Employment

  • February 04, 2026

    Calif. Panel Won't Publish Amazon Drivers Arbitration Ruling

    A California appeals court will not publish its decision that last-mile deliveries Amazon workers performed represented interstate commerce exempt from federal arbitration, turning down requests to publish the opinion.

  • February 03, 2026

    XAI Fights Uphill To Keep Alive OpenAI IP Theft Suit

    Elon Musk's xAI urged a California federal judge Tuesday to change her tentative decision to toss its suit accusing OpenAI of poaching its workers to steal trade secrets, arguing that when considered together, the "whole gestalt" of xAI's allegations against individual employees is enough to state viable claims against OpenAI.

  • February 03, 2026

    Trump Admin Can't Gut CFPB Off The Books, DC Circ. Told

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's employee union has urged the full D.C. Circuit to uphold a lower court order blocking sweeping cuts at the agency, arguing the Trump administration's legal theory for lifting the order would allow officials to dismantle an agency so long as they don't "put it in writing."

  • February 03, 2026

    2nd Circ. Upholds NLRB Subpoena Enforcement Order

    A New York City businessman must turn over documents relevant to his companies' liability for years of back pay to a fired bus company tour guide after the Second Circuit on Tuesday upheld an order to comply with National Labor Relations Board subpoenas.

  • February 03, 2026

    House Dems Press Bessent About IRS Retirement Pay Delays

    Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee demanded answers Tuesday about substantial delays in processing retirement applications for Internal Revenue Service employees who participated in the government's deferred resignation program.

  • February 03, 2026

    Medical Transport Co. Misclassified Drivers, Suit Says

    A company that transports radioactive medical materials misclassified drivers as independent contractors, leading to minimum wage and overtime violations, according to a proposed class and collective action filed in Florida federal court.

  • February 03, 2026

    Pharma Co. Stole Secrets For LSD Medical Trials, Suit Says

    A clinical trial services company is suing Definium Therapeutics Inc. in Delaware federal court, alleging that it stole trade secrets during Phase 2 trials of LSD treatments for psychiatric disorders, then passed those secrets on to a rival services company for Phase 3 trials.

  • February 03, 2026

    Jim Henson Co. Accused Of Costing Exec A 'Pinocchio' Oscar

    A Jim Henson Co. former employee filed a $7.5 million suit in California state court alleging the entertainment giant wrongfully diminished his executive producer credit and deprived him of an Oscar at the Academy Awards in connection with Guillermo Del Toro's "Pinocchio," despite his significant contributions to the film's "undeniable success."

  • February 03, 2026

    ESPN Wants Worker's COVID Vaccine Bias Lawsuit Dismissed

    ESPN has asked a judge to dismiss a former remote video operator's religious bias lawsuit stemming from a COVID-19 booster vaccine mandate, saying the onetime worker exaggerated its corporate parent's links to the government when accusing the company of being an arm of the state.

  • February 03, 2026

    Baker McKenzie Describes Client Fallout After Assault Claims

    Several clients asked the leader of Baker McKenzie's Washington, D.C., office to stop handling work for them after he was accused of sexual assault, according to a new filing in a defamation case against the former firm associate who made the allegations.

  • February 03, 2026

    Clorox Settles Male Worker's Gender Bias Suit On Eve Of Trial

    Clorox has settled a gender discrimination suit from a former employee who claimed he was fired because the company wanted more women managers, right before the case was set to go to trial and just under a year after it was revived by the Ninth Circuit.

  • February 03, 2026

    5th Circ. Enforces NLRB Order Against NYC Janitorial Co.

    A Fifth Circuit panel has enforced a National Labor Relations Board order requiring a New York City janitorial contractor to rehire a longtime cleaner, saying the board reasonably linked the cleaner's 2020 firing to a series of complaints she'd recently lodged about work conditions.

  • February 03, 2026

    Colo. Music Venue Failed To Pay Full Wages, Ex-Worker Says

    A live music venue in Denver failed to pay workers for all hours worked, misclassified them as independent contractors and retaliated against a worker for complaining about unpaid wages, according to a potential class and collective action complaint filed in Colorado federal court.

