10th Circ. Revives Gay Bias Harassment Suit Against Walmart

By Zach Dupont

A gay New Mexico man's bias suit against Walmart was partially revived by the Tenth Circuit on Monday after the panel found the lower court incorrectly granted the company summary judgment on a hostile work environment claim after finding the alleged harassment based on the employee's sexual orientation wasn't pervasive.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Paralegal Aims To DQ Atty In Pregnancy Bias Case

By Christine DeRosa

A former paralegal for Burandt Adamski Feichthaler & Sanchez PLLC asked a Florida federal court to disqualify an attorney from her former firm from serving as trial counsel, arguing that he is a key and necessary witness in her discrimination case.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

7th Circ. Won't Reopen White Infosys Workers' Bias Suit

By Patrick Hoff

The Seventh Circuit refused Monday to revive a lawsuit alleging Infosys Technologies exhibited systemic bias against workers who weren't of South Asian descent, finding no issue with the trial court's rejection of an expert who admitted he lacked experience with the name-recognition methodology he used.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Chicago Alderman Fired Staffer Over Ethics Report, Suit Says

By Lauraann Wood

A Chicago alderman's former staffer has lodged a state court whistleblower claim alleging she was unlawfully terminated for reporting her ethical concerns around several financial matters, including a $6,000 cash campaign donation whose delivery she says she helped facilitate through her car trunk.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Pa. DA Says Interview Questions Job-Related, Not Biased

By James Boyle

Neither race nor age was a factor in how a Philadelphia-area county district attorney's office interviewed a candidate for prosecutor positions, according to a motion to dismiss a discrimination complaint filed recently in federal court.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Emory Director's Bias Suit Should Be Tossed, Judge Says

By Grace Elletson

A white former Emory University employee hasn't backed up his claims that a Black vice provost fired him due to race, gender and age bias, a Georgia federal judge said Monday in recommending the suit's dismissal, saying he hasn't overcome Emory's assertion that he was terminated for violating hiring policies.

Report attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

Honeywell Settles Ex-Director's Religious Bias Suit

By Hayley Fowler

A former Honeywell director resolved his religious, age and race discrimination lawsuit against the conglomerate in a judge-supervised mediation ahead of a planned September trial, federal court records show.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Javerbaum Wurgaft Beats Challenge To Defamation Suit Win

By George Woolston

New Jersey law firms posting about their cases and achievements are protected by the state's anti-SLAPP law, the state's Appellate Division ruled Monday in backing the dismissal of Holtec International's suit against Javerbaum Wurgaft Hicks Kahn Wikstrom & Sinins PC over a blog post about the firm's representation of a former Holtec executive.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Director Accuses NC Housing Nonprofit Of Age Bias

By Hayley Fowler

The former director of property management and compliance for an affordable housing nonprofit in North Carolina said she was pushed out of her job while she was on protected leave caring for her sick parents and then replaced with someone half her age.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ga. County Can't Halt Discovery In Ex-Firefighter's Bias Suit

By Kelcey Caulder

A federal judge refused to stay a lawsuit in which a former firefighter and EMT sued a Georgia county after he said he was so ruthlessly bullied for having Asperger's syndrome that he ultimately had to leave his job.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-BlackBerry Exec Keeps Alive Retaliation, Firing Claims

By Lauren Berg

A former BlackBerry executive who alleges CEO John Giamatteo sexually harassed her before he landed the top job can pursue claims for retaliation and wrongful termination but not claims for gender discrimination, a California federal judge has ruled.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mass. High Court Says Prevailing Wage Skips Routine Repairs

By MJ Koo

Massachusetts' highest court ruled Monday that routine maintenance and repair work at a privatized wastewater treatment facility does not trigger prevailing wage protections under a state special act, finding the phrase "construction and design of improvements" carries a narrower technical meaning than the workers claimed.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Pittsburgh Venue Underpaid Tipped Staff, Server Says

By Benjamin Morse

A Pittsburgh restaurant and concert venue violated state wage law by underpaying tipped workers and withholding portions of their tips, a server alleged in a proposed class action in Pennsylvania state court.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Cannabis Companies Settle $300K Workers' Wage Deal

By Jonathan Capriel

A chain of marijuana dispensaries operating under the Catalyst brand has agreed to pay $300,000 in order to end claims it denied overtime pay, meal breaks and cellphone reimbursements to thousands of workers, with a Los Angeles County court giving its blessing to the settlement Friday.

