Discrimination

  • June 01, 2026

    DC Circ. Says Military Trans Ban Flouts Constitutional Rights

    A divided D.C. Circuit panel Monday said the Trump administration illegally banned transgender individuals from military service, then narrowed a preliminary injunction to prevent the government's exclusion of transgender people presently serving in the military but not those desiring to enlist.

  • June 01, 2026

    Wash. Mandates Menopause Protections For Cabinet Workers

    Washington state Cabinet agencies will soon be required to accommodate employees experiencing menopause and perimenopause after Gov. Bob Ferguson on Monday instructed the state Women's Commission to help develop guidance, policies and resources applicable to menopause-related conditions.

  • June 01, 2026

    Retailer Can Seek Atty Fees For 'Groundless' ADA Suit

    A Colorado federal judge ruled Monday that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission pressed frivolous allegations that an appliance retailer unlawfully failed to accommodate a worker's long COVID-19, potentially putting the EEOC on the hook for all the business' attorney fees.

  • June 01, 2026

    Kia, Hyundai Workers' Attys Get $3.45M Fee Award In Visa Suit

    A Georgia federal court on Monday awarded $3.45 million in attorney fees and costs to lawyers for workers who reached an $11.5 million settlement over claims that a Hyundai supplier, a Kia plant and staffing agencies recruited skilled Mexican engineers for production work and underpaid them.

  • June 01, 2026

    NFL Benefit Plans Vow To Reset 'Race Norming' Test Scores

    The NFL's disability and retirement plans have agreed to reassess former players' cognitive health to settle a sweeping class action accusing the plans of muting the results based on race.

  • June 01, 2026

    11th Circ. Backs Miami Beach In Ex-Cop's Retaliation Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit refused Monday to reopen a former Miami Beach police officer's lawsuit claiming she was forced out for complaining about colleagues' sexually explicit comments and behavior, finding she couldn't overcome the city's explanation that she repeatedly neglected her duties.

  • June 01, 2026

    Ill. Legislators Greenlight Disparate Impact Bias Protections

    Illinois lawmakers approved legislation Monday that would codify protections against disparate impact discrimination into state law, a move that follows an order from President Donald Trump instructing executive agencies to drop investigations into alleged instances of unintentional bias.

  • June 01, 2026

    5th Circ. Wary Of Airline's Bid To Void EEOC Harassment Win

    The Fifth Circuit weighed Monday whether to leave in place a $300,000 verdict for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in its sexual harassment case against SkyWest Airlines, as two judges pushed back on some of the airline's arguments for a new trial.

  • June 01, 2026

    Delta Lands Tentative Deal To End EEOC Pregnancy Bias Suit

    Delta has struck a deal to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming the airline illegally yanked a job offer from a pregnant worker who wasn't allowed to complete a physical screening because she was pregnant, the parties told a New York federal judge.

  • June 01, 2026

    Atty-Client Privilege Shields Bias-Testing Data In Workday Suit

    Workday won't be required to hand over bias-testing data in a suit claiming the company's artificial intelligence-powered software unlawfully discriminated against job applicants, after a California federal judge ruled that the information is protected by attorney-client privilege.

  • June 01, 2026

    High Court Turns Away Health Workers' Vaccine Mandate Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined a bid for review Monday from workers who said a nonprofit healthcare system and Washington state violated their rights by issuing COVID-19 vaccination mandates, leaving in place a Ninth Circuit ruling that said their case didn't pass muster.

  • May 29, 2026

    A State Law Cheat Sheet For Discrimination Attorneys

    New York lawmakers advanced legislation guaranteeing workers' access to their employment file, Connecticut legislators sent a sweeping artificial intelligence bill to the governor's desk, and the California Senate approved a bill limiting AI’s role in disciplinary decisions. Here's Law360's biweekly look at notable state-level legislative developments discrimination lawyers should have on their radar.

