Discrimination

  • July 16, 2025

    Legal Aid Union Avoids Bias Claims Over Disciplinary Attempt

    A legal aid attorneys' union didn't violate antidiscrimination laws by moving to discipline three members after they sued to block a controversial pro-Palestine resolution, but it may have violated labor law, a New York federal judge said, letting a trimmed version of the members' lawsuit against the union proceed.

  • July 16, 2025

    Booz Allen Hit With Retaliation, Wrongful Firing Suit

    Booz Allen Hamilton has been sued for race discrimination and retaliation in Georgia federal court by the Black former chief technologist of its global converged resilience practice, who said he was discriminated against and then fired for raising concerns about fraudulent billing.

  • July 16, 2025

    EEOC Pick Echoes Trump's Stances On DEI, Agency Limits

    President Donald Trump's pick to join the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission indicated support Wednesday for the administration's opposition to workplace diversity, equity and inclusion programs and for its limited view of the commission's authority.

  • July 16, 2025

    Fast Food Workers Settle Trans Bias Case Dropped By EEOC

    Three former workers for a Culver's franchisee agreed to settle claims that the business fired them for opposing the harassment of a transgender employee, resolving a Michigan federal court case that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission abandoned because of Trump administration orders.

  • July 16, 2025

    Paramount Fired VP For Return-To-Office Concerns, Suit Says

    Paramount fired an executive for raising concerns that the company's return to in-person work during the COVID-19 pandemic put her at risk because of her autoimmune condition and then replaced her with a less experienced man, she said in a disability and gender bias suit filed in California state court.

  • July 15, 2025

    Trump Admin Seeks Win In Harvard $2B Funding Freeze Case

    The Trump administration urged a Massachusetts federal judge Monday to grant it summary judgment in Harvard University's lawsuit challenging the government's effort to freeze $2.2 billion in funding, arguing the dispute is a contract fight that belongs in the Federal Claims Court and the allegations fail on the merits.

  • July 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Revive SAG-AFTRA Vax Mandate Challenge

    The Ninth Circuit declined Tuesday to reinstate a suit claiming SAG-AFTRA shirked its duties to union members by greenlighting a COVID-19 vaccine mandate to get actors back to work during the pandemic, ruling their claims are either untimely or preempted by federal labor law.

  • July 15, 2025

    Feds Urge Calif. Judge To End Suit Over Border Patrol Sweep

    The U.S. government moved Tuesday to end a proposed class action alleging Border Patrol agents conducted race-based stops and warrantless arrests of people who appear to be farmworkers, arguing the government has required agents to evaluate flight risks and reasonable suspicion for stops, which renders the suit's claims moot.

  • July 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs United Airlines In Worker's Diabetes Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit upheld United Airlines' win over a lawsuit claiming it refused to accommodate a diabetic employee's restriction barring her from operating a jet bridge, ruling Tuesday that the airline wasn't required to modify the worker's duties to meet her needs.

  • July 15, 2025

    Ex-Navistar Worker Sues Over Tobacco Health Fee

    A former employee sued International Motors LLC, formerly Navistar, in Illinois federal court Monday, saying it imposes "discriminatory and punitive health insurance surcharges" on workers who smoke without offering an alternative that would allow them to recoup the additional $600 they pay annually.

  • July 15, 2025

    Pa. Judge Updates Damages In School District Pay Bias Case

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Tuesday adjusted the amount of back pay two female teachers should receive after a jury handed them a win on their claims that a Pennsylvania school district paid them less than men, and also signed off on liquidated damages.

  • July 15, 2025

    Harrah's Accused Of Firing Supervisor Over Health Issues

    A housekeeping supervisor said Harrah's Resort Atlantic City used flimsy reasoning to fire her after she sought time off for multiple health problems in a complaint filed in New Jersey federal court.

  • July 15, 2025

    11th Circ. Backs $50K Verdict In Ex-Koch Nurse's Assault Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday let stand a $50,000 verdict in favor of a former Koch Foods nurse against two human resource managers at a food plant whom she accused of assault and battery, saying jurors reached a viable conclusion.

  • July 15, 2025

    Kroger, Union Shouldn't Face Disability Bias Suit, Judge Says

    Kroger and a United Food and Commercial Workers local shouldn't have to face a lawsuit alleging they unlawfully refused to let a family member accompany a disabled grocery clerk during a disciplinary appeal, a Georgia federal magistrate judge recommended, saying accommodations weren't required after the worker was terminated.

  • July 15, 2025

    Michigan Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2025

    Michigan's courts are gearing up for a busy second half of the year, with high-profile prosecutions of Chinese scientists accused of smuggling, the state's top court tackling arbitration and automotive contracts, and revisions to the professional conduct rules for lawyers and judges all on deck.

  • July 15, 2025

    J&J Demands Sanctions Over Atty's 'Frivolous' Bias Suit In NJ

    Johnson & Johnson has blasted a former in-house data privacy attorney's discrimination suit against the company as "baseless and defamatory" and demanded sanctions against the ex-employee in New Jersey federal court.

  • July 15, 2025

    NJ Equal Pay Law For Temps Caught In The Crosshairs

    With an ongoing legal challenge and pushback from businesses, New Jersey's landmark temp worker bill of rights, which requires equal pay for equal work, shows the difficulty of modernizing wage and hour law, attorneys say.

