Arbitrator Backs WaPo Columnist Fired After Kirk Posts

By Patrick Hoff

The Washington Post was ordered to rehire an opinion columnist it fired for social media posts she made in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, the columnist's union said Monday, after an arbitrator faulted the newspaper's "rushed" decision to let her go.

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11th Circ. Revives Title IX Claim Against Ga. Charter School

By Emily Brill

An Eleventh Circuit panel has revived a Title IX claim against an Atlanta-area charter school, saying it ignored allegations of harassment against a middle school science teacher who later assaulted and was accused of harassing female students.

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Texas Court Says Southwest Can't Probe Abortion Posts

By Spencer Brewer

A Texas federal judge stopped Southwest Airlines Co. from snooping through an employee's social media posts about religion or abortion after the employee won a religious bias suit, issuing a court order blocking the airline from using future posts for disciplinary action.

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'History And Tradition' Allow For Religious Emails, USDA Says

By Katherine Smith

The U.S. Department of Agriculture urged a California federal court to toss a suit by federal workers and their labor union accusing the agency's secretary of sending "proselytizing" religious emails to employees, arguing the messages align with the "history and tradition" of public officials making references to religion.

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Fla. College Protest Rule Blocked In 'ICEBreakers' Suit

By David Minsky

A Florida federal judge blocked a Miami college's rule restricting protest activities after it was used to discipline several students who staged a brief public demonstration against immigration tactics, finding that the regulation likely violates the First Amendment.

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Former Disney Child Star Alleges Rape By Adult On Film Set

By Gina Kim

A former Disney child actress has sued the entertainment giant in California state court, alleging that nobody protected her while an adult employee twice her age plied her with alcohol and raped her during the filming of a Disney Channel Original Movie, "The Poof Point," when she was 14.

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Firm Blames AAA Check Flub For Workers' Axed Arbitration

By Matthew Santoni

A New Jersey personal injury firm says it should not be held responsible and sanctioned for the termination of arbitration proceedings for former employees, telling a state court that the American Arbitration Association had seemingly lost its check for a $6,550 payment.

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DHS Must Face Bias Suit Over Candidate's Ayahuasca Use

By Patrick Hoff

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security can't escape a lawsuit alleging it unlawfully nixed an applicant's job offer because her religious practice includes consuming the psychoactive tea ayahuasca, a Florida federal judge ruled Friday, rejecting the agency's assertion that the court can't review its hiring decisions on national security grounds.

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Mich. Judge Lets Prosecutor's Retaliation, Bias Claim Proceed

By Melanie Dorsey

A Michigan federal judge on Monday refused to dismiss a Washtenaw County assistant prosecutor's lawsuit accusing the elected prosecutor and his office of retaliating against him after he filed a grievance, finding he plausibly alleged First Amendment, whistleblower and race discrimination claims. 

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'Old Boys Club' Tainted College Prof's Review, Jurors Told

By George Woolston

A former professor at The College of New Jersey told a Garden State jury on Monday that the college's finance department was run like an old boys club and that her contract was not renewed because she's a woman.

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Brief

Jushi Reaches Settlement In Pa. Age Bias Suit

By Jonathan Capriel

Cannabis giant Jushi has settled an age discrimination lawsuit with a former plant controller who alleged she was fired and replaced by a younger worker she trained, with a Pennsylvania federal judge dismissing the case.

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2nd Circ. Backs Amazon Workers After Conn. High Court Win

By Aaron Keller

The Second Circuit Monday vacated Amazon's temporary win in a wage class action, saying the Connecticut Supreme Court's more recent conclusion that state law requires compensation for employee time spent awaiting and undergoing mandatory security screenings is "squarely at odds" with a federal district judge's original decision.

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Wis. Grocery Chain Settles Manager OT Suit For $7.5M

By Benjamin Morse

A Wisconsin grocery chain and a group of department managers have asked a federal court to preliminarily approve a $7.5 million settlement resolving claims that the workers were misclassified as overtime-exempt, a deal expected to cover roughly 1,000 current and former employees.

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Mich. Judge OKs $100K Deal Over OT Suit Against Strip Club

By Susan Smiley

A Michigan federal judge on Monday gave the green light to a $100,000 settlement resolving a six-year collective action alleging a Detroit strip club violated federal wage laws by misclassifying its dancers as independent contractors, who are paid only in consumer tips, and failing to pay them minimum wage and overtime.

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Staffing Co. Says Wage Suit Propped Up By Contradictions

By MJ Koo

Manual laborers pursuing wage claims against a staffing company have contradicted their own deposition testimony and failed to raise genuine disputes about whether they were paid for all hours worked, the company told a North Carolina federal court, defending its effort to end the suit.

