visibility of pay disparities and the complexity of compliance, say attorneys at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Justices May Hesitate To Limit Courts' Arbitration Review

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    Based on Monday's argument in Jules v. Andre Balazs, the U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to preserve federal jurisdiction over arbitral award enforcement stemming from actions originated in federal court, a holding that would markedly limit the court's 2022 Walters v. Badgerow decision, says Ashwini Jayaratnam at DarrowEverett.

  • Spotlight On Legal Battles Over EEOC Subpoena Powers

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    Attorneys at Wilson Elser consider the spate of litigation over the past year, spurred by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s focus on alleged religious discrimination at universities, and corporate diversity, equity and inclusion practices, and how it may affect the attempts to assert privacy rights against the agency's broad subpoena powers.

  • NFL Hiring Bias Ruling Signals Trend Away From Arbitration

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    A New York federal court's recent decision in Flores v. NFL, declining to compel arbitration in a class action alleging racial discrimination in the league's hiring practices, reflects courts' increasing reluctance to allow private dispute resolution for systemic discrimination claims, says Masood Ali at Segal McCambridge.

  • Flashpoints In Focus: Harassment At Work After Epstein Files

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    The recent release of millions of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking scheme has renewed a movement to hold perpetrators of sexual assault and harassment responsible, making it a perfect time for employers to ensure they have a strong system for preventing and addressing workplace harassment, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • NYC Leave Law Expands Compliance Beyond Written Policies

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    Following recent amendments to New York City's Earned Safe and Sick Time Act that expand its uses, give employees 32 hours of immediately available time off and create a right to request schedule changes, compliance now turns on whether employees can use time off without facing barriers or discipline, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • 3rd Circ. Must Reject EEOC's Flawed Equal Pay Theory

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    To avoid illogical outcomes, the Third Circuit, in Cartee-Haring and Marinello v. Central Bucks School District, should refute the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s recently filed amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs’ bias claims based on pay compared with one single co-worker, say Allan King at Littler and Stephen Bronars at Edgeworth Economics.

  • How Cos. Should Prepare For NY RAISE Act Compliance

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    With the New York Responsible AI Safety and Education Act taking effect March 19, state regulators will expect subject artificial intelligence governance policies to understand whether appropriate safeguards and protocols are in place to prevent or mitigate discriminatory or adverse outcomes by frontier models, says Michael Paulino at Gordon Rees.