  • July 15, 2025

    Law Curbing Arbitration Keeps AutoNation Bias Suit In Court

    AutoNation Inc. can't arbitrate a former sales associate's lawsuit claiming supervisors treated her differently because she's an older Black woman and made sexual comments in the workplace, a California state appeals court ruled, saying her case is shielded by a federal law prohibiting mandatory arbitration of sex harassment cases.

  • July 15, 2025

    4th Circ. Finds No Evidence Of Bias In HVAC Worker's Suit

    The Fourth Circuit backed the dismissal of a Black former HVAC worker's suit claiming he was placed on leave and disciplined by a Maryland school board out of racial bias, ruling he failed to counter evidence that he lost his job for threatening a supervisor and clashing with co-workers.

  • July 15, 2025

    UnitedHealth, Optum Accused Of Pregnancy Discrimination

    Optum Care Inc. and parent company UnitedHealth Group fired a care team supervisor while she was on maternity leave without a tangible reason, according to a suit lodged in California state court.

  • July 15, 2025

    Public Sector Labor Policy Expert Joins Fox Rothschild

    A longtime government attorney with years of experience in labor law and policy has jumped into the private sector, coming aboard Fox Rothschild's Washington, D.C., office as of counsel in the firm's labor and employment department.

  • July 14, 2025

    7th Circ. Upholds Exxon's Win In Ex-Lab Tech's Sex Bias Suit

    The Seventh Circuit on Monday refused to revive a former ExxonMobil Corp. employee's sex discrimination suit against the major oil and gas company, saying the woman failed to prove she was treated less favorably than male colleagues in the lead-up to her termination.

  • July 14, 2025

    CWA Was Not Biased Against White Member, Judge Says

    A New York federal court should find that the Communications Workers of America did not racially discriminate against a white Verizon worker by declining to arbitrate his firing grievance, a magistrate judge said, concluding evidence shows the union did not think it would win.

  • July 14, 2025

    Mich. Judge Claims Watchdog's Process Violates Due Process

    A Michigan judge accused by the state's judicial watchdog of creating a "climate of fear" among court staff is fighting the accusations, saying interpersonal issues were related to her "desire for accurate records, professionalism and respect" and calling the commission's pursuit of charges "misdirected and unfair."

  • July 14, 2025

    Judge Suggests Pruning Ex-Turner Sports Worker's Bias Suit

    A Georgia federal magistrate judge said Monday that the court should trim a former Turner Sports human resources employee's lawsuit claiming she was denied severance benefits when she quit following the merger of Discovery Inc. and WarnerMedia, saying the worker couldn't support allegations that an executive's statements caused her harm.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Eye On Compliance: NY's New Freelance Protection Law

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    New York's Freelance Isn't Free Act is set to take effect later this month, meaning employers must be proactive in ensuring compliance and take steps to mitigate risks, such as updating documentation and specifying correct worker classification, says Jonathan Meer at Wilson Elser.

  • 3 Notes For Arbitration Agreements After Calif. Ruling

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    After last month's California Supreme Court decision in Ramirez v. Charter Communications invalidated several arbitration clauses in the company's employee contracts as unconscionable, companies should ensure their own arbitration agreements steer clear of three major pitfalls identified by the court, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Eye On Compliance: New Pregnancy And Nursing Protections

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    With New York rolling out paid lactation breaks and extra leave for prenatal care, and recent federal legislative developments enhancing protection for pregnant and nursing workers, employers required to offer these complex new accommodations should take several steps to mitigate their compliance risks, says Madjeen Garcon-Bonneau at Wilson Elser.

  • How Calif. Ruling Alters Worker Arb. Agreement Enforcement

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    The California Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Ramirez v. Charter Communications should caution employers that while workers’ arbitration agreements will no longer be deemed unenforceable based on their number of unconscionable provisions, they must still be fair and balanced, says Sander van der Heide at CDF Labor.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers cases touching on pre- and post-conviction detainment conditions, communications with class representatives, when the American Pipe tolling doctrine stops applying to modified classes, and more.

  • How To Comply With Chicago's New Paid Leave Ordinance

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    Chicago's new Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance went into effect earlier this month, so employers subject to the new rules should update leave policies, train supervisors and deliver notice as they seek compliance, say Alison Crane and Sarah Gasperini at Jackson Lewis.

  • Big Business May Come To Rue The Post-Administrative State

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    Many have framed the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning Chevron deference and extending the window to challenge regulations as big wins for big business, but sand in the gears of agency rulemaking may be a double-edged sword, creating prolonged uncertainty that impedes businesses’ ability to plan for the future, says Todd Baker at Columbia University.

  • A Timeline Of Antisemitism Legislation And What It Means

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    What began as hearings in the House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce has expanded to a House-wide effort to combat antisemitism and related issues, with wide-ranging implications for education, finance and nonprofit entities, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Colo. Ruling Adopts 'Actual Discharge' Test For The First Time

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    After a Colorado court’s recent decision in Potts v. Gaia Children, adopting for the first time a test for evaluating an actual discharge claim, employers must diligently document the circumstances surrounding termination of employment, and exercise particular caution when texting employees, says Michael Laszlo at Clark Hill.

  • It's Time For Nationwide Race-Based Hair Protections

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    While 24 states have passed laws that prohibit race-based hair discrimination, this type of bias persists in workplaces and schools, so a robust federal law is necessary to ensure widespread protection, says Samone Ijoma and Erica Roberts at Sanford Heisler.