Discrimination

  • February 03, 2026

    Calif. Food Cos. To Pay $900K To End EEOC Harassment Suit

    A California produce processing operation has agreed to pay $900,000 to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging higher-ups looked the other way while female employees faced pervasive sexual harassment. 

  • February 03, 2026

    Clorox Settles Male Worker's Gender Bias Suit On Eve Of Trial

    Clorox has settled a gender discrimination suit from a former employee who claimed he was fired because the company wanted more women managers, right before the case was set to go to trial and just under a year after it was revived by the Ninth Circuit.

  • February 02, 2026

    Calif. Justices Revive 'Unreadable' Arbitration Agreement Suit

    In a 6-1 decision, the California Supreme Court clarified on Monday that courts must "closely scrutinize the terms of difficult-to-read contracts for unfairness or one-sidedness," but the "illegibility" — font size, placement, prominence, etc. — of agreements do not themselves indicate that it is unconscionable.

  • February 02, 2026

    Bikini Barista Boss Says Wash. AG Defamed Him In Wage Suit

    The owner of Seattle-area Paradise Espresso stands slammed the Washington State Office of the Attorney General on Monday for filing a wage theft and employment discrimination lawsuit "containing known falsehoods" and disparaging his bikini barista business in a related press release.

  • February 02, 2026

    8th Circ. Rejects Minn. Health Worker's COVID-19 Suit

    The Eighth Circuit ruled Monday that the Minnesota Department of Human Services didn't illegally fail to exempt a Catholic employee from mandatory weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated individuals, saying the pandemic-era requirement was lawful.

  • February 02, 2026

    6th Circ. Says High Court Ruling Buoys Bias Suit Against GM

    The Sixth Circuit reinstated a male General Motors worker's sex bias suit claiming he got harsher discipline than a female colleague, ruling Monday that his case needs a second look after the U.S. Supreme Court clarified the standards for discrimination cases brought by workers in majority groups.

  • February 02, 2026

    Curaleaf Can't Ditch All Ill. Whistleblower Act Claims

    An Illinois magistrate judge on Monday mostly denied a bid from Curaleaf Inc. to throw out a former regional director's Illinois Whistleblower Act claims, saying the complaint is sufficient to allege that he was retaliated against for reporting compliance violations to the state government.

  • February 02, 2026

    EEOC Calls School Board's Bias Probe Challenge Premature

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission urged a New Mexico federal judge to toss a school board's challenge to an agency investigation into alleged hiring discrimination against Native Americans, arguing the case is procedurally out of line.

  • February 02, 2026

    Philly Art Museum Wins Bid To Arbitrate CEO's Firing Suit

    Former Philadelphia Museum of Art CEO Alexandra "Sasha" Suda's lawsuit against the museum alleging that a "corrupt faction" in its leadership forced her out of her position must be handled in arbitration, a city judge has ruled, citing a contract provision.

  • February 02, 2026

    Worker Fired After Bias Claim Should Get $5M, Jury Says

    A Utah federal jury awarded a former human resources worker $5 million in her retaliation suit claiming a hospice provider fired her as punishment for lodging an age and gender bias charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

  • February 02, 2026

    Wollmuth Maher Picks Up Attys From Paul Hastings, SDNY

    Wollmuth Maher & Deutsch LLP has added the longtime leader of Paul Hastings LLP's New York employment law department and has bolstered its white collar bench by bringing in a veteran former assistant U.S. attorney.

  • January 30, 2026

    Back Pay Over Vax Mandate Is Equitable Relief, Justices Hear

    A U.S. Air Force reservist told the U.S. Supreme Court this week that equitable relief under a religious freedom law should extend to his back pay claim related to his refusal to follow its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, arguing he's only seeking "status-restoring relief."

  • January 30, 2026

    7th Circ. Grills Trump Admin Atty Over Definition Of Illegal DEI

    Seventh Circuit judges on Friday pushed an attorney for the Trump administration to define what kind of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives it deems illegal in requiring grant recipients to certify they don't promote DEI programs that violate anti-discrimination law, with one judge saying the unanswered question has caused "frustration" in litigation over the requirement.

  • January 30, 2026

    3 Argument Sessions Bias Attys Should Watch In February

    The Ninth Circuit will analyze the scope of a law barring mandatory arbitration in sexual harassment disputes, while the Seventh Circuit will consider a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission disability bias case against Walmart before tackling a religious discrimination suit over pharmaceutical giant Lilly's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Here, Law360 looks at three oral arguments that discrimination attorneys should keep tabs on in February.

  • January 30, 2026

    Attys Rip Judge-Shopping Sanctions As Bid To 'Rewrite' Rules

    Two Alabama attorneys who were sanctioned for allegedly judge shopping in a civil rights case urged the Eleventh Circuit to toss the sanctions Friday, arguing the judges accusing them were seeking to "rewrite" the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

  • January 30, 2026

    1st Circ. Revives Ex-Hasbro Workers' Religious Vax Bias Suit

    Two former Hasbro employees who sought religious exemptions from the company's COVID-19 vaccination policy plausibly alleged they were disciplined because of their accommodation requests, the First Circuit ruled, reviving the workers' retaliation and discrimination suit.

  • January 30, 2026

    FTC Warns 42 Law Firms Of DEI 'Anticompetitive Collusion'

    The Federal Trade Commission announced Friday that it has sent warning letters to 42 major law firms for their purported participation in an outside diversity, equity and inclusion program, alleging their participation could constitute anticompetitive collusion.

