Discrimination

  • March 17, 2025

    OSU Fired Black Coach Over Diversity Advocacy, Suit Says

    The Ohio State University fired a Black assistant cheerleading coach because she called out what she saw as a lack of diversity in the school's athletics department, according to a federal suit.

  • March 17, 2025

    Walmart Strikes Deal To End EEOC Sex Harassment Suit

    Walmart agreed to pay $415,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging it didn't properly address a store manager's aggressive sexual harassment of female employees, according to a filing in West Virginia federal court.

  • March 14, 2025

    Trump Revokes Paul Weiss Security Clearances

    Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP became the third law firm to have workers' security clearances suspended by President Donald Trump, who signed the executive order Friday, citing the firm's DEI hiring practices and the decision by a former attorney there to assist the Manhattan district attorney's investigation of Trump.

  • March 14, 2025

    4th Circ. Lets White House Anti-DEI Efforts Proceed

    The Fourth Circuit on Friday lifted a temporary injunction blocking President Donald Trump's administration from implementing the bulk of his executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs, though each judge on the panel had differing views on the matter. 

  • March 14, 2025

    Md. Judge Joins Calif. In Reversing Federal Workers' Firing

    A Maryland federal judge has ordered the reinstatement of thousands of probationary employees who were abruptly fired from 18 federal agencies, saying the Trump administration's lack of required notice left states "scrambling" to pick up the pieces.

  • March 14, 2025

    Employment Lawyers' Weekly DEI Cheat Sheet

    The Fourth Circuit unblocked executive orders issued by President Donald Trump that seek to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion programs, while Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP became the latest firm singled out by Trump over its legal work and diversity measures. Here, Law360 catches you up on DEI-related developments from the past week.

  • March 14, 2025

    Black Tech Worker's $535K Retaliation Verdict Scrapped

    A Georgia federal judge vacated a Black former technology company employee's $535,000 jury verdict in his lawsuit alleging he was terminated for complaining that he hadn't received a raise because of his race, ruling Friday that the worker's voluntary resignation doomed his claim.

  • March 14, 2025

    3rd Circ. Won't Revive Ex-J&J Worker's COVID Testing Suit

    The Third Circuit refused Friday to reopen a former Johnson & Johnson employee's lawsuit claiming the company wouldn't accommodate her Christian faith by excusing her from its COVID-19 testing requirement, ruling her objections were medical or personal rather than religious.

  • March 14, 2025

    Worker Sues NBA's Suns For Age Discrimination, Retaliation

    A 46-year-old video engineer filed an age discrimination lawsuit against the NBA's Phoenix Suns, alleging the organization coerced him into changing his employment status to contractor and forced him to work in a rodent-infested garage when he complained.

  • March 14, 2025

    4th Circ. Reluctant To Loosen EEOC Charge Requirement

    A Fourth Circuit panel seemed hesitant Friday to revive a bias case from a worker whose presuit U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charge didn't specifically name one of the entities he hauled into court, with one judge expressing "apprehension" about adopting a widely used exception to charge filing rules.

  • March 14, 2025

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Weighs Scope Of Marital Bias Law

    This week, the Second Circuit will weigh whether New York City law prohibits discrimination on the basis of marriage to a specific person, as it considers a suit brought by Wendy Williams' ex-husband over claims he was fired as a producer on her talk show after she filed for divorce. Here, Law360 looks at this and other cases on the docket in New York.

  • March 14, 2025

    Sheetz Can't Shrink Timeframe In EEOC Criminal Screen Case

    Convenience store chain Sheetz can't reduce the time period targeted by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in a race bias suit over the company's screening of job applicants for criminal convictions, a Pennsylvania federal judge said.

  • March 14, 2025

    Circuits May Tweak Bias Test After High Court Sidestep

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent refusal to reevaluate a long-standing legal framework applied in employment discrimination lawsuits won't tamp down growing frustration with the doctrine, experts said, and lower courts may minimize the test's role even while it remains on the books.

  • March 14, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: Full 9th Circ. To Weigh LA Schools Vax Policy

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for a Ninth Circuit rehearing en banc in a challenge to a Los Angeles Unified School District COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • March 14, 2025

    PGA Beats Fired Christian Worker's COVID Vax Bias Suit

    A former PGA Tour employee did not show religious bias motivated his firing, a Florida federal judge ruled when dismissing the case, finding instead he was let go for shirking COVID-19 testing requirements presented as an alternative to the organization's vaccination mandate.

  • March 14, 2025

    Insurance Co. Unlawfully Nixed Disability Benefits, Suit Says

    Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Co. abruptly cut off a FedEx employee's disability benefits and refused to consider her doctor's conclusion that she's unable to return to work, in violation of federal benefits law, according to a lawsuit filed in Tennessee federal court.

  • March 13, 2025

    Soulja Boy Beat And Raped Assistant, Jury Told As Trial Starts

    The artist known as Soulja Boy physically and sexually abused a live-in personal assistant for nearly two years, jurors in California state court heard on the first day of a civil assault and employment trial against the "Crank That" rapper on Thursday.

  • March 13, 2025

    Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund Beats Accountant's Bias Suit

    The Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund defeated Thursday a former accountant's lawsuit claiming he was passed over for promotions and ultimately fired because he was a Black man in his 60s, with an Illinois federal judge finding it was his declining job performance that cost him the job.

  • March 13, 2025

    Home Chef, Staffing Co. Sued Over Harassment Firing

    A staffing agency and Relish Labs LLC, the legal entity behind meal kit delivery service Home Chef, have been sued in Georgia federal court by a former employee who alleged she was fired after reporting sexual harassment she suffered at the hands of a co-worker.

