Discrimination

  • October 17, 2025

    Fired 'Lincoln Lawyer' Writer Alleges Antisemitism At A&E

    A former writer for the legal drama television series "The Lincoln Lawyer" has sued A&E Television Networks LLC and a television showrunner in California state court, alleging his supervisor discriminated against him and he was ultimately fired because he is Jewish.

  • October 17, 2025

    Workday Says Ex-Atty Doesn't Have A Valid Fraud Claim

    A former in-house attorney for Workday Inc. cannot pursue his claim alleging the company made fraudulent promises about his compensation, Workday has told a California federal judge, saying the attorney is trying to impermissibly repackage a breach of contract claim into a tort claim.

  • October 17, 2025

    Judge Advises Keeping Electrician's Retaliation Claim Alive

    A Black electrical worker's claim that he was illegally pushed out of his job for reporting race discrimination on the job should survive, but allegations he made against his union for not grieving his termination should be tossed, a Tennessee federal magistrate judge has recommended. 

  • October 17, 2025

    Plasma Co. Worker Exams Shirk Genetic Privacy, Suit Says

    A global plasma collection company violated Illinois' genetic privacy law by asking job applicants for their family medical histories in preemployment physical exams, a former worker told a federal court in a proposed class action alleging the company used the information to guide employment decisions.

  • October 17, 2025

    GM Parts Co. Wants Out Of Black Worker's Harassment Suit

    A Black employee of a General Motors subsidiary can't support her lawsuit alleging the company did nothing to stop a white co-worker from stalking and harassing her, the company told a New York federal court Friday, arguing she failed to show the colleague's conduct was tied to race, not personal relations.

  • October 17, 2025

    Federal Courts To Scale Back Operations Amid Shutdown

    The federal court system has run out of money and will scale back operations beginning Monday as a result of the ongoing government shutdown, possibly leading to case delays.

  • October 17, 2025

    Early PWFA Ruling Highlights Need For Lactation Education

    A recent court ruling allowing the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to move ahead with a Pregnant Workers Fairness Act case over denied pumping breaks underscores the need for employers to train managers on breastfeeding accommodations, experts said.

  • October 17, 2025

    EEOC Pregnancy Bias Settlement Gets Approval On 4th Try

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission got the green light to end its pregnancy bias case against a child advocacy organization when a Pennsylvania federal judge stood down from his objections to a $30,000 settlement agreement on the agency's fourth bid for approval.

  • October 17, 2025

    Resort Chain To Settle EEOC Sex Harassment Suit For $1.2M

    A Nevada casino and resort chain has agreed to pay $1.2 million to shutter a sexual harassment suit from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming it failed to address frequent groping, sexual comments and on-the-job masturbation, according to a federal court filing.

  • October 17, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: 9th Circ. To Hear Court Exec. Race Bias Args

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for Ninth Circuit oral arguments in a former California state court executive officer's race discrimination case. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in that state.

  • October 17, 2025

    Fired K-9 Officer Drops Bias Suit Against Mich. Hospital

    A former K-9 security officer for a Michigan hospital agreed to drop her claims that she was fired after disclosing that she was in a same-sex relationship and asking for back pay earned while caring for the dog, according to a Friday order.

  • October 16, 2025

    RI Insurance Co. Escapes Fired Worker's Retaliation Suit

    A Rhode Island federal judge tossed a Black worker's suit Thursday claiming a health insurance company placed her on leave and ultimately fired her for complaining about missed diversity metrics and harassment, ruling she failed to rebut the organization's position that her continuous leave prompted her termination.

  • October 16, 2025

    Wage Reporting Laws Are Useful Deterrents To Pay Inequality

    Equal pay data reporting laws are part of the broader embrace of pay transparency, and though their utility lies in forcing employers to audit their pay practices, the data is imperfect, attorneys said.

  • October 16, 2025

    LA Beats Ex-Police Lt.'s Military Leave Bias Suit Before Trial

    The city of Los Angeles on Thursday beat a proposed class action alleging its police department didn't grant equal sick and vacation time to service members and passed them over for promotions because of their service obligations, weeks before jury trial was set to commence in California federal court. 

  • October 16, 2025

    EEOC Says Challenge To Trans Advocacy Pivot Oversteps

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission urged a Maryland federal judge to toss a suit from an LGBTQ legal advocacy group challenging the agency's move to stop pursuing workplace bias complaints from transgender workers, arguing the courts don't have the authority to interfere with the EEOC's enforcement priorities.

  • October 16, 2025

    Mich. Panel Tosses Black Deputy Wardens' Race Bias Suit

    A Michigan appellate panel has spared the state's corrections agency from a discrimination lawsuit filed by two Black deputy wardens who said they were passed over for warden roles that went to white colleagues.

  • October 16, 2025

    6th Circ. Backs Air Force's Win In Ex-Worker's Race Bias Suit

    The Sixth Circuit refused to reopen a former military salesman's lawsuit alleging the Air Force repeatedly disciplined him and threatened to fire him because he's a Black man, ruling the civilian worker hadn't provided enough evidence to keep his claims in court.

  • October 16, 2025

    Judge Rejects Bid To DQ Wash. Atty In Her County Bias Suit

    A Seattle federal judge won't bar an attorney from representing herself in a racial discrimination lawsuit accusing a Washington county of sidelining her from hearing certain cases during her tenure as a part-time judge, rejecting the defense's claims of a conflict of interest.  

