Discrimination

  • May 01, 2025

    Texas Bar Settles EEOC Suit Over Pregnant Bartender's Firing

    An Austin, Texas, bar has agreed to pay a former bartender $42,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging she was fired after she became pregnant because her condition was "too much of a liability."

  • April 30, 2025

    Ex-Levi's Exec Testifies Pregnancy News Blocked Promotion

    A former Levi Strauss executive who claims she was skipped over for a senior marketing director role after announcing her pregnancy told a California federal jury on Wednesday that her boss said the position was given to a colleague because the other woman had more "capacity" to "take on more work."

  • April 30, 2025

    Full 6th Circ. Won't Weigh In On Stomach Bug Disability Case

    The full Sixth Circuit declined Wednesday to take up the case of a man who claimed he was fired for taking time off to recover from a stomach illness, leaving in place a ruling that the man's ailment was not a disability under federal law.

  • April 30, 2025

    Steakhouse Fired Ga. Worker For Reporting Bias, Suit Says

    The Brazilian steakhouse chain Fogo De Chão has been sued in Georgia federal court by a former employee who said she was fired after complaining about discrimination she and other Black workers experienced at the chain's Dunwoody, Georgia, location.

  • April 30, 2025

    Fired Whataburger Worker's Bias Case Sent To Arbitration

    A Georgia federal judge said Wednesday a Black and gay ex-Whataburger employee should have to arbitrate his claims that he endured racial and homophobic slurs on the job before being fired, saying he signed a valid agreement to handle employment-related disputes out of court.

  • April 30, 2025

    6th Circ. Skeptical Of Chili's 'Culture' Rationale For Firing

    The Sixth Circuit appeared inclined Wednesday to revive an age discrimination case by a former Chili's restaurant manager, indicating that the restaurant's definition of "culture" — the reason given for his firing — has been hard to pin down.

  • April 30, 2025

    Marine Reservist Says Retaliation Suit Should Go To Trial

    A U.S. Marine Corps reservist urged a Texas federal court to keep in play his lawsuit alleging a professional services company fired him after two months because he took time off to attend training, saying the firm's reasoning that he was let go for poor performance is bogus.

  • April 30, 2025

    3rd Circ. Sides With Pa. Transit Agency In Race Bias Suit

    The Third Circuit on Wednesday upheld a Pennsylvania public transportation authority's defeat of a Black employee's lawsuit alleging she was given lower raises than white colleagues and transferred to a different department when she complained, saying she hadn't provided enough evidence to sustain her claims.

  • April 30, 2025

    6 Argument Sessions Bias Attorneys Should Watch In May

    The Sixth Circuit will tackle tricky questions about the reach of a federal law curbing employers' use of mandatory arbitration provisions for workers' sexual harassment and assault claims, while U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission attorneys will venture to three appellate courts to support cases and amicus briefs they've filed. Here, Law360 looks at six argument sessions discrimination attorneys should keep tabs on this month.

  • April 30, 2025

    McDonald's Operator Loses Assault Suit Coverage Appeal

    Two insurers were correct to deny coverage for a former Pittsburgh-area McDonald's franchisee in a lawsuit accusing it of failing to stop a supervisor from sexually harassing and assaulting underage employees, since the litigation that sent it into bankruptcy fell under exceptions to the insurance policies, a Third Circuit panel ruled Wednesday.

  • April 30, 2025

    IHOP Franchisee Dodges Most Of Fired Server's Bias Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge let an IHOP franchisee escape the bulk of a fired waitress's suit claiming she was propositioned for sex by a male manager and fired for complaining about it, ruling she had failed to put forward any corroboration about the alleged harassment to keep her claims in court.

  • April 30, 2025

    Dems Renew Effort To Enshrine LGBTQ+ Bias Protections

    Democratic lawmakers have reintroduced a bill meant to codify protections against sexual orientation and gender identity bias established by the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Bostock decision, saying the proposal is critical amid increasing attacks on LGBTQ+ rights across the U.S.

