Discrimination

  • August 08, 2025

    Trans Ex-Teacher Says His Fla. Constitution Claims Are Valid

    A transgender former teacher has opposed a county school district's bid to toss his Florida federal court lawsuit claiming he was forced to quit after a new law required him to use incorrect pronouns at work, saying his suit should go forward under the state constitution.

  • August 08, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: Amazon-NLRB Fight Heads To 9th Circ.

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for Ninth Circuit oral arguments in Amazon's challenge to the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board's structure. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • August 08, 2025

    Tesla Ousted HR Workers Who Flagged Race Bias, Suit Says

    Five former human resources workers and one former security employee at Tesla's beleaguered Fremont, California, facility said in a new lawsuit that higher-ups systemically punished employees who pushed back against racist and other discriminatory behavior at the plant.

  • August 08, 2025

    NY Judge Declines Monetary Sanctions Over Fake AI Citations

    A New York magistrate judge has declined to impose monetary sanctions on attorneys for submitting a brief containing fake citations generated by artificial intelligence in a school employment dispute, finding that the mistake was unintentional and caused by an attorney grieving the recent death of her husband.

  • August 08, 2025

    Jackson Lewis Hires DOJ Employment Litigator In DC

    A 15-year veteran of the U.S. Department of Justice who most recently was in the U.S. attorney's office in D.C. helping defend the government from employment and other civil claims has joined Jackson Lewis PC as of counsel.

  • August 08, 2025

    Judge Rebuts 'Intemperate' Language In 'It Ends With Us' Row

    A New York federal judge on Friday warned all litigants in actress Blake Lively's defamation case against her "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni not to use "intemperate" language and personal attacks in court filings.

  • August 08, 2025

    7th Circ. Ruling Shows Courts' Struggle To Apply Groff

    A split Seventh Circuit opinion over whether a public school was legally obligated to carve out a religious exemption to an LGBTQ+ inclusivity policy highlights a broader judicial struggle to put relatively new U.S. Supreme Court rules for faith-based workplace accommodations into practice, experts said.

  • August 08, 2025

    NY Firm Falcon Rappaport Adds Employment Partner

    New York business law firm Falcon Rappaport & Berkman LLP has hired an attorney from Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP as a partner in its labor and employment practice group, the firm announced.

  • August 08, 2025

    Black Officer's Lower Pay Ruled Not Based On Discrimination

    The pay disparity between a Black female corrections lieutenant and two white male lieutenants was rooted in civil service pay rules and job differences, not gender and race-based discrimination, an Alabama federal judge ruled.

  • August 08, 2025

    Convenience Store Strikes Deal In EEOC Disability Bias Suit

    An Alabama convenience store operator will pay $40,000 to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging it fired a disabled cashier after co-workers mocked him and retaliated against him for complaining, according to a consent decree filed Thursday.

  • August 07, 2025

    'Star Wars' Actor, Disney Agree To End Political Bias Suit

    A former "Star Wars" actor has agreed to drop her suit claiming that The Walt Disney Co. and Lucasfilm fired her for sharing her political views on social media, according to a joint stipulation of dismissal filed Thursday in California federal court.

  • August 07, 2025

    7th Circ. Affirms ExxonMobil's Win In Ex-Worker's Bias Suit

    The Seventh Circuit has upheld summary judgment for ExxonMobil in a discrimination and retaliation suit brought by a former employee, saying that, while it was clear she worked in a "toxic" workplace, her allegations weren't supported by the evidence in the record.

  • August 07, 2025

    'Breakdown In Civility' Gets Boies Schiller Sanctioned

    A California federal judge slapped Boies Schiller Flexner LLP with a $15,000 sanction Thursday in a former worker's suit claiming Levi Strauss & Co. declined to promote her out of sex bias, faulting the firm for a "uniquely eye-opening breakdown in civility and professionalism."

  • August 07, 2025

    Housing Authority Can't Slip Ex-Worker's Retaliation Lawsuit

    A North Carolina federal judge has refused to end a discrimination suit against Charlotte's public housing authority Inlivian, finding that several material disputes remain about whether an ex-worker faced retaliation after whistleblowing.

  • August 07, 2025

    EEOC, Auto Dealer Close Book On Harassment Suit

    A classic car dealership and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have ended a lawsuit claiming a company executive made inappropriate sexual comments and pressured an office manager to send him nude photos, according to an order in Illinois federal court Thursday.

