Discrimination

  • July 31, 2025

    'It Ends With Us' Coverage Suit Opens New Front In Legal War

    The decision by Justin Baldoni's insurer to seek relief from defending the "It Ends With Us" actor and his associates from co-star Blake Lively's sexual harassment claims has legal experts raising their eyebrows, as they observe strange circumstances mixed with common coverage issues.

  • July 31, 2025

    GAO Says VA Not Monitoring All Whistleblower Settlements

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report Thursday that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' lacks information on all settlement agreements reached in whistleblower retaliation cases involving VA employees due to lack of coordination between agencies. 

  • July 31, 2025

    Ex-FDIC Chair 'Livid' Over Toxic Workplace Claims, OIG Says

    An investigation by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s inspector general has found evidence that former Chair Martin Gruenberg and four unnamed ex-senior officials "personally engaged in some degree of inappropriate workplace conduct," in the latest report on the sexual harassment and toxic workplace scandal that erupted into public view nearly two years ago.

  • July 31, 2025

    Senate Confirms EEOC Leader Lucas For Fresh Term

    The U.S. Senate voted on party lines Thursday to confirm acting U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Andrea Lucas for a fresh five-year term, clearing the way for her to continue recalibrating the agency's work to match President Donald Trump's agenda.

  • July 31, 2025

    NJ Town Knocks Out Worker's $1.6M Disability Bias Win

    A New Jersey appellate court scrapped a $1.6 million verdict Thursday for a township employee who said she was discriminated and retaliated against for taking leave to treat her anxiety, ruling the evidence presented at trial didn't justify the damages award.

  • July 31, 2025

    EEOC Says Hospital Wrong To Fire Worker Allergic To Vaccine

    A hospital violated federal disability law when it fired a worker in its insurance department who didn't get the COVID-19 vaccine because she was allergic to it, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged in Illinois federal court Thursday.

  • July 31, 2025

    Seattle Sues Trump Administration Over Anti-DEI Grant Terms

    The city of Seattle sued the Trump administration in Washington federal court on Thursday, targeting two executive orders that require federal funding recipients to adopt the president's stances on diversity efforts and gender or risk losing money for a range of critical causes.

  • July 31, 2025

    6th Circ. Hints White Worker Lost Chance For Strong Bias Suit

    There are strong indicators that the University of Toledo sacked a white human resources employee to shield it from racism allegations, two Sixth Circuit judges agreed Thursday, but they said the evidence is of little use since no race discrimination claim was brought in the case before them.

  • July 31, 2025

    Drexel Ordered To Pay $546K In Fees, Costs In Equal Pay Case

    A former Drexel University professor found at trial to have been paid less than her male colleagues can recoup nearly $546,000 in attorney fees and costs, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled Thursday, rejecting arguments her request was late, and was inappropriate because her lead counsel was her husband.

  • July 31, 2025

    Honeywell Ex-GC Claims Age Bias Led To Firing At 55

    A Honeywell International Inc. former vice president and general counsel accused the Charlotte-based conglomerate of age discrimination, telling a North Carolina federal court that she was fired for turning 55.

  • July 31, 2025

    ABA Seeks To Toss Race Bias Suit Over Scholarship Program

    The American Bar Association urged an Illinois federal court to throw out a lawsuit from The American Alliance for Equal Rights alleging the association's Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund constitutes race-based discrimination, arguing that the claims are simply a "'desire to vindicate' a particular 'view of the law.'"

  • July 31, 2025

    Firefighter Says Military Service Cost Her Pay, Opportunities

    The Jersey City, New Jersey, fire department shorted a firefighter on pay and pension benefits while she was out on military leave and deprived her of opportunities upon her return to work, according to a lawsuit filed in state court.

  • July 31, 2025

    Dept. Head Ends Claim Of Being Forced To Work After Injuries

    Scientific Systems Company Inc., a Massachusetts-based military contractor, and a former department head have agreed to dismiss a Connecticut federal employment discrimination lawsuit that claimed the company forced its ex-employee to work with a spinal injury and broken fingers after he fell during a travel assignment.

  • July 31, 2025

    Rising Star: Proskauer's Rachel Fischer

    Proskauer Rose's Rachel Fischer has successfully defended high-profile clients such as Fox News in a former producer's sexual harassment and assault suit and the MLB in an umpire's race discrimination suit, earning her a spot among the employment practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 31, 2025

    Clinic Settles EEOC Disability Bias Suit Over Worker's Firing

    A pediatric clinic told a Georgia federal judge Thursday that it struck a $70,000 deal to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it fired an employee because she asked to work remotely to manage her anxiety and PTSD.

  • July 30, 2025

    DOJ Flags 'Unlawful Discrimination' To Gov't Fund Recipients

    The U.S. Department of Justice has outlined what it considers "unlawful discrimination" that federal funding recipients must avoid, including diversity, equity and inclusion programs, transgender athletes and "proxy" discrimination of assessing a job applicant's "cultural competence."

  • July 30, 2025

    9th Circ. Tells DOL To Hand Over Workforce Data To Reporters

    The Ninth Circuit said Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Labor must release federal contractor demographic reports to the Center for Investigative Reporting, backing a lower court's order that the data can't be concealed from the public under the concern that it contains commercial information.

  • July 30, 2025

    Mayo Clinic Forced Vaccine On Christian Worker, EEOC Says

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accused the Mayo Clinic on Wednesday of unlawfully threatening to fire a security guard who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine for religious reasons.

  • July 30, 2025

    Workday Can't Shrink Collective Action Alleging AI Hiring Bias

    A California federal judge declined to cut workers from a collective action claiming Workday used artificial intelligence to discriminate against job applicants, denying the human resources company's arguments that workers who were screened by newly acquired technology were disqualified from the suit.