  • May 29, 2026

    4 Argument Sessions Bias Attys Should Watch In June

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will head to the Fifth Circuit to defend its trial win in a harassment lawsuit against an airline, and then appear before the Ninth Circuit to argue for the reinstatement of a disability discrimination suit against a financial services company. Here's a look at a quartet of oral arguments that discrimination attorneys should keep tabs on in June.

  • May 29, 2026

    U. Of Oregon Women Athletes Denied Class Cert. In Bias Suit

    An Oregon federal judge has ruled that four proposed classes of women athletes accusing the University of Oregon of treating them unequally compared with men did not meet class certification criteria but said certifying another group later was possible.

  • May 29, 2026

    UAW, Auto Parts Maker Escape Race Discrimination Suit

    The United Auto Workers and an auto parts manufacturer defeated a Black former forklift driver's lawsuit alleging his union failed to adequately represent him when he was fired for complaining that a white colleague used a racial slur, with an Ohio federal judge ruling he filed his claims too late.

  • May 29, 2026

    U. Of Mich. Surgeon Sues Over Teaching Suspension

    A University of Michigan surgeon has sued the school's Board of Regents and a department chair, claiming they suspended him from teaching over protected classroom speech and retaliated against him for prior lawsuits claiming age discrimination and other misconduct.

  • May 29, 2026

    Calif. Forecast: Phillips 66 Seeks Toss Of Standby Shifts Suit

    In the week ahead, attorneys should watch for a motion to dismiss hearing in a proposed wage and hour class action against oil refinery company Phillips 66. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • May 29, 2026

    CNN Strikes Tentative Deal To End Breastfeeding Bias Case

    CNN America and a former worker who claimed she was unlawfully denied a proper place to pump breast milk on the job told a D.C. federal court they had agreed on the broad strokes of a deal to resolve her suit.  

  • May 29, 2026

    EEOC Poised To Rescind Biden-Era Enforcement Priorities

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will meet Thursday to consider retracting a Biden-era strategic enforcement plan that pledged to focus on protecting LGBTQ+ individuals, religious minorities and workers impacted by technology-related bias.

  • May 28, 2026

    Shield AI Worker Alleges Data Fraud, 'Sexual Violence' By Exec

    An employee hit Shield AI Inc. with a suit in Texas federal court Thursday, alleging the defense technology company engaged in data fraud, allowed a company executive to perpetuate "egregious acts of sexual violence," and retaliated against him after he spoke up.

  • May 28, 2026

    11th Circ. Says Damages Caps Misconstrued In Bias Verdict

    The Eleventh Circuit ruled on Thursday that a discrimination verdict against a Miami car dealership was slashed too far when a judge chose between federal and state damages caps, saying the caps should be added together.

  • May 28, 2026

    Ex-VP Accuses Wells Fargo Of Race, Disability Bias

    A former executive hired to help oversee Wells Fargo's compliance with a federal consent order over an unauthorized account scandal has accused the bank of race and disability discrimination, saying he was retaliated against and ultimately fired after lodging internal complaints of disparate treatment of Black employees.

  • May 28, 2026

    Mail Carrier, AGs Press Justices To Hear Firefighter Vax Case

    The former mail carrier behind a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that made it harder for employers to deny religious accommodations and GOP state attorneys general are among a chorus of amici backing a bid for high court review from Washington firefighters who were denied faith-based COVID-19 vaccine exemptions. Here's a look at their arguments. 

  • May 28, 2026

    Tesla Must Face Calif. Agency's Race Bias Fight In July Trial

    A California state judge has mostly rejected Tesla Inc.'s bid for a summary judgment win in the California Civil Rights Department's lawsuit alleging the electric-auto maker has allowed racism to run rampant at its Fremont factory, sending the high-stakes civil rights dispute to a July 20 jury trial.

  • May 28, 2026

    Ex-Southwest HR Worker Alleges Race Bias, Retaliatory Firing

    A former Southwest Airlines employee has sued the airline in Illinois state court, claiming that her supervisor harassed her because of her race and that she was ultimately fired for reporting that disparate treatment, which included departures from standard discipline and various tasks she was expected to perform that her white colleagues were not.