  • October 16, 2025

    Wells Fargo To Settle Investors' 'Sham' Hiring Case For $85M

    Wells Fargo & Co. has agreed to pay $85 million to exit an investor class action accusing it of conducting "sham" job interviews to meet diversity quotas, settling a yearslong dispute before it could reach trial in California federal court.

  • October 16, 2025

    5th Circ. Calls For Narrow Sanctions In Southwest Bias Fight

    The Fifth Circuit stood by its decision to scuttle a contempt order mandating religious bias training for attorneys representing Southwest Airlines in a flight attendant's discrimination suit, but tweaked a May panel ruling to instruct a trial court to impose "narrowly tailored" sanctions.

  • October 16, 2025

    US Bank Wants Out Of Ex-AI Chief's Race Bias Suit

    U.S. Bank has doubled down on its efforts to escape a race bias suit brought by the former head of its artificial intelligence efforts, saying he waited more than 100 days too long to file a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

  • October 16, 2025

    2nd Circ. Hints EFAA Shields Entire Suits From Arbitration

    A Second Circuit panel appeared ready Thursday to endorse the view that a worker's entire suit could remain in court — including allegations beyond those of sexual harassment — if a claim within the litigation triggered the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Act.

  • October 16, 2025

    Tech Co. Gets Ex-Employee's Bias Suit Shipped To Texas

    An information technology services company must face a Black former employee's lawsuit claiming she was fired for complaining about a supervisor's racist remarks, an Illinois federal judge ruled, but said the case should be sent to Texas based on the worker's employment agreement.

  • October 15, 2025

    6th Circ. Backs EV Charging Co. In Ex-Manager's Bias Suit

    The Sixth Circuit refused Wednesday to reopen a former production manager's lawsuit claiming he was fired by an electric vehicle charger company because he's Black and Muslim, ruling he couldn't overcome the manufacturer's explanation that his poor performance, not bias, cost him the job.

  • October 15, 2025

    Conn. Hospital Had Cause To Fire Lawmaker, Judge Confirms

    A Connecticut judge has confirmed an arbitrator's finding that Norwalk Hospital had "just cause" to fire a now-former state lawmaker, Anabel Figueroa, from her job as a unit coordinator after she made allegedly antisemitic remarks on the campaign trail.

Expert Analysis

  • 2 Areas Of Labor Law That May Change Under Trump

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    Based on President Donald Trump's recent moves, employers should expect to see significant changes in the direction of law coming out of the National Labor Relations Board, particularly in two areas where the Trump administration will seek to roll back the Biden NLRB's changes, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Justices' Revival Ruling In Bias Suit Exceeds Procedural Issue

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Waetzig v. Halliburton allowed the plaintiff in an age discrimination lawsuit to move to reopen his case after arbitration, but the seemingly straightforward decision on a procedural issue raises complex questions for employment law practitioners, says Christopher Sakauye at Dykema.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'Late Night' Shows DEI Is More Than Optics

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    Amid the shifting legal landscape for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Troutman's Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter chat with their firm's DEI committee chair, Nicole Edmonds, about how the 2019 film "Late Night" reflects the challenges and rewards of fostering meaningful inclusion.

  • 9 Considerations For Orgs Using AI Meeting Assistants

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    When deciding to use artificial intelligence meeting assistants, organizations must create and implement a written corporate policy that establishes the do's and don'ts for these assistants, taking into account individualized business operations, industry standards and legal and regulatory requirements, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit

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    The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Determining What 'I Don't Feel Safe' Means In The Workplace

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    When an employee tells an employer "I don't feel safe," the phrase can have different meanings, so employment lawyers must adequately investigate to identify which meaning applies — and a cursory review and dismissal of the situation may not be a sufficient defense in case of future legal proceedings, says Karen Elliott at FordHarrison.

  • How EEOC Enforcement Priorities May Change Under Trump

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has already been rocked by the Trump administration's dramatic changes in personnel and policy, which calls into question how the agency may shift its direction from the priorities set forth in its five-year strategic enforcement plan in 2023, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Back To Basics After Admin Change

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    Having an up-to-date employee handbook is more critical now than ever, given the recent change in administration, and employers should understand their benefits and risks, including how they can limit employers’ liability and help retain employers’ rights, say Kasey Cappellano and Meaghan Gandy at Kutak Rock.

  • What Axed Title IX Gender Identity Rule Means For Higher Ed

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    Following a Kentucky federal court's recent decision in State of Tennessee v. Cardona to strike down a Biden-era rule that expanded the definition of Title IX to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity, institutions of higher education should prepare to reimplement policies that comply with the reinstated 2020 rule, say attorneys at Venable.

  • A Path Forward For Cos. Amid Trump's Anti-DEIA Efforts

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    Given the Trump administration’s recent efforts targeting corporate diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs — including threatening possible criminal prosecution — companies should carefully tailor their DEIA initiatives to comply with both the letter and the spirit of antidiscrimination law, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Workforce Data Collection Considerations After DEI Order

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    Following President Donald Trump's executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, employers should balance the benefits of collecting demographic data with the risk of violating the order’s prohibition on "illegal DEI," say Lynn Clements at Berkshire Associates, David Cohen at DCI Consulting and Victoria Lipnic at Resolution Economics.

  • How DOGE's Severance Plan May Affect Federal Employees

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    President Donald Trump's administration, working through the Department of Government Efficiency, recently offered a severance package to nearly all of the roughly 2 million federal employees, but unanswered questions about the offer, coupled with several added protections for government workers, led to fewer accepted offers than expected, says Aaron Peskin at Kang Haggerty.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.