  • August 07, 2025

    Worker Says Property Firm Fired Her Over Medical Diagnosis

    A property management firm has been sued in Georgia federal court by a former employee who alleged she was discriminated against and eventually fired after being diagnosed with ovarian fibroids requiring a hysterectomy and hernia repair.

  • August 07, 2025

    10th Circ. Upholds Okla. Law Banning Trans Care For Minors

    The Tenth Circuit declined to block an Oklahoma law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors, ruling that a recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion backing a similar law from Tennessee undermines state residents' claims that the statute is discriminatory.

  • August 07, 2025

    Ex-Worker Sues Firm For Bias After Work On CDC Contract

    A former employee sued a management consulting and professional services firm in Georgia federal court Wednesday, alleging he was discriminated against and ultimately fired because of his Islamic faith and PTSD while working on a three-year Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contract.

  • August 07, 2025

    Depo Row Yields Cross Sanctions Bids In Ala. Civil Rights Suit

    Paper goods company Kimberly-Clark and a former employee are pointing fingers at each other in Mobile, Alabama, federal court over a reportedly failed deposition amid the ex-employee's discrimination suit, with each side requesting discovery sanctions over the other's "bad faith" behavior.

  • August 07, 2025

    Ikea Settles Suits Claiming It Favored Young Workers

    Ikea has resolved several suits accusing the retailer of unlawfully favoring young workers for jobs and promotions while discouraging older employees from applying, according to filings in Pennsylvania federal court.

  • August 06, 2025

    City Leaders' Words Get Fired Cop's Age Bias Suit Revived

    The Eleventh Circuit revived age bias claims Wednesday from an ex-cop who said a Florida city demoted her and gave her assistant chief of police role to a younger worker, finding city leaders' public push for younger employees cast doubt on the reasons for her demotion and firing.

  • August 06, 2025

    Ex-WBZ Anchor Files $4M Race Suit Against CBS, Paramount

    Paramount, CBS and its Boston affiliate station WBZ-TV face a $4 million lawsuit in Massachusetts federal court from a former WBZ morning anchor who alleges the defendants discriminated against her as a white woman and demoted her following an inadequate investigation into complaints by colleagues who accused her of racism. 

  • August 06, 2025

    WilmerHale Beats Fired Associate's Racial Bias Claims

    A Manhattan judge Wednesday threw out a former WilmerHale senior associate's lawsuit alleging he was unfairly evaluated and eventually fired because he is Black, finding that the complaint doesn't plausibly allege discriminatory comments were made about his race or that employees of other races were treated better.

  • August 06, 2025

    UC Policy Found Discriminatory Based On Immigration Status

    A California state appeals court has ruled that the University of California's employment policy against hiring unauthorized immigrant students who lack federal work permits is "facially discriminatory," and that the university system couldn't lean on a risk of federal enforcement for justification.

  • August 06, 2025

    Accounting Firm Must Face Ex-Credit Union CEO's Firing Suit

    The largest accounting firm in Connecticut, Whittlesey PC, must face the former CEO of Sound Federal Credit Union's claim that he was fired for following the firm's advice on when to calendar gains from a $1.2 million property sale, a Connecticut trial court judge has ruled.

Expert Analysis

  • 6 Ways The Dole Act Alters USERRA Employment Protections

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    The recently passed Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act continues a long-standing trend of periodically increasing the scope of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, expanding civilian employment rights for service members and veterans with some of the most significant changes yet, say attorneys at Littler.

  • TikTok Bias Suit Ruling Reflects New Landscape Under EFAA

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    In Puris v. Tiktok, a New York federal court found an arbitration agreement unenforceable in a former executive's bias suit, underscoring an evolving trend of broad, but inconsistent, interpretation of the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Takeaways From 'It Ends With Us' Suits

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    Troutman’s Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter discuss how the lawsuits filed by “It Ends With Us” stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni hold major lessons about workplace harassment, retaliation and employee digital media use.

  • Running A Compliant DEI Program After EEOC, DOJ Guidance

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    Following recent guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice that operationalized the Trump administration's focus on ending so-called illegal DEI, employers don't need to eliminate DEI programs, but they must ensure that protected characteristics are not considered in employment decisions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • 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.