Expert Analysis

  • How Guidance Narrows Federal Telework Accommodations

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    A recent FAQ from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management offers agencies several ways to narrow telework as an accommodation for federal employees, including through in-office alternatives, revisiting prior approvals and substituting leave for situational telework, says Lori Kisch at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • 7 Tips For Employers On Calif. Decision-Making Tech Rules

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    Over the next eight months, many California employers must prepare to comply with challenging new requirements under the California Consumer Privacy Act that constitute the most comprehensive set of rules in the country on the use of automated decision-making technology, say attorneys at Littler.

  • What To Know About NY's Employment Credit Check Ban

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    An amendment to the New York state Fair Credit Reporting Act prohibiting applicants' or employees' consumer credit history from being used in employment-related decisions statewide will take effect in a few days, so employers should update policies, train teams and audit positions for narrow exemptions, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Gender-Expansive Calif. Equal Pay Laws Widen Employer Risk

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    California's recent amendments to strengthen its Equal Pay Act and Pay Transparency Act aim to shrink the wage gap, not only for women, but also for nonbinary and transgender employees, creating new compliance obligations for employers and increasing their potential exposure, say attorneys at the Jhaveri-Weeks Firm.

  • AI Recruiting Suit Shows Old Laws May Implicate New Tools

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    The Fair Credit Reporting Act allegations recently filed in Kistler v. Eightfold AI, are the latest example of broad definitional language in legacy statutes proving far more dangerous to companies deploying artificial intelligence – particularly in hiring – than any purpose-built artificial intelligence regulation, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • What's Missing From Latest Gov't Claims Against Harvard

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    The most interesting thing about the Trump administration’s recent civil rights enforcement efforts targeting Harvard University is its decision not to assert violations of the False Claims Act when given the opportunity, despite signals that its enforcement efforts will include use of the federal FCA, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

  • Preparing For New Calif. Pay Data Reporting Requirements

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    California's S.B. 464 overhauls the state's pay data reporting framework by requiring employers to use job categories that are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, increasing both the potential visibility of pay disparities and the complexity of compliance, say attorneys at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Justices May Hesitate To Limit Courts' Arbitration Review

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    Based on Monday's argument in Jules v. Andre Balazs, the U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to preserve federal jurisdiction over arbitral award enforcement stemming from actions originated in federal court, a holding that would markedly limit the court's 2022 Walters v. Badgerow decision, says Ashwini Jayaratnam at DarrowEverett.

  • Spotlight On Legal Battles Over EEOC Subpoena Powers

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    Attorneys at Wilson Elser consider the spate of litigation over the past year, spurred by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s focus on alleged religious discrimination at universities, and corporate diversity, equity and inclusion practices, and how it may affect the attempts to assert privacy rights against the agency's broad subpoena powers.

  • NFL Hiring Bias Ruling Signals Trend Away From Arbitration

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    A New York federal court's recent decision in Flores v. NFL, declining to compel arbitration in a class action alleging racial discrimination in the league's hiring practices, reflects courts' increasing reluctance to allow private dispute resolution for systemic discrimination claims, says Masood Ali at Segal McCambridge.

  • Flashpoints In Focus: Harassment At Work After Epstein Files

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    The recent release of millions of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking scheme has renewed a movement to hold perpetrators of sexual assault and harassment responsible, making it a perfect time for employers to ensure they have a strong system for preventing and addressing workplace harassment, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • NYC Leave Law Expands Compliance Beyond Written Policies

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    Following recent amendments to New York City's Earned Safe and Sick Time Act that expand its uses, give employees 32 hours of immediately available time off and create a right to request schedule changes, compliance now turns on whether employees can use time off without facing barriers or discipline, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • 3rd Circ. Must Reject EEOC's Flawed Equal Pay Theory

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    To avoid illogical outcomes, the Third Circuit, in Cartee-Haring and Marinello v. Central Bucks School District, should refute the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s recently filed amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs’ bias claims based on pay compared with one single co-worker, say Allan King at Littler and Stephen Bronars at Edgeworth Economics.