  • April 30, 2025

    $27M Union Pacific Verdict Caps Strong April For Workers

    A former Union Pacific employee who said the railroad used medical screenings to push out disabled workers scored a $27 million verdict, while the EEOC landed a $400,000 win on claims that a veteran lost a job offer after testing positive for prescribed medication. Here's a look back at four wins employment discrimination plaintiffs notched in the past month.

  • April 30, 2025

    Michael Best Gains Higher Ed Leader In Austin From Littler

    Michael Best & Friedrich LLP has deepened its labor and employment practice group with a partner in Austin who also serves as co-chair of the firm's higher education industry team and came aboard from Littler Mendelson PC.

  • April 30, 2025

    Bipartisan House Members Pitch Expanded Paid Family Leave

    A bipartisan group of House lawmakers unveiled legislation Wednesday that they said would expand access to paid family leave by incentivizing states to establish their own programs and facilitating the exchange of information between state and federal officials.

  • April 29, 2025

    Ex-Levi's Exec Loses Bid To Call Therapist At Bias Trial

    A California federal judge on Tuesday rejected a renewed bid from an ex-Levi Strauss executive suing for sex discrimination to have her therapist testify in the trial's liability phase about work-related stress, saying comments from a former Levi's colleague about the plaintiff's home struggles didn't open the door for his testimony.

  • April 29, 2025

    LA County Approves $4B Juvenile Sex Abuse Settlement

    Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday officially approved a previously announced $4 billion settlement to resolve nearly 7,000 claims of sexual abuse at juvenile detention facilities and foster homes, touted as the largest sex abuse settlement in U.S. history.

  • April 29, 2025

    6th Circ. Reopens Ex-Mich. County Worker's Firing Challenge

    The Sixth Circuit partially revived a former Michigan county department head's lawsuit claiming he was fired because he was in his 50s, finding Tuesday that while his age bias claim can't proceed, a reasonable jury could find he wasn't given an adequate opportunity to challenge his termination before it was finalized.

  • April 29, 2025

    Workday Bias Suit May Gain Collective Status

    A federal judge appeared inclined Tuesday to greenlight a collective action from job applicants over 40 who say they were unlawfully steered away from jobs by a Workday hiring tool, saying she saw a "common answer" applying across the proposed group.

  • April 29, 2025

    10th Circ. Backs Burger King Franchisee In Sex Bias Suit

    The Tenth Circuit refused Tuesday to revive a suit from a worker who said a Burger King franchisee did nothing to stop "appalling" sexual harassment by her manager, ruling she missed her chance to raise sex discrimination claims in a previous case.

  • April 29, 2025

    ​​Lawmaker Floats Bill To Bar COVID Vax Mandates In Higher Ed

    Colleges and universities that maintain a COVID-19 vaccine mandate would be barred from receiving federal funds under a bill introduced in the House. 

  • April 29, 2025

    Ex-Plant Workers Take Aim At Company's Atty Bribe Claims

    Two former employees of a plastics manufacturing plant are urging a Georgia federal court to disregard the company's attempt to push liability for an alleged bribery offer sent to their attorney onto a disgruntled former executive rather than the company's current financial director. 

  • April 29, 2025

    Littler Brings Back Arbitration Pro In Calif.

    Labor and employment firm Littler Mendelson PC is expanding its California arbitration team, announcing Tuesday that it is welcoming back an employment attorney who left briefly to join Whitney Thompson & Jeffcoach LLP.

  • April 29, 2025

    5th Circ. Says Hispanic DOT Worker Filed Bias Case Too Late

    A U.S. Department of Transportation employee was about a decade late in formally accusing his employer of discriminating against him and other Hispanic workers through failing to promote them to a higher pay level, the Fifth Circuit found, upholding a lower court's decision.

  • April 29, 2025

    1st Circ. Ruling Spotlights Shortcoming In EEOC Case Alerts

    A recent worker-friendly decision from the First Circuit on what qualifies as a right-to-sue notice from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission conflicts with another circuit's stance on the issue, highlighting an aspect of EEOC communications that lawyers said needs reform.

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.