Discrimination

  • August 29, 2025

    Amazon Workers Get Class Nod In Military Leave Bias Suit

    A New York federal judge handed class certification to a group of workers alleging Amazon did not provide equal leave benefits to service members compared to those who took other forms of leave such as jury duty, although he found the class representative couldn't lead the case.

  • August 29, 2025

    US Education Dept. Finds Denver Schools Flouted Title IX

    The first Title IX investigation undertaken by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights since President Donald Trump returned to office found Denver Public Schools violated Title IX by converting two bathrooms at a local high school to multi-stall, all-gender bathrooms, according to a Thursday news release from the OCR.

  • August 29, 2025

    Employment Lawyers' Weekly DEI Cheat Sheet

    The city of Seattle has attempted to block the Trump administration from enforcing executive orders that condition federal grants partly on recipients curtailing diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and the state of Texas was hit with a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a law curbing inclusivity in public schools. Here, Law360 looks at notable DEI-related legal developments from the past week.

  • August 29, 2025

    GardaWorld Can't Avoid Tobacco, Vaccine Health Fee Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge trimmed — but refused to toss — a proposed class action challenging a security company's health plan surcharges to employees who refused COVID-19 vaccinations and who use tobacco, opening discovery on claims that the fees violated nondiscrimination provisions in federal benefits law.

  • August 29, 2025

    5th Circ. Upholds Dallas Win In Pay, Race Bias Case

    A former management assistant for the city of Dallas failed to demonstrate that she was paid less than a colleague because of her race and her retaliation and discrimination claims also could not stand, the Fifth Circuit ruled Friday.

  • August 29, 2025

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Hears Northwell COVID Vaccine Suit

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider whether to revive a suit brought by former healthcare workers who claimed they were discriminated against on the basis of their religion when they were fired for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

  • August 29, 2025

    UPenn Prof Suspended For Racist Remarks Loses Bias Claim

    University of Pennsylvania law professor Amy Wax lost her federal discrimination claims against the school for suspending her over disparaging comments she made about minorities, with a judge finding that she was disciplined for racist speech, not because of her own race.

  • August 29, 2025

    Ill. Jury Sides With Ex-CTA Worker In Vax Bias Lawsuit

    An Illinois federal jury on Friday awarded a former Chicago Transit Authority employee $425,000 in damages, finding the transit agency liable on his religious discrimination claim after he was terminated following his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine and denied an exemption to the agency's vaccine requirement.

  • August 29, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: NLRB Fights Co. With Union-Busting Claims

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for arguments in a National Labor Relations Board case against an environmental and engineering consultant. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • August 29, 2025

    Single Slur Not Enough For Retaliation Suit, Judge Says

    A Michigan federal judge stood by her dismissal of an Arab American worker's suit claiming a car dealership fired him for protesting a supervisor's racist language while following up on her original ruling to say that opposition to the single use of a slur isn't enough to establish a retaliation case.

  • August 29, 2025

    Wage And Hour Laws To Look Out For This Fall

    Workers in Maine will get extra wages if their employer cancels or cuts back their shift last minute, and employers in Cleveland will have to abide by new salary history and pay transparency requirements. Here, Law360 looks at these and other wage and hour and equal pay laws coming in the fall.

  • August 28, 2025

    10th Circ. Told Okla. 'Race Theory' Law Must Go

    The Tenth Circuit is being told it must ensure academic freedom for the students of Oklahoma, whose constitutional rights and "the very nature of the classroom as a place that nurtures inquiry and discussion" are being undermined by a state law restricting what they can be taught.

  • August 28, 2025

    Ex-Katten Partner's $67M Age Bias Suit Stayed For Arbitration

    A Manhattan federal judge stayed a $67 million discrimination lawsuit brought by a former Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP partner alleging the firm pushed him out of the aircraft-finance practice group, pressured him to resign and then fired him because of his age, saying there is an arbitration agreement at play.

  • August 28, 2025

    Car Dealership Settles EEOC Hiring Bias Suit For $275K

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Thursday that it struck a $275,000 deal with a Missouri car dealership to end a gender bias suit claiming the business only hired women for office jobs and men for sales jobs.

  • August 28, 2025

    Religion Didn't Drive Ex-CTA Worker's Vax Refusal, Jury Hears

    A former Chicago Transit Authority electrician hasn't met his burden of proving religious discrimination was behind his termination when he refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and his refusal was based on personal preference and health and safety concerns about the jab, an Illinois federal jury heard Thursday.

  • August 28, 2025

    White Workers Say Shell Reorganization Was Discriminatory

    Shell was hit with a federal lawsuit this week accusing it of implementing a "pretextual departmental reorganization" that discriminated against several white employees.

  • August 28, 2025

    Ex-State Farm VP Sues Activists Over Secretly Recording Date

    A former State Farm executive has sued political activist James O'Keefe and a woman who lied about her intentions to date him, claiming they violated Illinois' eavesdropping statute by secretly recording his comments about State Farm's diversity efforts and rate hikes and later posting misleading videos of him, costing him his job.

  • August 28, 2025

    8th Circ. Brings Back EEOC Harassment Suit Against BNSF

    The Eighth Circuit on Thursday revived a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit accusing BNSF Railway Co. of failing to adequately safeguard women at a Nebraska rail yard from rampant harassment, saying the legal standard applied by a trial court was too rigid.

  • August 28, 2025

    School Union Inks $110K Deal To End EEOC Race Bias Suit

    A school district labor union has agreed to pay $110,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it discriminated against a Black custodian by challenging his promotion, according to a filing Thursday in Illinois federal court.

