Discrimination

  • January 26, 2026

    Ex-Citi Exec Says Rampant Misogyny Was A 'Price Too Steep'

    A former high-ranking director at Citigroup says she was "debased and humiliated" by false workplace rumors that she pursued sexual relations with a superior in order to secure a promotion, alleging in a lawsuit filed in New York federal court on Monday that persistent misogynistic culture at the investment bank forced her out of a job.

  • January 26, 2026

    Flooring Co. Can't Nix EEOC's Homophobic Harassment Suit

    An Illinois federal judge refused to toss a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging a flooring company allowed a gay employee to endure frequent harassment that included co-workers tying him to a chair, ruling the suit had enough detail to stay in court.

  • January 26, 2026

    Teamsters Seek Exit From Ex-Worker's Bias Suit

    The International Brotherhood of Teamsters urged a D.C. federal court to dismiss a former employee's suit alleging she was subjected to a hostile work environment and forced to resign due to her age and disability, arguing that a release in a separation agreement she signed "unambiguously covers" her claims.

  • January 26, 2026

    Tampa Bay Lightning Owners Face Racial Discrimination Suit

    A Black ticketing staffer for the Tampa Bay Lightning has faced retaliation and a hostile work environment because of his race, he alleged in a federal lawsuit against the hockey team's ownership group.

  • January 26, 2026

    ​​​​​​​Fast-Food Franchisee, EEOC Ink Deal In Teen Harassment Suit

    A McDonald's franchisee in Oklahoma has agreed to pay $80,000 to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit accusing it of failing to remove a manager who sexually harassed and threatened to rape a female teenage employee, according to an Oklahoma federal court filing.

  • January 26, 2026

    Ill. Jury Rejects Ex-CTA Worker's Vax Bias Claims

    An Illinois federal jury sided with the Chicago Transit Authority on Monday over a former employee's claim that he was illegally terminated for noncompliance with the agency's COVID-19 vaccine mandate after the agency flatly rejected his religion-based exemption request without meaningfully trying to accommodate it.

  • January 26, 2026

    NJ Court Says Security Co.'s Harassment Suit Needs 2nd Look

    A New Jersey state appeals panel ruled Monday that despite a valid arbitration pact, a worker who said security logistics company Brink's failed to take action when colleagues called her gendered slurs may still be entitled to her day in court.

  • January 26, 2026

    Foley & Lardner Can't Dodge Pro-Palestinian Atty's Bias Suit

    A Chicago federal judge on Monday denied Foley & Lardner LLP's bid for an early win against claims brought by a former summer associate who said discrimination led to the firm's decision to rescind a job offer after she publicly supported Palestinians amid Israel's war with Hamas.

  • January 26, 2026

    Federal Contractor Opexus Sued Over EEOC Data Breach

    D.C.-based government software contractor Opexus is facing a class action alleging that its negligence allowed two former employees — both of whom had been convicted for hacking previously — to copy more than 1,800 U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission files onto USB drives and take the data.

  • January 26, 2026

    Ex-Calif. Judge Takes Aim At Sex Assault Charge

    A former California judge said a count of a federal indictment accusing him of sexual assault should be tossed since the alleged victim viewed him as a friend.

  • January 26, 2026

    School District Settles Suit Over Trans Student Name Policy

    An Indiana school district struck a deal to end a suit from a Christian former music teacher who said requiring him to call transgender students by their preferred names violated his religious beliefs, about six months after the Seventh Circuit revived the case.

  • January 26, 2026

    High Court Won't Review Social Security Judge's Removal

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to review a Federal Circuit decision upholding the removal of a Georgia-based Social Security judge who was accused of on-the-job misconduct and shoddy work.

  • January 23, 2026

    Employment Lawyers' DEI Cheat Sheet

    The attorneys general of Texas and Florida each issued missives denouncing a plethora of diversity, equity and inclusion-related laws and private initiatives, and the U.S. Department of Education dropped an appeal over the invalidation of DEI-related guidance. Here, Law360 looks at notable DEI-related legal developments in the first month of 2026.

  • January 23, 2026

    2nd Circ. Judges Appear At Odds On Arbitration Ban's Reach

    Two Second Circuit judges expressed oftentimes conflicting interpretations of the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act during a case hearing Friday, engaging in a lengthy debate hinged on what claims the arbitration shield can keep in court.

  • January 23, 2026

    NJ Teachers Union Accused Of Racial Pay Disparity

    A Black longtime employee of the New Jersey Education Association has been paid less than her colleagues because of her race, she told a state court.

  • January 23, 2026

    DOJ Alumni Back Maurene Comey In Effort To Keep Suit Alive

    U.S. Department of Justice alumni and a group that includes attorneys, law professors and former judges have filed briefs supporting former Manhattan federal prosecutor Maurene Comey's call for a New York federal court to reject the DOJ's bid to dismiss a suit over her firing.

  • January 23, 2026

    Calif. Forecast: Court Weighs BlackBerry Discrimination Suit

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for a summary judgment hearing in a former BlackBerry Corp. executive's discrimination and harassment suit. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • January 23, 2026

    Safeway, Union Local Must Face Pro Se Bias Suit

    Safeway and a United Food and Commercial Workers local must face an ex-cashier's claims that discrimination played into the store's hostile treatment of him and the union failed to adequately fight for him, with an Oregon federal judge preserving most of the pro se litigant's suit.

  • January 23, 2026

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Weighs Reviving SEIU Fund Bias Suit

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider whether to revive a discrimination suit a former worker for a Service Employees International Union benefit fund brought claiming the fund fired him after refusing to accommodate a disability that prevented him from driving for long periods of time.