  • March 13, 2025

    Duke University Must Face Narrowed Race Bias Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge narrowed, but refused to fully dismiss, a suit against Duke University from a Black former worker who said he was fired after complaining that his boss made racially offensive comments, such as telling him he looked "too dark" on a video conference.

  • March 13, 2025

    UPenn Slams White Law Prof's Race Bias Claims

    The University of Pennsylvania's trustees pushed back Wednesday against a law professor's claim that her contract with the school was breached when she was sanctioned for racist remarks, saying it followed disciplinary procedures laid out in the faculty handbook.

  • March 13, 2025

    Navy Escapes Civilian Mechanic's Race Bias Suit

    The U.S. Navy defeated a Black civilian mechanic's suit claiming he was denied training opportunities and humiliated by a racist video in front of white and Hispanic colleagues, with a California federal judge finding the actions didn't negatively impact his employment.

  • March 13, 2025

    Managing Partner Said Atty Was 'Too Old' To Hire, Suit Says

    A managing partner for a law firm told a 59-year-old attorney that she was "too old" to work there, according to a lawsuit the lawyer filed in Illinois federal court, claiming that she was initially rejected for a job due to her age and continually faced harassment once she got in the door.

  • March 13, 2025

    States Sue To Halt Cuts At Education Dept.

    A group of 21 Democratic attorneys general sued the Trump administration Thursday in an effort to halt mass layoffs at the Department of Education, calling it an illegal move that will wreak havoc on states' educational systems.

  • March 12, 2025

    Fox News Cleared Of Sex Assault Claims, But Anchor Isn't

    A New York federal judge on Wednesday agreed to free Fox News from a suit alleging that former host Ed Henry sexually harassed and raped a former producer but held that Henry must face the bulk of her claims before a jury trial set for May.

Expert Analysis

  • Parsing EEOC Guidance On Accommodating Low Vision

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    Employers need to examine recent Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance on provisions for employees who are blind or partially sighted, particularly on the consequences of terminating an employee with blindness or low vision without meeting obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, says Amy Epstein Gluck at FisherBroyles.

  • 5 Tips For Employers Handling Generative AI Privacy Risks

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    Employers should carefully consider the privacy implications of using generative artificial intelligence tools, and employ steps to mitigate the risks, such as de-identifying data, providing notice and identifying data flows, say Zoe Argento and Amy Kabaria at Littler.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'The Bear' Serves Up Advice For Managers

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    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper chat with Ernst & Young’s Laura Yehuda about Hulu's "The Bear" and the best practices managers can glean from the show's portrayal of workplace challenges, including those faced by young, female managers.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

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    As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

  • Mass. Age Bias Ruling Holds Employer Liability Lessons

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    The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s recent ruling in Adams v. Schneider Electric — upholding a laid-off employee’s age discrimination claim — is an important reminder that employers may face liability even if a decision maker unknowingly applies a discriminatory corporate strategy, say attorneys at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • Regulating AI: Litigation Questions And State Efforts To Watch

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    In view of the developing legal and regulatory framework for artificial intelligence systems in the U.S., including state legislation and early federal litigation, there are practical takeaways as we look toward the future, says Jennifer Maisel at Rothwell Figg.

  • Regulating AI: An Overview Of Federal Efforts

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    The U.S. has been carefully managing a national policy and regulatory ecosystem toward artificial intelligence, but as AI technology continues to expand into our everyday lives, so too has its risks and the need for regulation, says Jennifer Maisel at Rothwell Figg.

  • Justices' Job Transfer Review Should Hold To Title VII Text

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming decision in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis should hold that a job transfer can be an adverse employment action, and the analysis should be based on the straightforward language of Title VII rather than judicial activism, say Lynne Bernabei and Alan Kabat at Bernabei & Kabat.

  • Employer Tips For Fighting Back Against Explosive Verdicts

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    Massive jury verdicts are a product of our time, driven in part by reptile tactics, but employers can build a strategic defense to mitigate the risk of a runaway jury, and develop tools to seek judicial relief in the event of an adverse outcome, say Dawn Solowey and Lynn Kappelman at Seyfarth.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Changing Status Quo In A Union Shop

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    A recent administrative law decision concerning a dispute between Fortune Media and the NewsGuild of New York is an important reminder to employers with unionized workforces to refrain from making unilateral updates to employee handbooks that will change the terms and conditions of employment, says Jennifer Hataway at Butler Snow.

  • What EEOC's 2023 Stats Mean For Future Enforcement

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    The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s unusual burst of spring lawsuits and its new Democratic majority should cue employers and HR personnel to expect EEOC enforcement activity to ramp up to pre-pandemic rates, especially in regions where filings are on the rise and in those areas the agency appears to be targeting, such as workplace discrimination, say Andrew Scroggins and James Nasiri at Seyfarth Shaw.

  • Eye On Compliance: A Shift In Religious Accommodation Law

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    The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Groff v. DeJoy is making it more difficult for employers to deny religious accommodations, and there are three takeaways employers should keep in mind, say William Cook and Matthew High at Wilson Elser.

  • Tick Tock: When Punctuality Raises Employee ADA Questions

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    A recent viral TikTok video — where a user claims they were disrespected by a potential employer when inquiring about accommodations for difficulty with being on time — shows that even in the most seemingly questionable situations, there may be legitimate issues that require Americans with Disabilities Act considerations, says Daniel Pasternak at Squire Patton.