  • July 30, 2025

    Black Atty Alleges McDermott Fired Her Because Of Her Race

    McDermott Will & Emery LLP failed to address racist comments made during a diversity presentation, kept Black attorneys out of leadership and fired a Black associate who complained that she was repeatedly sidelined because of her race, the former employee alleged Wednesday in Illinois federal court.

  • July 30, 2025

    Noem Hit With Religious Discrimination Suit Over Ayahuasca

    A Florida woman alleges in a new federal discrimination lawsuit that U.S. Customs and Border Protection rescinded her job offer after she disclosed her religious practice includes consumption of ayahuasca tea, a federally controlled substance.

  • July 30, 2025

    Workday Wants Firm DQ'd Over Privileged Info In Atty's Suit

    Attorneys at Webb Law Group APC should be disqualified from representing an ex-Workday Inc. attorney in his bias suit against the company and should face sanctions for their "egregious behavior" in disclosing privileged information in a publicly filed document, Workday told a California federal magistrate judge.

  • July 30, 2025

    Calif. Health Group Says Insurer Must Cover Discovery Costs

    California's largest private health foundation told a federal court that a Berkshire Hathaway-owned insurer failed to cover roughly $400,000 in discovery costs the foundation incurred from an executive's now-settled wrongful termination lawsuit, arguing the insurer breached its obligations despite accepting coverage twice.

  • July 30, 2025

    Amazon Cut Worker Seeking ADA Accommodation, Suit Says

    Amazon broke federal disability law by firing a warehouse worker while he was in the process of submitting paperwork supporting his bid for extra break time to help him handle mental health issues, he told an Illinois federal court.

  • July 30, 2025

    Rising Star: Seyfarth's Leo Li

    Leo Li of Seyfarth Shaw LLP has championed clients facing wage-and-hour class actions and California Private Attorneys General Act claims, including by securing a win on appeal for a Southern California Pizza Hut franchisee after a decade of litigation involving thousands of delivery drivers, earning him a spot among employment law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

Expert Analysis

  • What Employment Bias Litigation Looks Like After Muldrow

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    Nine months after the U.S. Supreme Court created an undemanding standard for discrimination claims in Muldrow v. St. Louis, Eric Schnapper at the University of Washington discusses how the Title VII litigation landscape has changed and what to expect moving forward.

  • 10 Key Worker-Friendly California Employment Law Updates

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    New employment laws in California expand employee rights, transparency and enforcement mechanisms, and failing to educate department managers on these changes could put employers at risk, says Melanie Ronen at Stradley Ronon.

  • How PAGA Reform Can Inform Employer Strategies In 2025

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    While recent changes to California's Private Attorneys General Act will not significantly reduce PAGA claims, employers can use the new law to potentially limit their future exposure, by taking advantage of penalty reduction opportunities and more, say attorneys at Thompson Coburn.

  • How Deregulation Could Undermine Trump's Anti-DEI Agenda

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    While rolling back federal agency power benefited conservative policies during the Biden administration, it will likely undermine President Donald Trump's ability to wield agencies like the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives beyond the federal workforce and into the private sector, says Ally Coll at the Purple Method.

  • Trump Should Pass On Project 2025's Disparate Impact Plan

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    The Trump administration should reject Project 2025's call to eliminate the disparate impact doctrine because, as its pro-business Republican creators intended, a focus on dismantling unnecessary barriers to qualified job candidates serves companies' best interests more successfully than the alternatives, says Susan Carle at American University.

  • Expect A Big Shake Up At The EEOC Under 2nd Trump Admin

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    During President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is likely to significantly shift its focus and priorities, especially where workplace DEI initiatives, immigration enforcement, LGBTQ+ rights and pregnancy protections are concerned, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.

  • 4 Novel Issues From The Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Suits

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    A series of lawsuits arising from actress Blake Lively's sexual harassment and retaliation complaint against her "It Ends With Us" co-star, Justin Baldoni, present novel legal issues that employment and defamation practitioners alike should follow as the litigation progresses, say attorneys at Dorsey & Whitney.

  • Religious Accommodation Lessons From $12.7M Vax Verdict

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    A Michigan federal jury’s recent $12.7 million verdict against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan starkly reminds employers of the risks they face when assessing employees’ religious accommodation requests, highlighting pitfalls to avoid and raising the opportunity to consider best practices to follow, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.

  • Lessons From United's Axed Win In Firing Over Online Pics

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    In Wawrzenski v. United Airlines, a California state appeals court revived a flight attendant’s suit over her termination for linking photos of herself in uniform to her OnlyFans account, providing a cautionary tale for employers navigating the complexities of workplace policy enforcement in the digital age, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • How Trump Admin May Approach AI In The Workplace

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    Key indicators suggest that the incoming Trump administration will adopt a deregulatory approach to artificial intelligence, allowing states to fill the void, so it is critical that employers pay close attention to developing legal authority concerning AI tools, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Lessons Learned From 2024's Top FMLA Decisions

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    Last year's major litigation related to the Family and Medical Leave Act underscores why it is critical for employers to understand the basics of when leave and accommodations are required, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Lessons Learned From 2024's Top ADA Decisions

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    Last year's major litigation related to the Americans with Disabilities Act highlights that when dealing with accommodation requests, employers must communicate clearly, appreciate context and remain flexible in addressing needs, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Top 10 Employer Resolutions For 2025

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    While companies must monitor for policy shifts under the new administration in 2025, it will also be a year to play it safe and remember the basics, such as the importance of documenting retention policies and conducting swift investigations into workplace complaints, say attorneys at Krevolin Horst.