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NYC Fights Officers' Bid To Shield Dog Care Records

By MJ Koo

New York City has pushed back against a protective order sought by police dog handlers who allege the city owes them overtime for caring for their dogs at home, arguing in New York federal court that the workers have withheld key documents and failed to provide an adequate computation of their claimed damages.

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Brief

Humana Strikes Deal To Wrap Up Nurse's FLSA Suit

By David Aaro

Humana Inc. and a nurse who sued the health insurer in Georgia federal court for allegedly skimping on overtime pay have reached a deal to bring her proposed collective action to a close.

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Brief

Auto Co. Workers Net Deal In Wage Fight After Expert Axed

By Hayley Fowler

An automotive parts seller has staved off joint trials in North Carolina federal court after reaching deals with 11 workers in parallel wage cases, according to notices filed over the weekend indicating the employees accepted separate offers of judgment.

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DaVita Defeats Nurse Overtime Collective Bid

By Benjamin Morse

A Colorado federal judge refused to conditionally certify a 41-state collective of DaVita nurses and technicians who say the company denied them overtime by failing to pay for short rest breaks, finding too little evidence of a companywide practice.

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Health System Must Face Nurse's Meal Break Wage Suit

By MJ Koo

A Michigan federal court has refused to dismiss a proposed collective action brought by a nurse who alleged that Trinity Health Corp. failed to pay patient care workers for meal breaks regularly interrupted by patient care duties, finding that the complaint adequately alleges that the large Catholic health system qualifies as his employer under federal wage law.

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Mich. Judge Tosses Union Suit Over Energy Co. Seniority

By Katherine Smith

A Michigan federal judge on Monday upheld an arbitration award finding that an energy company did not violate its collective bargaining agreement with a power plant workers' union when it made changes to its seniority system, finding that the award was based on a reasonable interpretation of the contract.

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Insurance Broker Says Rival Poached 18 Employees

By Julie Manganis

Insurance broker Willis Towers Watson says rival Lockton Cos. orchestrated a "smash and grab" of 18 employees who all quit within a 45-minute span Wednesday to jump to Lockton, taking more than a dozen clients with them, according to a suit in Massachusetts state court.

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DOD's $285B Maintenance Backlog Creates Risks, GAO Says

By Elaine Briseño

A Government Accountability Office report found that a $285 billion maintenance backlog by the U.S. Department of Defense has led to widespread deterioration of its facilities, including buildings plagued by mold and algae and cramped workspaces.

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6th Circ. Says Judge Can't Escape Teen Mock Arrest Suit

By Susan Smiley

A Sixth Circuit panel on Monday allowed to proceed a Michigan federal lawsuit filed against a Detroit judge who handcuffed a 15-year-old student and subjected her to a mock trial after she fell asleep in his courtroom, ruling that judicial immunity does not protect him.

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Ex-DOJ Fraud Attys Switch To Civil Focus At Boutique Firm

By Phillip Bantz

Criminal fraud prosecutors commonly pursue careers as white collar defense lawyers after exiting the U.S. Department of Justice, but a group of ex-DOJ lawyers who have recently joined national litigation boutique AXS Law Group are embarking on a path less traveled.

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Choate Brings On Former Willkie CFO In Boston

By Andrea Keckley

The former chief financial officer at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has left to take on a new role as Choate Hall & Stewart LLP's CFO.

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Anthropic Appoints New General Counsel

By Matt Perez

Artificial intelligence giant Anthropic, which is behind the chatbot Claude, has appointed a new general counsel, with her predecessor moving into a role coordinating with international governments.

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Florida AG Slams Bar Complaint Against DHS Counsel

By Madison Arnold

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote to the executive director of the Florida Bar to criticize a recent complaint made to the bar against James Percival, general counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, for attacking judges.

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Greenberg Traurig Adds Morgan Lewis Employment Attorney

By Madison Arnold

A veteran Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP employment attorney in Miami has moved her practice to Greenberg Traurig LLP, the firm announced Tuesday.

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Cooley Life Sciences Atty Joins Foley & Lardner In San Diego

By Adrian Cruz

Foley & Lardner LLP announced that a life sciences attorney with over 30 years of experience has jumped to the firm's San Diego office as a partner from Cooley LLP.

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Firm Revenue Climbs 12.4% In First Half Of 2026

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson

Record billing rate gains, strong demand and increased productivity fueled a successful start to the year for the legal industry, according to a report released Tuesday.

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Colo. Judge Ships $8.3M Messner Reeves Fraud Suit To Utah

By Zach Dupont

A Colorado federal judge granted a motion Monday from law firm Messner Reeves LLP to move a lawsuit accusing the firm of stealing more than $8 million as part of a fraudulent loan scheme to Utah after finding the venue was the proper forum to litigate the claims.

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