Discrimination

  • June 27, 2025

    Crypto Co. CEO Sued Over Alleged Sex Assault, Retaliation

    The CEO of blockchain platform Mask Network has been hit with a suit in New Jersey federal court from a former employee at his affiliated payroll company alleging he sexually assaulted her during a work trip, fired her after she raised concerns about millions in unreported cryptocurrency transactions, and withdrew sponsorship of her U.S. green card.

  • June 27, 2025

    Google Fired Worker For Taking Medical Leave, Suit Claims

    A former Google employee said she was discriminated against and fired for taking approved medical leave, according to a lawsuit filed in Washington state court.

  • June 27, 2025

    Sam's Club Lifting Work Caused Miscarriage, Ex-Worker Says

    Sam's Club has been sued in Georgia federal court by a former employee who is alleging she suffered a miscarriage after the retailer failed to accommodate work restrictions related to her attempt to become pregnant through in vitro fertilization by making her do heavy lifting work.

  • June 27, 2025

    Jury Must Decide Telework Feasibility In EEOC Bias Case

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission must take to trial most of its lawsuit alleging a pediatric clinic fired an employee because of her anxiety, a Georgia federal judge ruled Friday, saying jurors should weigh the clinic's evidence suggesting it would've been impractical to let her work remotely.

  • June 27, 2025

    10th Circ. Says Ex-Principal's Bias Suit Needs 2nd Look

    The Tenth Circuit revived Friday part of a Black former principal's race bias suit claiming her contract was not renewed because she complained about facing racism on the job, ruling the lower court needs to reconsider her bias claims after improperly disqualifying a human resources director's testimony.

  • June 27, 2025

    NC Appeals Court Urged To Back Firing Of General Counsel

    North Carolina's body of independent administrative law judges is urging the state appeals court to reject its former general counsel's bid to revive his claims that his politics got him fired, arguing that his position is exempt from certain workplace protections.

  • June 27, 2025

    7th Circ. Says Union Backed Worker Who Claimed Bias

    The Seventh Circuit on Friday affirmed a decision dismissing a Black elevator mechanic's claims that his union mishandled his firing challenge, saying the union treated him fairly by winning his case despite his qualms with its strategy.

  • June 27, 2025

    EEOC Sues Pearson Over Online Access For Visually Impaired

    Educational publisher Pearson Education Inc. violated federal disability law when it failed to ensure visually impaired workers could access trainings and view benefits through online platforms, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told a New Jersey federal court Friday.

  • June 27, 2025

    Walmart Crime Record Checks Harm Black Workers, Suit Says

    Walmart shirked civil rights law by using criminal background checks that screened out Black workers who wanted to be rehired for roles they previously held after the retail behemoth took over management of an Illinois distribution center, according to a new suit filed in federal court.

  • June 27, 2025

    DC Judge Says Teen Health Projects Can 'Shutter' Temporarily

    Five Planned Parenthood affiliates will not be irreparably harmed by changes to federal guidance for teen health programs instructing grantees to demonstrate alignment with executive orders from the Trump administration rejecting transgender identity and diversity programs, a D.C. federal judge has ruled.

  • June 27, 2025

    Conn. Firm Wins Bias Suit Appeal By Fired Legal Assistant

    Connecticut law firm Whitman Breed Abbott & Morgan LLC on Friday prevailed in an appeal brought by a former legal assistant who claimed she was wrongly fired for seeking to work entirely from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a three-judge panel holding that her proposed accommodation was not reasonable.

  • 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

    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.

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.