Cognizant Knocks Out Fired Worker's $8.4M Retaliation Win

By Patrick Hoff

A New York federal judge granted Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. a new trial in a lawsuit by an employee who said he was fired for reporting what he alleged was pro-Indian hiring bias, finding that keeping an $8.4 million verdict would be a "miscarriage of justice."

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7th Circ. Won't Revive Mail Carrier's Race Bias Suit

By Gina Kim

The Seventh Circuit declined to revive a U.S. Postal Service carrier's discrimination suit stemming from an altercation with his supervisor, who called police to escort him off the premises, ruling Thursday no reasonable jury could say the treatment, "however disrespectful or ill-advised," had anything to do with the carrier's race.

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11th Circ. Won't Reopen Ex-School Admin's Sex Bias Suit

By Patrick Hoff

The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday upheld an Alabama school board's win over a former assistant principal's lawsuit alleging she was fired because she's a woman, concluding she couldn't overcome her former employer's explanation that she'd been found in a compromising position with a male colleague several times.

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DOL Rule Opens Job Services To Outsourcing, Union Says

By Emily Brill

The U.S. Department of Labor misread a Depression-era law when it began allowing private contractors to run a network of public employment offices, a civil servants' union argued in a lawsuit filed Thursday, asking the D.C. federal court to strike down the agency's change in protocol.

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24 States Ink Deal With Feds In AmeriCorps Budget Cuts Case

By Rachel Riley

Two dozen states and the District of Columbia have reached a settlement with the Trump administration to stop the federal government from abruptly slashing funding for the national volunteer agency AmeriCorps in the future, the coalition of states announced Thursday.

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10th Circ. Backs 72-Year-Old's Firing Over Data Misuse

By MJ Koo

The Tenth Circuit has sided with a Colorado city in an age discrimination lawsuit brought by a utility billing specialist who was fired after accessing a prospective tenant's private account information for personal use, finding she failed to show age bias drove her termination.

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Carrier Global, Ex-Cybersecurity Staffer Settle Age Bias Suit

By David Aaro

Carrier Global Corp. and a former security official have settled his Georgia federal court claims that the HVAC company fired him and replaced him with a younger person.

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Brief

Calif. Certifies Gig Union To Represent Ride-Share Drivers

By Katherine Smith

A state agency has certified the California Gig Workers Union as the representative for hundreds of thousands of ride-share drivers working in California, according to a recent announcement posted by the agency.

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Brief

Domino's Franchise Owner Settles Driver's Class Action

By Zach Dupont

A Domino's franchise operator and a former delivery driver reached a settlement to dismiss the driver's proposed class and collective action accusing the franchise operator of pushing driver pay below minimum wage by underpaying expenses, according to a joint notice of settlement filed Thursday. 

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Brief

Gig Cos.' Suit Over NYC Tip Law Paused For 2nd Circ. Review

By Benjamin Morse

A New York federal judge has paused a suit by DoorDash and Uber challenging New York City's delivery tipping laws, putting the case on hold while the Second Circuit considers the companies' First Amendment appeal.

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Ed. Dept. Contractor Wins $3.3M After Minimum Wage Hike

By Ganesh Setty

A U.S. Department of Education contractor providing student loan processing must be compensated nearly $3.3 million for costs incurred from a now-rescinded executive order that increased the minimum wage for federal contractors, the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals has ruled.

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NJ Judge Cuts NFL Doctors From Ex-Player's Disability Fight

By Elaine Briseño

A New Jersey judge on Thursday dismissed claims against two NFL doctors named in a lawsuit by a former player over medical benefits, finding the league's plan does not give the physicians fiduciary authority.

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EchoStar Says Ex-VP Violated Noncompete In Move To Rival

By Zach Dupont

A former executive vice president of EchoStar Corp. violated his noncompete agreement when he left his role at the company to take a COO position with a rival company just two weeks later, the telecommunication giant alleged in Colorado state court Wednesday.

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Clinical Trial Buyer Says Ex-Owner Breached $100M Deal

By Jarek Rutz

Surge ECN Holdings LLC and ECN Operating LLC have accused the former owner of a clinical trial research network of violating a five-year noncompete and other restrictions tied to a deal worth more than $100 million, alleging he diverted customers, recruited key physicians and used confidential information to build a competing business.

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Ex-Lighting Co. Workers Must Face Trade Secret Suit

By Elliot Weld

Three former employees of a lighting company lost a bid to escape a suit alleging they conspired for years to encourage customers to use products supplied by competing companies they operated, with a Connecticut federal judge ruling Thursday that all elements needed to plead a trade secret claim were met.

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Citizens Says SoFi's Poaching 'Decimated' Conn. Mortgage Biz

By Isaac Monterose

Citizens Bank is suing SoFi Bank in Connecticut federal court, alleging its rival poached Citizens Bank employees, stole its trade secrets and "decimated Citizens' mortgage business" in Connecticut. 

