Expert Analysis

• Why Private Sector Should Watch Gov't DEI Firing Class Bid

  

  Former federal employees' class certification attempt in Fell v. Trump is worth following, as their challenge of the Office of Personnel Management's elimination of DEI positions raises questions about commonality in employee classes and protections for nonminority advocacy that reach beyond the public sector, says Shaun Southworth at Southworth PC.

• 4 Emerging Limits Of Employer Mental Health Notice Defense

  

  A California appeals court's recent decision in Husband v. Target, addressing when an employer knows about an employee's undisclosed disability, leaves open questions about how changes in mental health awareness and workforce monitoring tools may raise the bar for what employers can claim not to know, says Benjamin Heller at RFZ Law.

• Vax Ruling Offers Employer Tips For Handling Political Speech

  

  A California appeals court's recent decision in Rademacher v. ABC, rejecting a "General Hospital" actor's suit alleging he was terminated for opposing a vaccine policy, demonstrates the importance of the employer's process, including neutral policies, documentation, and evidence of who knew what and when, say attorneys at Krevolin Horst.

• What Colorado AI Law's Major Rewrite Means For Employers

  

  Colorado's landmark law regulating employers' use of artificial intelligence tools was recently replaced with a narrower regime that eliminates many burdensome obligations, but still imposes a host of requirements focused on transparency and accountability, say attorneys at Proskauer.

• Employer Tips To Prepare For Va. Family And Medical Leave

  

  With Virginia's paid family and medical leave insurance program taking effect in two years, employers should develop processes for monitoring head count, coordinating with existing federal and state leave programs, and tracking intermittent leave, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

• New Connecticut Law On Employers' AI Use Is Inventive

  

  A recently passed Connecticut law regulating the use of artificial intelligence in employment decisions innovates by using third-party risk assessments to vet and certify AI models, and by recognizing a division of responsibility between developers and deployers, potentially influencing pending legislation in other states, say attorneys at Littler.

• The Leeway And Limits Of DOL's Joint Employer Proposal

  

  A recent U.S. Department of Labor proposal would make joint employment harder to prove, giving employers more flexibility to add nonemployee labor without triggering shared liability, but businesses should be mindful that it likely won't affect state law tests or the standards that courts use, says Todd Lebowitz at BakerHostetler.

• Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: May Lessons

  

  In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four recent rulings from cases involving allegations of Title VII violations, the Employment Retirement Income Security Act, prison dental care violations and overcharging for PACER access.

• Flashpoints In Focus: Tips As EEOC Prioritizes Hiring Bias

  

  Two recent cases brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reflect its increased interest in recruiting and hiring bias claims, but employers can safeguard their business by finding quota alternatives, properly managing hiring statistics, and reviewing their vendor management and artificial intelligence governance, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

• Employer Tips After 4th Circ. Rejects Trimmed Suit Deadlines

  

  The Fourth Circuit's recent holding in Thomas v. EOTech that employers cannot use contractual provisions to shorten statutory filing periods for Title VII or Age Discrimination in Employment Act claims offers a warning for employers to review any such documents and reassess their litigation risk, say attorneys at Ogletree.

• Tips For Handling DEI Clampdown In Gov't Contracts

  

  A recent executive order and subsequent guidance from the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council reflect unified opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion in federal contracts, requiring contractors to, among other things, identify which entities are subject to flow-down obligations and prepare for near-term contract action and negotiations, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

• 1st Circ. Ruling Offers Post-Muldrow Tips For Handling PIPs

  

  The First Circuit's recent ruling in Walsh v. HNTB, one of the first circuit-level applications of Muldrow's lowered adverse employment action threshold, indicates that performance improvement plans can remain on solid footing if they don't affect the terms of employment, says Sasha Thaler at Constangy.

• Rulings Offer Lessons On Credible Workplace Investigations

  

  Three recent rulings illustrate that while internal investigations are a critical tool for managing workplace risk, the process itself must be able to withstand scrutiny, so employers should take steps to ensure that they're conducted with independence, credibility and trust to better defend their case, say attorneys at Krevolin Horst.