  • February 03, 2026

    Ill. Judge OKs $3.3M Deal In Mariano's Managers' OT Suit

    An Illinois federal judge has approved a $3.3 million settlement resolving a lawsuit by current and former supermarket meat, bakery and deli managers who alleged Kroger subsidiary Mariano's falsely claimed they were exempt from overtime pay.

  • February 03, 2026

    NYC Delivery Laws Will Stay In Place During Instacart Appeal

    Instacart won't be able to block New York City's laws for app-based delivery workers instituting a new minimum wage, tipping options and disclosure requirements while it challenges a federal court's order, a New York federal judge ruled.

  • February 03, 2026

    Del. High Court Revives Noncompete Over Forfeited Equity

    The Delaware Supreme Court on Tuesday revived a fire and life-safety services company's bid to enforce postemployment restrictive covenants against a former executive, rejecting a lower court's conclusion that those covenants became unenforceable once the executive forfeited his incentive equity after being fired for cause.

  • February 02, 2026

    Calif. Justices Revive 'Unreadable' Arbitration Agreement Suit

    In a 6-1 decision, the California Supreme Court clarified on Monday that courts must "closely scrutinize the terms of difficult-to-read contracts for unfairness or one-sidedness," but the "illegibility" — font size, placement, prominence, etc. — of agreements do not themselves indicate that it is unconscionable.

  • February 02, 2026

    Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

    What happened to a GOP donor's $250,000 Swiss watch? Can cigarette warnings show jarring medical images? Will a circuit split of "far-reaching importance" for arbitration get even wider? That's a taste of the oral argument menu we'll help you digest in this preview of February's top appellate action.

  • February 02, 2026

    5th Circ. Panel Blushes At Starbucks Worker's Snapchat Notes

    A Fifth Circuit panel pressed the National Labor Relations Board to explain why Starbucks lacks the ability to fire a union organizer who used excessively colorful language in private messages to co-workers, saying Monday the language used would "make any of us blush."

  • February 02, 2026

    Staffing Agencies Beat Ill. Workers' BIPA Revival Bid

    An Illinois Third District Appellate Court panel has refused to reverse two staffing agencies' pre-trial win over manufacturing workers' claim that the agencies illegally collected their time-clock fingerprint data, saying simply helping another entity obtain such data cannot trigger liability under a statutory provision requiring informed consent to collect it.

  • February 02, 2026

    Bikini Barista Boss Says Wash. AG Defamed Him In Wage Suit

    The owner of Seattle-area Paradise Espresso stands slammed the Washington State Office of the Attorney General on Monday for filing a wage theft and employment discrimination lawsuit "containing known falsehoods" and disparaging his bikini barista business in a related press release.

  • February 02, 2026

    Custodians Tell NJ Justices COVID Law Doesn't Preempt CBA

    School custodians urged the New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday to reinstate an award of extra money for their in-person work during the pandemic, arguing an arbitrator had a reasonably plausible interpretation of a state statute when he determined it didn't preempt the custodians' collective bargaining agreement.

  • February 02, 2026

    Swedish Health Nears Deal In Hospital Workers Wage Row

    Seattle-area hospital system Swedish Health Services and the workers who were seeking about $126 million from it told a Washington state court that they agreed to settle a suit claiming meal break violations and rounding practices that led to unpaid wages.

  • February 02, 2026

    Curaleaf Can't Ditch All Ill. Whistleblower Act Claims

    An Illinois magistrate judge on Monday mostly denied a bid from Curaleaf Inc. to throw out a former regional director's Illinois Whistleblower Act claims, saying the complaint is sufficient to allege that he was retaliated against for reporting compliance violations to the state government.

  • February 02, 2026

    Worker Claims Univ. Of Colorado Health Underpaid Wages

    University of Colorado Health routinely shortchanged its hourly employees of wages under the healthcare system's rounding policy, a former UC Health worker alleged in a proposed collective and class action in Colorado federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Fly-Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Much like skilled attorneys, the best anglers prize preparation, presentation and patience while respecting their adversaries — both human and trout, says Rob Braverman at Braverman Greenspun.