4 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

UPS Driver Seeks Quick Win In Colo. Sick Leave Suit

By MJ Koo

A UPS package driver asked a Colorado federal court to rule in his favor on key issues in a proposed class action alleging the delivery giant failed to provide paid sick leave to thousands of union workers, arguing there are no disputed facts that could save the company's position.

Summary Judgment attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge OKs Pause On Reviewing CFPB Layoff Plan

By Sarah Jarvis

A D.C. federal court has approved a joint bid from the Trump administration and a union that represents Consumer Financial Protection Bureau staffers to pause weighing a response to the administration's plan to lay off about half of the agency's remaining workforce, after the parties argued the president's nominee to head the agency should be given the chance to review the plan if he is confirmed.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mich. Hospital Hit With WARN Act Suit Over 3-Day Notice

By Melanie Dorsey

The Michigan Nurses Association on Friday accused a southwestern Michigan hospital of violating the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act by only giving three days' notice before shutting down and laying off nearly all its workforce.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'Kentucky Hammer' Says Breakup Fee-Splits Not Monopolistic

By Rachel Rippetoe

A personal injury attorney known as "The Kentucky Hammer" says one of his firm's former attorneys can't "transform a private employment dispute into an antitrust violation."

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

WebAI Says Ex-Engineers Recast Firing As Fraud Claims

By Abigail Harrison

WebAI Inc. has told a North Carolina federal court that a complaint by former engineers alleging an executive's conduct jeopardized huge deals is merely an attempt by disgruntled employees to conjure a multicount lawsuit from a lawful employment separation.

Memorandum attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

What To Know Before Justices Rule In Title IX Employee Case

The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to decide whether Title IX protections extend to employees alleging sex discrimination in Crowther v. Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, which could have significant implications for higher education institutions and their employees, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Future Of Fed Independence Shaky After Justices' Ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Trump v. Cook preserved the Federal Reserve's formal independence but could invite the president to remove board members with just modest protections, leaving the central bank's autonomy uncertain and potentially setting up fresh clashes over other agencies, says Steven Schwinn at the University of Chicago.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fed. Circ. Ruling Highlights The Cost Of Incorrect Inventorship

The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Fortress Iron v. Digger Specialties, affirming that a fencing company's patents were invalid due to a missing co-inventor, is a reminder that confirming correct inventorship should be a critical part of every patent invalidity workup, say attorneys at Neal Gerber.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Newman Won't Reopen High Court Suspension Battle

By Theresa Schliep

Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman did not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider her bid to save a suit against her fellow judges for suspending her from the bench over her refusal to undergo medical tests.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Jackson Walker Settlements Over Judge Romance Get Greenlit

By Emma Cueto

A Texas bankruptcy judge has recommended approval of nine settlements regarding legal fees paid to Jackson Walker LLP connected to a former firm partner's romantic relationship with a then-bankruptcy judge, with the firm agreeing to pay $4.79 million in total, including $1.4 million to the estate of J.C. Penney.

Report attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump-IRS Settlement Result Of Sham Suit, Judge Rules

By Jack McLoone

President Donald Trump's $10 billion suit against his own Internal Revenue Service and the resulting settlement deal lacked a legitimate controversy, given Trump's control over both the agency and the U.S. Department of Justice, a Florida district judge said Monday in an order barring Trump or others from citing the deal.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Wells Fargo's $50M Deal In Atty's Ponzi Scheme Gets 1st OK

By Gina Kim

Wells Fargo will pay $50 million to settle a proposed class action alleging it knowingly helped a Las Vegas attorney run a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme deceiving investor victims into fronting money for borrowers awaiting personal injury settlement payouts, according to a preliminary approval order issued in Nevada federal court.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mass Tort Firms Hit With Suit Over AI Solicitation Calls

By Lynn LaRowe

A Michigan-based mass tort law firm and a pair of affiliate firms are violating federal and Texas state laws through an artificial intelligence-generated telemarketing campaign meant to solicit clients, according to a putative class action filed in Texas federal court.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Senate Confirms SDTX Judge Pick Tied To Gun Group

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 46-44 Monday evening to confirm Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Arthur "Rob" Jones as a U.S. district judge to serve on the Southern District of Texas bench.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Blanche Hearing To Proceed After Graham's Death

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate Judiciary Committee will still hold the confirmation hearing for Todd Blanche's nomination to be attorney general on Wednesday, despite the death of committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., over the weekend. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court last week handled disputes involving corporate control, post-closing competition, executive departures, arbitration awards and shareholder litigation.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »