Ex-Associate Says Jackson Lewis Pushed Her Out After Leave

By MJ Koo

A former associate attorney who was on the partnership track at Jackson Lewis PC has brought suit against the employment law firm in California state court, alleging that it refused to accommodate her temporary medical restrictions after she returned from leave and pressured her to accept a demotion or resign.

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10th Circ. Won't Revive Bias Claims Against Kansas Judge

By Zach Dupont

A Kansas court clerk was unable to revive her gender discrimination suit against a state court judge after the Tenth Circuit on Thursday affirmed the lower court's decision to grant Kansas summary judgment on the woman's claims.

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3rd Circ. Questions Standing In DuPont, Corteva Appeals

By Kellie Mejdrich

The Third Circuit on Thursday wrestled with whether to overturn a judge's verdict against chemical companies Corteva and DuPont in a suit from pensioners who claimed they were misled about how a merger and spinoff would affect their retirement benefits, with judges questioning the standing of individuals leading the suit. 

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5th Circ. Says Workers Needn't Mitigate Emotional Damages

By MJ Koo

Employees who prevail on sexual harassment claims under federal law don't need to take steps to reduce their emotional distress damages, the Fifth Circuit ruled Thursday, affirming a jury's award of compensatory and punitive damages against a regional airline in a case of first impression for the circuit.

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Judge Disputes Misconduct, Says Only Censure Warranted

By Melanie Dorsey

A Michigan state judge accused of delaying production of her court-ordered psychological report and of bullying staff has asked the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission to reject part of the findings against her, arguing the commission's structure violates due process and that any discipline should be limited to public censure.

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Calif. Tribe Asks High Court To Revive Card Check Award Row

By Katherine Smith

A California Native American tribe has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to correct an arbitration award requiring it to follow the guidelines for union representation elections in its 2017 agreement with UNITE HERE, arguing that the award invalidated a tribal law that superseded the tribe's agreement with the union.

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Sam's Club Reaches Deal With Ex-Worker In Miscarriage Suit

By Kelcey Caulder

Sam's Club and a former employee who alleged she suffered a miscarriage after the retailer failed to accommodate work restrictions related to her attempt to become pregnant through in vitro fertilization have reached a settlement.

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Ulta Fired Black Trans Worker Who Reported Bias, Suit Says

By Grace Elletson

A Black transgender Ulta employee claimed in a California state lawsuit that she was fired by her boss weeks after she filed a discrimination complaint against her superior, who had previously made disparaging remarks about transgender people and communities of color.

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Ex-Softball Coach's Bias Suit Is Off Base, NJ University Says

By David Steele

Montclair State University and current and former school officials have told a New Jersey federal court that they acted appropriately, followed proper procedures and did not discriminate against a softball coach when they fired her after investigating accusations of abusive treatment of players.

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Arizona Atty Faces Possible Sanctions Over Bogus Quotes

By Emily Sawicki

An Arizona federal judge is mulling fee sanctions against an attorney found to have included erroneous quotations in a brief she filed in her client's employment discrimination case, amid what he called her history of "improper litigation conduct" in the pending matter and previous cases.

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Colo. Panel Says EFAA Covers Bartender's Retaliation Claim

By Patrick Hoff

A Denver strip club can't arbitrate a former bartender's claim that she was fired for lodging a lawsuit alleging a supervisor sent her unwanted messages, with a Colorado appeals court ruling Thursday that federal law barring arbitration of sexual harassment allegations applied to her entire case.

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Judge Trims U. Of Mich. Surgeon's Teaching Suspension Suit

By Susan Smiley

A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday dismissed an age discrimination claim brought by a professor of surgery against the University of Michigan board of regents and a hospital department chief, but kept intact the five other claims in the suit over the professor's suspension.

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Southwest Airlines Accused Of Shorting Wash. Workers' Pay

By Ben Adlin

Southwest Airlines Co. regularly underpaid its workers in Washington state and denied them legally mandated meal and rest breaks, according to a former employee's proposed class action against the Texas-based carrier.

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Brief

Colo. Content Studio 'Stiffed' Freelancers, Suit Says

By Rachel Konieczny

A Colorado content creation studio did not pay independent contractors for their work performed for the company, according to a proposed class action filed in Colorado state court.

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Wash. Justices Nix Live-In Caregiver Wage Exemption

By Benjamin Morse

Adult family homes in Washington cannot use a state minimum wage exemption to deny wage-and-hour protections to caregivers who live where they work, the Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday, holding the carveout unconstitutional as applied to workers in what it deemed a dangerous job.

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Safran On The Hook For $1.7M Pension Exit Bill, For Now

By Grace Elletson

A New York federal judge ruled Thursday that aerospace giant Safran must immediately pay off its $1.7 million withdrawal liability bill to the National Retirement Fund, even though the parties are currently in arbitration battling out whether the company can be held responsible for the payment.

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Wells Fargo Illegally Fired Muni Bond Whistleblower, Suit Says

By Katryna Perera

A former Wells Fargo municipal strategist says he faced retaliation and was illegally fired for his complaints alleging his senior leaders were suppressing negative information about municipal bonds and inflating bond prices to the detriment of retail investors, in a new suit in New York federal court.

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What To Know If DOL Raises Overtime Salary Floor

With the U.S. Department of Labor recently rescinding a 2024 rule that increased the minimum salary for the Fair Labor Standards Act's overtime exemptions, employers should assess how a future increase would affect their workforce, paying particular attention to job duties requirements and state laws, says James Coleman at Constangy.

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Series

Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

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NY Courts Ban 'Smart' Glasses Over Secret Recording Abilities

By Lauren Berg

"Smart" glasses containing cameras and other recording devices will be banned from all state courts in New York beginning later this month, making it the apparent first in the nation to implement a statewide blanket ban on the wearable technology.

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Woodward Running DOJ Antitrust Division Alarms Observers

By Bryan Koenig

When Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. quietly took over direct oversight late last month of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, there was no formal announcement, no White House action or U.S. Senate consultation, and little to signal what lies ahead.

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Photographers Group Rebuts Judiciary On Court Cameras

By Courtney Bublé

The National Press Photographers Association pushed back on the federal judiciary's claims that allowing cameras in courtrooms would be problematic.

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Chicago US Atty Faces Ill. Judge For Discussing Sealed Case

By Lauraann Wood

Chicago's U.S. attorney stood silent for nearly 30 minutes Thursday as an Illinois magistrate judge sternly criticized him for publicly discussing a gang-related kidnapping case before it was officially unsealed, though she stopped short of finding his conduct constituted a deliberate violation of court orders.

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Ex-Wis. Judge Appeals Conviction In ICE Obstruction Case

By Ganesh Setty

A former Wisconsin state judge convicted of obstructing immigration authorities trying to arrest a defendant after he appeared in her courtroom lodged an appeal before the Seventh Circuit on Thursday, after avoiding a prison sentence but being fined $5,000.

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Grassley Claims Smith's Team Mishandled Classified Docs

By Jack Karp

Individuals working in then-special counsel Jack Smith's office may have mishandled classified information while investigating President Donald Trump, according to messages obtained by the Senate Judiciary Committee, committee Chair Sen. Chuck Grassley has told the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Attys Win $2.5M Fee Award After $63K Native Bias Verdict

By Joyce Hanson

A South Dakota hotel must pay an Indigenous advocacy group about $2.5 million in attorney fees following a trial jury's $63,191 verdict in a civil rights case claiming the business discriminated against Native American tribe members based on race, a federal judge has ruled.

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