Discrimination

  • June 27, 2025

    Omni Worker Demoted After Seeking Sabbath Off, EEOC Says

    Omni Hotels abruptly revoked a Chicago-based bellhop's ability to take Sundays off to observe the Sabbath and demoted him to part-time work, both in violation of federal civil rights law, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged in Illinois federal court.

  • June 27, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: Staffing Co. Wants Discrimination Case Axed

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for arguments in a staffing company's renewed attempt to toss a disability discrimination case. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • June 27, 2025

    Insulation Co.'s Owner Sexually Harassed Worker, EEOC Says

    An insulation company's owner sexually harassed an office manager for years by showing her naked pictures of women, spreading rumors about her sex life and touching her inappropriately, according to a suit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

  • June 26, 2025

    Nurse Wins $27M In Retaliation Case Against Dignity Health

    A former chief nursing officer who sued the West Coast hospital system Dignity Health alleging she was illegally terminated for raising serious safety concerns was awarded $27.5 million from a Los Angeles jury, her attorneys announced Thursday. 

  • June 26, 2025

    Ex-Steel Co. Worker Who Won $3 Can't Get New Age-Bias Trial

    A Michigan federal judge on Thursday denied a new trial to a fired steel company human resources director who won $3 on age discrimination claims, saying there is a reasonable interpretation of the jury's decision.

  • June 26, 2025

    SMU Law Professor's Tenure Suit Partly Revived By 5th Circ.

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday partially revived a former Southern Methodist University law professor's suit over the denial of her tenure application following a ruling last month by the Texas Supreme Court.

  • June 26, 2025

    Gender Identity Bias Suits Regain Steam After EEOC Retreats

    The gender identity discrimination cases that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission abandoned due to President Donald Trump's order only recognizing two sexes are getting back on course after new legal teams stepped in to represent the workers.

  • June 26, 2025

    Vegas Casino Strikes Deal To End EEOC Religious Bias Suit

    The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas has agreed to pay $850,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit claiming it refused to accommodate employees' religious beliefs for nearly a decade, according to a filing Thursday in Nevada federal court.

  • June 26, 2025

    2nd Circ. Backs FedEx In Fired Driver's Age, Race Bias Suit

    The Second Circuit declined Thursday to revive a suit from a Black worker who said FedEx let him endure on-the-job harassment and fired him for complaining about being mistreated, ruling the former employee failed to show prejudice was what cost him his job.

  • June 26, 2025

    EEOC's Lucas Cleared For Full Senate Vote On New Term

    The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted along party lines Thursday to advance the nomination of acting U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Andrea Lucas, setting the stage for a full Senate vote on a fresh five-year term.

  • June 26, 2025

    10 Years Later: Obergefell Attorneys, In Their Own Words

    Marking the decade anniversary of the Obergefell opinion, Law360 asked the attorneys who argued the case at the Supreme Court what it was like being at the center of such a monumental case, how a ruling favoring same-sex marriage changed the legal landscape over the past decade, and the remaining legal appetite to overturn it.

  • June 26, 2025

    DOJ Puts U. Of California Diversity Plans Under Microscope

    The U.S. Department of Justice's civil rights arm said Thursday it's launching an investigation into whether a University of California strategic plan prompted its campuses to discriminate against job applicants and employees based on their race and gender.

  • June 26, 2025

    Ex-McCarter & English Atty Questioned On Bias Pleading

    A New Jersey state judge pressed a former McCarter & English LLP attorney on Thursday to show how his anti-veteran discrimination complaint against the firm met the pleading standards for a whistleblower suit as he faces the firm's motion to dismiss.

  • June 26, 2025

    NY School Gets Bias Suit Narrowed But Must Face Pay Claims

    Hilbert College can escape a former associate professor's gender discrimination and retaliation claims but must face her claims that she was paid less than male colleagues, a New York federal judge ruled, saying a jury should evaluate the school's explanation that other factors could account for the pay disparities.

  • June 26, 2025

    Ex-Truist Banker Says Age Got Her Fired

    A Truist manager subjected a 57-year-old banker to unfair criticism and abruptly fired her, the former employee said in a wage and discrimination suit in Georgia federal court, adding that her direct manager resigned in part to protest her termination.

  • June 26, 2025

    ICE Agents Could Testify Anonymously In 1st Am. Trial

    A Massachusetts federal judge suggested Thursday he is open to allowing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to testify anonymously at an upcoming bench trial in a suit brought by academic groups challenging the detention of noncitizen students and faculty who express pro-Palestinian views.

  • June 26, 2025

    Famed Architect Fired Associate Out Of Age Bias, Suit Says

    Renowned architect Frank Gehry and his firm fired an associate in his 60s out of age discrimination after claiming there was no work for him, even as the firm hired half a dozen employees in their 20s, the associate told a California state court.

  • June 26, 2025

    Fire Chief Says City Got 'Cold Feet' On Race Bias Deal

    A $180,000 settlement resolving a race bias suit should be enforced, a fire chief told a North Carolina federal court, saying he canceled his jury trial against the city of Charlotte because the parties reached a deal, despite the city's argument that no final written agreement exists.

  • June 26, 2025

    Seyfarth Adds Lagasse Branch Employment Litigator In LA

    Seyfarth Shaw LLP is growing its labor and employment team, announcing Wednesday it is bringing in a Lagasse Branch Bell + Kinkead LPP employment litigator as a partner in its Century City office in Los Angeles.

  • June 25, 2025

    Workday Gave 'No Protection' From Harassment, Worker Says

    A former software engineer at human resources software firm Workday Inc. alleged in a Wednesday lawsuit that she was driven out of the company after it "offered no protection or assistance" to her as she faced years of harassment and mistreatment from her manager.

  • June 25, 2025

    Nordstrom Accused Of Anti-Muslim Bias Over Pendant Ban

    Nordstrom refused to let a Muslim employee wear a necklace with the outline of historic Palestine while allowing workers of other faiths to wear jewelry depicting their religious symbols, the worker claimed in a filing with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

  • June 25, 2025

    Georgia College Settles Ex-Groundskeeper's Race Bias Suit

    A Georgia chiropractic school has settled a lawsuit filed by a former groundskeeper who claimed he was fired after reporting his boss for helping his girlfriend steal company time.

  • June 25, 2025

    Trans Worker Says Metal Co.'s Health Plan Discriminatory

    A subsidiary of Kaiser Aluminum discriminated against transgender employees by including an exclusion in its health plan barring coverage for medical treatments related to gender-affirming care, according to a new suit filed in Washington federal court.

  • June 25, 2025

    4th Circ. Backs Johns Hopkins In Vaccine Refuser's ADA Suit

    The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday upheld a Johns Hopkins University lab's defeat of a former engineer's lawsuit claiming she was fired for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine because of a Lyme disease-related immune condition, saying the worker didn't provide enough information to justify a medical exemption.

  • June 25, 2025

    Judge OKs Most Of Attorney Fees In MGM Vax Exemption Suit

    A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday awarded nearly $394,000 in attorney fees to a former MGM Grand Casino worker who won a religious bias suit after being fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, slightly cutting the requested award after reducing hours because of discrepancies between two submissions.

Expert Analysis

  • Preparing For A Possible End To The Subminimum Wage

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    The U.S. Department of Labor's proposed rule to end the subminimum wage for employees with disabilities may significantly affect the community-based rehabilitation and training programs that employ these workers, so certified programs should be especially vigilant about compliance during this period of evaluation and scrutiny, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'Harry Potter' Reveals Magic Of Feedback

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    Troutman Pepper's Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter chat with Wicker Park Group partner Tara Weintritt about various feedback methods used by "Harry Potter" characters — from Snape's sharp and cutting remarks to Dumbledore's lack of specificity and Hermione's poor delivery — and explore how clear, consistent and actionable feedback can transform workplaces.

  • What To Expect From Trump's Deputy Labor Secretary Pick

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    President Donald Trump's nominee for deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, Keith Sonderling, has a track record of prioritizing clear guidance on both traditional and cutting-edge issues, which can provide insight into what employers can expect from his leadership, say attorneys at Littler.

  • A Look At Order Ending Federal Contractor Affirmative Action

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    To comply with President Donald Trump's executive order revoking affirmative action requirements in the next 90 days, federal contractors should focus on identification of protected groups, responsibilities of "diversity officer" positions and annual compliance reviews, says Jeremy Burkhart at Holland & Knight.

  • Parsing 3rd Circ. Ruling On Cannabis, Employee Private Suits

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    The Third Circuit recently upheld a decision that individuals don't have a private right of action for alleged violations of New Jersey's Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Act, but employers should stay informed as the court encouraged the state Legislature to amend the law, say attorneys at Mandelbaum Barrett.

  • EEOC Wearable Tech Guidance Highlights Monitoring Scrutiny

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent fact sheet on wearable technologies cautions against potential issues with federal anti-discrimination laws and demonstrates growing concern from regulators and legislators about intrusive technologies in the workplace, say attorneys at Littler.

  • 4 Employment Law Areas Set To Change Under Trump

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    President Donald Trump's second term is expected to bring significant changes to the U.S. employment law landscape, including the potential for updated worker classification regulations, and challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion that are already taking shape, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 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.