  • January 30, 2026

    Calif. Forecast: 9th Circ. Hears Netflix Harassment Args

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for Ninth Circuit oral arguments regarding whether the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act prevents Netflix from seeking to send sexual harassment claims to arbitration. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • January 30, 2026

    Building Co. Strikes Deal In EEOC Age, Disability Bias Suit

    A building supply company agreed to a $26,000 deal with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to end a suit alleging the business fired a 67-year-old worker out of age and disability discrimination after claiming he arrived to work with a limp, the agency said.

  • January 30, 2026

    UPS Worker's Supervisor Status Dooms Teamsters Bias Suit

    An Indiana federal judge tossed a UPS manager's suit claiming a Teamsters local allowed its members to harass him with baseless complaints that he was a racist, ruling he couldn't sue under Title VII because, as a supervisor, he wasn't represented by the union.

  • January 30, 2026

    AstraZeneca Beats FMLA Suit After Ex-Worker Went Silent

    AstraZeneca won't have to face a former employee's lawsuit alleging the pharmaceutical giant fired him for taking medical leave to address his gastrointestinal illness, a Connecticut federal judge ruled, saying he failed to respond to discovery and motions and ignored court orders.

  • January 30, 2026

    NY Forecast: 2nd. Circ. Hears Fired Police Officer's Bias Suit

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider reviving a former Eastchester, New York, police officer's suit claiming he was suspended and later fired because of his national origin.

  • January 29, 2026

    3 Things To Watch As EEOC Consolidates Litigation Authority

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's leaders recently expanded their authority to approve or scuttle new lawsuits, a move that will shift enforcement priorities and reflects sentiments that had been brewing at the agency for years, experts say. Here are three things to know about the power shift at the EEOC.

  • January 29, 2026

    6th Circ. Tosses Black Flight Attendant's Race Bias Suit

    The Sixth Circuit declined Thursday to reinstate a Black Delta flight attendant's suit claiming she was disciplined out of racial bias following a verbal altercation with a colleague, ruling the airline acted fairly based on evidence that the flight attendant made an alleged threat during the incident.

  • January 29, 2026

    Ex-Arby's Employee Sues Over Gender Identity Harassment

    Arby's has been sued in Illinois federal court by a nonbinary ex-employee who claims they suffered pervasive discrimination and ridicule from their supervisor over their gender identity, and that reports of the manager's sexual harassment went unaddressed.

Expert Analysis

  • Top 10 Employer Resolutions For 2025

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    While companies must monitor for policy shifts under the new administration in 2025, it will also be a year to play it safe and remember the basics, such as the importance of documenting retention policies and conducting swift investigations into workplace complaints, say attorneys at Krevolin Horst.

  • What To Expect From EEOC Next Year After An Active 2024

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    While highlights this year for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission include its first-ever Pregnant Workers Fairness Act cases and comprehensive workplace harassment guidance, the question for 2025 is whether the commission will sustain its momentum or shift its focus in a new direction, says Shannon Kelly at GrayRobinson.

  • Ledbetter's Legacy Shines In 2024 Equal Pay Law Updates

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    The federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act turned 15 this year, and its namesake's legacy is likely to endure in 2025 and beyond, as demonstrated by 2024's state- and local-level progress on pay equity, as well as several rulings from federal appellate courts, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • What Employers Should Consider When Drafting AI Policies

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    As generative artificial intelligence continues to evolve and transform the workplace, employers should examine six issues when creating their corporate AI policies in order to balance AI's efficiencies with the oversight needed to prevent potential biases and legal pitfalls, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Eye On Compliance: When Calif. Jobs Require Driver Licenses

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    With a California law banning unnecessarily requiring job applicants to have driver's licenses rolling out Jan. 1, employers should take to heart the law's goal of preventing discriminatory barriers while they assess and revise their employment materials for compliance, says Ani Khachatryan at Wilson Elser.

  • Ring In The New Year With An Updated Employee Handbook

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    One of the best New Year's resolutions employers can make is to update their employee handbooks, given that a handbook can mitigate, or even prevent, costly litigation as long as it accounts for recent changes in laws, court rulings and agency decisions, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • 5 Employer Defenses To Military Status Discrimination Claims

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    A Colorado federal court's recent ruling, finding a Navy reservist wasn't denied promotion at his civilian job due to antimilitary bias, highlights several defenses employers can use to counter claims of violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, say attorneys at Littler Mendelson.

  • Justices Mull Sex-Based Classification In Trans Law Case

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in U.S. v. Skrmetti this week, it appears that the fate of the Tennessee law at the center of the case — a law banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender adolescents — will hinge on whether the majority read the statute as imposing a sex-based classification, says Alexandra Crandall at Dickinson Wright.

  • Pa. Ruling Highlights Challenges Of Employer Arb. Appeals

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    A Pennsylvania federal court's recent ruling in Welch Foods v. General Teamsters Local Union No. 397 demonstrates the inherent difficulties employers face when seeking relief from labor arbitration decisions through appeals in court — and underscores how employers are faced with often conflicting legal priorities, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 7 Ways To Prepare For An I-9 Audit Or Immigration Raid

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    Because immigration enforcement is likely to surge under the upcoming Trump administration, employers should take steps to ensure their staff is trained in employment eligibility verification requirements and what to do in the event of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement I-9 audit or workplace raid, say attorneys at Littler.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • Disentangling Various Forms Of Workplace Discrimination

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    Pay inequity can be missed where it exists and misidentified due to incorrect statistics, leaving individuals to face multiple facets of discrimination connected by a common root cause, meaning correct identification and measurement is crucial, says Daniel Levy at Advanced Analytical.

  • Key Requirements In New Maryland Pay Transparency Laws

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    Although several jurisdictions now require pay transparency in job advertisements, Maryland's new law is among the broadest in the country, both in terms of what is required and the scope of its applicability, says Sarah Belger at Quarles & Brady.