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Drone Co., Ex-VP Reach Deal Resolving Pay, Sabotage Claims

By Hayley Fowler

A company that makes emergency response drones and its former vice president of sales have settled a dispute in which the executive alleged he was stiffed on pay and the company accused him of trying to sabotage its business, court records show.

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DC Circ. Upholds SEC Denial Of Whistleblower Award

By Jessica Corso

The D.C. Circuit ruled Wednesday that a man who tipped off a journalist about a possible foreign bribery scheme is not entitled to a whistleblower award because he waited until a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation was well under way to present the same information to the agency.

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6th Circ. Says GE Asbestos Suit Belongs In Kentucky Court

By Mike Curley

The Sixth Circuit sent a woman's suit against General Electric Co. over her husband's asbestos-related mesothelioma back to Kentucky state court, rejecting the company's argument that the man's military service warranted removal to federal court.

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Ex-Immigration Judge Sues For Retaliatory Termination

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

A former immigration judge in California has sued Attorney General Todd Blanche, claiming she was fired after raising concerns about a spring 2025 directive ordering her and her colleagues to grant every motion to change venue filed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement trial attorneys.

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Brief

Yellow Corp.'s Ch. 11 Agreements With Pension Funds Approved

By Yun Park

A Delaware bankruptcy judge has approved agreements between former trucking giant Yellow Corp.'s liquidating trust and certain pension funds totaling $525.9 million, resolving withdrawal liability claims and adding to an earlier batch of settlements approved in the company's Chapter 11 case.

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Littler Adds 8 Jackson Lewis Attys In Puerto Rico

By Andrea Keckley

Littler Mendelson PC announced Thursday that it has hired eight former Jackson Lewis PC attorneys in San Juan, Puerto Rico, expanding its footprint in the U.S. territory to include more than 35 lawyers and business professionals.

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Haynes Boone Adds Employment Attys From Toyota, Ashurst

By Lynn LaRowe

Haynes Boone has bulked up its labor and employment practice with two Dallas-based hires, one who joined from an in-house role at Toyota and another who came aboard from Ashurst Perkins Coie.

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OpenAI Deal Highlights AI Hiring Risks In PERM Process

The U.S. Department of Justice's recent settlement of allegations that OpenAI discriminated against U.S. applicants for positions connected to the permanent labor certification process underscores that employers providing or using artificial intelligence must align their recruitment practices with their overlapping compliance obligations, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

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Series

Juggling And Unicycling Make Me A Better Lawyer

Because I juggle (sometimes with fire) and ride the unicycle, friends and family used to joke that I should join the circus, but I pursued the practice of law instead and learned that my hobbies benefit my profession in several important ways, says Morgan Eddy at Smith Currie.

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ABA Study Shows 20% Of Attys Under Severe Mental Distress

By Tracey Read

About one-fifth of attorneys across the country meet moderate-to-extremely severe symptom thresholds for depression, anxiety and stress, according to the largest-ever study of mental health and well-being in the legal profession.

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Mass. Judge Sanctioned Over Handling Of ICE At Courthouse

By Julie Manganis

Massachusetts' highest court on Thursday sanctioned a judge over her handling of a case involving a defendant wanted by immigration agents in 2018, an incident that led to federal charges that were dismissed after the judge agreed to a disciplinary process.

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Ed Martin Reprimanded Over Unauthorized FBI Contacts

By Courtney Bublé

Last summer, when Ed Martin was still head of the weaponization working group at the U.S. Department of Justice, he was reprimanded after his team communicated with the FBI without authorization, according to recently released emails.

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2 At DOJ Sued Over Conn. Immigration Court Record Access

By Christine DeRosa

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Connecticut has filed suit in Connecticut federal court challenging the Hartford Immigration Court's refusal to provide access to immigration court records.

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JPMorgan Aided Ex-Atty Kossoff's $18.5M Theft, Trustee Says

By Hailey Konnath

The Chapter 7 trustee representing bankrupt firm Kossoff PLLC on Wednesday sued JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, claiming the bank helped the firm's principal steal at least $18.5 million from clients, and it "should be made to account."

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Analysis

Executive Privilege Questions Cloud Congressional Probe Prep

By Phillip Bantz

As corporate leaders brace for the possibility of Democrats retaking control of Congress and launching aggressive investigations into the Trump administration's dealings with a vast array of companies, attorneys say a U.S. Justice Department opinion on executive privilege could complicate the probes.

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DOJ Urges High Court To Revisit 9th Circ.'s Bar Of Nev. US Atty

By Madison Arnold

The Justice Department has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit a recent Ninth Circuit ruling disqualifying the Trump administration's top federal prosecutor in Nevada, calling it a decision that imposes "ongoing confusion" in the executive branch.

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Jay-Z Can't Undo Buzbee's Win In Rapper's Defamation Suit

By Y. Peter Kang

A California state appeals court has refused to revive claims that Texas attorney Tony Buzbee defamed and extorted music superstar Jay-Z by roping him into a sexual abuse suit against Sean "Diddy" Combs, saying the case was properly thrown out under California's free speech statute.

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