  • 4 Ways GCs Can Manage Growing Service Of Process Volume

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    As automation and arbitration increase the volume of legal filings, in-house counsel must build scalable service of process systems that strengthen corporate governance and manage risk in real time, says Paul Mathews at Corporation Service Co.

  • Series

    The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Forming Measurable Ties

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    Relationship-building should begin as early as possible in a law firm merger, as intentional pathways to bringing people together drive collaboration, positive client response, engagements and growth, says Amie Colby at Troutman.

  • Opinion

    US Cybersecurity Strategy Must Include Immigration Reform

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    Cyberthreats are escalating while the cybersecurity workforce remains constrained due to a lack of clear standards for national-interest determinations, processing backlogs affecting professionals who protect critical public systems and visa allocations that do not reflect real-world demands, says Rusten Hurd at Colombo & Hurd.

  • A Look At EEOC Actions In 2025 And What's Next

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    President Donald Trump issued several executive orders last year that reshaped policy at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and with the administration now controlling a majority of the commission, the EEOC may align itself fully with orders addressing disparate impact and transgender issues, say attorneys at Jones Day.

  • 5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2026 And Beyond

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    2026 will likely be shaped by issues ranging from artificial intelligence regulatory turbulence to potential evidence rule changes, and e-discovery professionals will need to understand how to effectively guide the responsible and defensible adoption of emerging tools, while also ensuring effective safeguards, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Athlete's Countersuit Highlights Broader NIL Coverage Issues

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    Former University of Georgia football player Damon Wilson's countersuit against the university's athletic association over a name, image and likeness contract offers an early view into how NIL disputes — and the attendant coverage implications — may metastasize once institutions step fully into the role of contracting and enforcement parties, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.

  • How Mamdani Will Shift NYC Employment Law Enforcement

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    Under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the New York City labor law regime is poised to become more coordinated, less forgiving and more willing to test gray areas in favor of workers, with wage and hour practices, pay equity and contractor relationships among likely areas of enforcement focus, says Scott Green at Goldberg Segalla.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Boost Access To Justice

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    Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Samuel A. Thumma writes that generative artificial intelligence tools offer a profound opportunity to enhance access to justice and engender public confidence in courts’ use of technology, and judges can seize this opportunity in five key ways.

  • Opinion

    DHS' Parole Termination Violates APA And Due Process

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    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s abrupt termination of family reunification parole programs violates both the Administrative Procedure Act and the due process rights of vetted beneficiaries who relied on the government's explicit invitation to wait in the U.S. for an immigrant visa to become available, says Abdoul Konare at Konare Law.

  • Examining Privilege In Dual-Purpose Workplace Investigations

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    The Sixth Circuit's recent holding in FirstEnergy's bribery probe ruling that attorney-client privilege applied to a dual-purpose workplace investigation because its primary purpose was obtaining legal advice highlights the uncertainty companies face as federal circuit courts remain split on the appropriate test, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Opinion

    The Case For Emulating, Not Dividing, The Ninth Circuit

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    Champions for improved judicial administration should reject the unfounded criticisms driving recent Senate proposals to divide the Ninth Circuit and instead seek to replicate the court's unique strengths and successes, says Ninth Circuit Judge J. Clifford Wallace.

  • 4 Ways 2026 Will Shift Corporate Compliance And Ethics

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    As we begin 2026, ethics and compliance functions are being reshaped by forces that go far beyond traditional regulatory risk, and there are key trends that will define the landscape, with success defined less by activity and volume, and more by impact, judgment and credibility, says Hui Chen at CDE Advisors.

  • How 11th Circ.'s Zafirov Decision Could Upend Qui Tam Cases

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    Oral argument before the Eleventh Circuit last month in U.S. ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates suggests that the court may affirm a lower court's opinion that the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act are unconstitutional — which could wreak havoc on pending and future qui tam cases, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Muay Thai Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Muay Thai kickboxing has taught me that in order to win, one must stick to one's game plan and adapt under pressure, just as when facing challenges by opposing counsel or judges, says Mark Schork at Feldman Shepherd.

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