  • January 23, 2026

    EEOC Leaders Tighten Grip On Power To Sue Employers

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has updated its internal processes to further consolidate in its political leadership the ability to haul employers into court by tightening its top lawyer's ability to file routine cases from an approximately 5-year-old framework.

  • January 23, 2026

    7th Circ. OKs Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund Bias Suit Win

    The Seventh Circuit on Wednesday affirmed the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund's win in a former accountant's lawsuit claiming he was fired because he is a Black man in his 60s, holding that the lower court didn't err in finding that poor job performance led to his termination.

  • January 22, 2026

    6th Circ. Won't Revive Ex-Detroit Worker's Race Bias Suit

    The Sixth Circuit on Wednesday refused to reinstate a discrimination suit alleging the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department fired a Black female accountant because of her race, finding her performance reviews reflected continuous issues like missing work deadlines or making errors that took weeks to fix.

  • January 22, 2026

    DC Circ. Presses Feds To Justify Military Trans Ban

    A D.C. Circuit judge pressed the government on Thursday to justify a policy that effectively bars transgender people from serving in the military, questioning why Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth imposed a more stringent policy than the first Trump administration did. 

  • January 22, 2026

    Debt Collector Takes Computer Fraud Ruling To High Court

    A debt collection agency asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to pause a Third Circuit decision that found an ex-employee's sharing of a password spreadsheet didn't make for a case under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, saying the appeals court improperly narrowed the scope of the statute.

  • January 22, 2026

    CTA's Vax Mandate Was An 'Impossible Dilemma,' Jury Hears

    The Chicago Transit Authority put a former employee into an "impossible dilemma" and forced him to choose between honoring his Christian faith or receiving a COVID-19 vaccine when it flatly rejected his vaccination exemption request and later fired him for mandate noncompliance, Illinois federal jurors heard Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • Employer Tips For Responding To ICE In The Workplace

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    Increased immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump's administration has left employers struggling to balance their compliance obligations with their desire to provide a safe workplace, so creating a thorough response plan and training for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's presence at the workplace is crucial, say attorneys at Hanson Bridgett.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Shifting Worker Accommodation Rules

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    Since President Donald Trump took office, many changes have directly affected how employers must address accommodation requests, particularly those concerning pregnancy-related medical conditions and religious beliefs, underscoring the importance of regularly reviewing and updating accommodation policies and procedures, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Shifting DEI Expectations Put Banks In Legal Crosshairs

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    The Trump administration's rollbacks on DEI-friendly policies create something of a regulatory catch-22 for banks, wherein strict compliance would contradict established statutory and administrative mandates regarding access to credit for disadvantaged communities, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • Compliance Tips After Court Axes EEOC's Trans Rights Take

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    A Texas federal court's recent decision struck portions of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's 2024 guidance pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity under Title VII, barring their use nationwide and leaving employers unsure about how to proceed in their compliance efforts, say attorneys at Dorsey & Whitney.

  • 5 Insurance Claims That Could Emerge After NCAA Settlement

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    Following the recent NCAA class action settlement that will allow revenue sharing with college athletes, there may be potential management liability for universities, their executive leadership and boards that could expose insurers to tax, regulatory, breach of contract and other claims, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.

  • 8th Circ. Ruling Highlights Complicated Remote Work Analysis

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    The Eighth Circuit’s recent opinion in Kuklenski v. Medtronic USA demonstrates that the applicability of employment laws to remote workers is often a fact-driven analysis, highlighting several parameters to consider when evaluating what state and local laws may apply to employees who work remotely, say attorneys at Vedder Price.

  • Philly Law Initiates New Era Of Worker Protections

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    A new worker protection law in Philadelphia includes, among other measures, a private right of action and recordkeeping requirements that may amount to a lower evidentiary standard, introducing a new level of accountability and additional noncompliance risks for employers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Justices' Ruling Lowers Bar For Reverse Discrimination Suits

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous opinion in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, lowering the evidentiary burden for plaintiffs bringing so-called reverse discrimination claims, may lead to more claims brought by majority group employees — and open the door to legal challenges to employer diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • 4 Midyear Employer Actions To Reinforce Compliance

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    The legal and political landscape surrounding what the government describes as unlawful diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives has become increasingly complex over the past six months, and the midyear juncture presents a strategic opportunity to reinforce commitments to legal integrity, workplace equity and long-term operational resilience, say attorneys at Krevolin & Horst.

  • Proposed State AI Rule Ban Could Alter Employer Compliance

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    A proposal in the congressional budget bill that would ban state and local enforcement of laws and regulations governing artificial intelligence may offer near-term clarity by freezing conflicting rules, but long-term planning would remain difficult for employers seeking safe, lawful AI deployment strategies, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • What Employers Can Learn From 'Your Friends & Neighbors'

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    The new drama series "Your Friends and Neighbors," follows a hedge fund firm manager who is terminated after an alleged affair with an employee in another department, and his employment struggles can teach us a few lessons about workplace policies, for cause termination and nonsolicitation clauses, says Anita Levian at Levian Law.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Performance Review Tips From 'Severance'

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    In the hit series "Severance," the eerie depiction of performance reviews, which drone on for hours and focus on frivolous issues, can instruct employers about best practices to follow and mistakes to avoid when conducting employee evaluations, say Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter at Troutman.

  • A Look At Employer Wins In Title VII Suits Over DEI Training

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    Despite increased attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, courts across the country have favored employers in cases opposing diversity training, challenging the idea that all workplace inclusion efforts violate the law and highlighting the importance of employers precisely recognizing the legal guardrails, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.