  • August 28, 2025

    Ex-Law Firm Worker Gets More Time To Give Info In Bias Suit

    A New Jersey state judge gave the attorney for a woman suing a Garden State law firm in a workplace discrimination case additional time to respond to overdue discovery requests after he failed to reply for more than seven months.

  • August 28, 2025

    EEOC Yanks Guide On Workforce Demographic Data

    A recently published U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission fact sheet reminding federal employers to adhere to longstanding employee demographic reporting requirements was taken down after an agency source said it was released prematurely while still in draft form.

  • August 28, 2025

    4th Circ. Says Jury Should Hear Ex-Professor's Sex Bias Suit

    The Fourth Circuit revived an ex-Morgan State University professor's suit claiming she was denied multiple promotions and paid less than her male colleagues, finding the lower court overlooked key evidence that warrants a trial, such as claims that a department chair called her a "reject lesbian."

  • August 27, 2025

    Seattle Asks Court To Bar Feds From Yanking Grants Over DEI

    The city of Seattle has urged a federal court to block the Trump administration from enforcing two executive orders that condition federal grants on recipients abandoning the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion or "gender ideology," saying the conditions are unconstitutional and jeopardize several of the city's critical public services.

  • August 27, 2025

    DOD Education Unit Accused Of Bias By Assistant Principal

    A Black, longtime employee of the Department of Defense Education Activity has sued the agency and its leaders in North Carolina federal court, alleging a lower school principal harassed her, that she was denied promotions based on her race and sex and is being unfairly terminated.

  • August 27, 2025

    6th Circ. Says Hospital Waived Arbitration In Pronoun Dispute

    The Sixth Circuit reversed an order Wednesday allowing a University of Michigan hospital to arbitrate an ex-worker's suit claiming she was fired out of religious bias for refusing to use preferred pronouns for certain LGBTQ patients, ruling the institution waited too long to invoke an arbitration pact.

Expert Analysis

  • NWSL's $5M Player Abuse Deal Shifts Standard For Employers

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    The National Women's Soccer League's recent $5 million settlement addressing players' abuse allegations sends a powerful message to leagues, entertainment entities and employers everywhere that employee safety, accountability and transparency are no longer optional, say attorneys at Michelman & Robinson.

  • Navigating The Use Of AI Tools In Workplace Investigations

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Artificial intelligence tools can be used in workplace investigations to analyze evidence and conduct interviews, among other things, but employers should be aware of the legal and practical risks, including data privacy concerns and the potential for violating antidiscrimination laws, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • How Justices Rule On Straight Bias May Shift Worker Suits

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    Following oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, in which a heterosexual woman sued her employer for sexual orientation discrimination, the forthcoming decision may create a perfect storm for employers amid recent attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Employer Tips To Navigate Cultural Flashpoints Investigations

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    As companies are increasingly flooded with complaints of employees violating policies related to polarizing social, cultural or political issues, employers should beware the distinct concerns and increased risk in flashpoints investigations compared to routine workplace probes, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • A Path Forward For Employers, Regardless Of DEI Stance

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    Whether a company views the Trump administration's executive orders ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs as a win or a loss, the change rearranges the employment hazards companies face, but not the non-DEI and nondiscriminatory economic incentive to seek the best workers, says Daniel S. Levy at Advanced Analytical Consulting Group.

  • Bias Suit Shows WNBA Growing Pains On Court And In Court

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    A newly filed disability discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against the Los Angeles Sparks is the latest in a series of employment discrimination disputes filed by WNBA professionals, highlighting teams' obligation to meet elevated workplace expectations and the league's role in facilitating an inclusive work environment, say attorneys at Michelman & Robinson.

  • 2 Areas Of Labor Law That May Change Under Trump

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    Based on President Donald Trump's recent moves, employers should expect to see significant changes in the direction of law coming out of the National Labor Relations Board, particularly in two areas where the Trump administration will seek to roll back the Biden NLRB's changes, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Justices' Revival Ruling In Bias Suit Exceeds Procedural Issue

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Waetzig v. Halliburton allowed the plaintiff in an age discrimination lawsuit to move to reopen his case after arbitration, but the seemingly straightforward decision on a procedural issue raises complex questions for employment law practitioners, says Christopher Sakauye at Dykema.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'Late Night' Shows DEI Is More Than Optics

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    Amid the shifting legal landscape for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Troutman's Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter chat with their firm's DEI committee chair, Nicole Edmonds, about how the 2019 film "Late Night" reflects the challenges and rewards of fostering meaningful inclusion.

  • 9 Considerations For Orgs Using AI Meeting Assistants

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    When deciding to use artificial intelligence meeting assistants, organizations must create and implement a written corporate policy that establishes the do's and don'ts for these assistants, taking into account individualized business operations, industry standards and legal and regulatory requirements, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit

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    The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Determining What 'I Don't Feel Safe' Means In The Workplace

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    When an employee tells an employer "I don't feel safe," the phrase can have different meanings, so employment lawyers must adequately investigate to identify which meaning applies — and a cursory review and dismissal of the situation may not be a sufficient defense in case of future legal proceedings, says Karen Elliott at FordHarrison.

  • How EEOC Enforcement Priorities May Change Under Trump

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has already been rocked by the Trump administration's dramatic changes in personnel and policy, which calls into question how the agency may shift its direction from the priorities set forth in its five-year strategic enforcement plan in 2023, say attorneys at Seyfarth.