Discrimination

  • July 11, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: Court Weighs Google's $50M Racial Bias Deal

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for the potential initial sign-off on a $50 million deal between Google and Black workers who alleged the technology giant discriminated against them based on race. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • July 11, 2025

    11th Circ. Won't Reinstate Worker's ERISA Arbitration Award

    A divided Eleventh Circuit panel refused to restore a former water treatment company director's arbitration award of about $129,000 on claims that he should've been offered severance when demoted to a consultant, saying an arbitrator erroneously decided a federal benefits law claim the worker never raised.

  • July 11, 2025

    11th Circ. Revives Black Worker's Promotion Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit revived a Black worker's suit alleging a Georgia county wouldn't promote her to a more senior tax appraisal position out of racial discrimination, ruling that a jury needs to determine whether she was held to higher standards of qualifications than her non-Black peers.

  • July 10, 2025

    Stanford Accused Of Fostering Antisemitism In Bias Suit

    A former Stanford University research fellow from Israel sued the university and a lab director in California federal court on Thursday, alleging that they fostered antisemitism on campus, retaliated against him for reporting discrimination and ultimately forced him to resign.

  • July 10, 2025

    Vax Refuser Tells Jury Red Cross Mandate Was 'Unsettling'

    A former nurse for the American Red Cross said the organization's requirement that employees receive a COVID-19 vaccine was "unsettling" to her and led to physical manifestations of stress, as she testified before a federal jury on Thursday that she believed receiving the injection went against her religious beliefs.

  • July 10, 2025

    Black Worker Claims Bias At Nuclear Safety Organization

    A nuclear power safety organization repeatedly promoted white men rather than a more qualified Black woman, the worker told a Georgia federal court Thursday, claiming the group has endeavored for years to keep Black employees out of leadership positions.

  • July 10, 2025

    Samsung Accused Of Retaliating Against Pregnant NJ Worker

    A former senior product manager has filed a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit in New Jersey state court against Samsung Electronics America Inc. and the staffing agency cyberThink Inc., alleging she was unlawfully terminated shortly after disclosing her pregnancy and requesting modest workplace accommodations.

  • July 10, 2025

    House Dem Says FCC Must Follow Law On DEI Probes

    A House Democrat who helps oversee the Federal Communications Commission says agency chief Brendan Carr must avoid any hint of targeting companies' diversity initiatives for political reasons rather than legal rationale against discrimination.

  • July 10, 2025

    Fla. High Court Revives Ex-Steak 'N Shake Worker's Bias Suit

    The Florida Supreme Court backed the reinstatement Thursday of an ex-Steak 'n Shake worker's disability bias suit claiming he was fired after suffering a back injury, ruling he didn't need to invoke the state's civil rights law in his presuit bias charge to pursue his claims in court.

  • July 10, 2025

    8th Circ. Backs EEOC Win In Deaf Bias Row With Trucking Co.

    The Eighth Circuit declined on Thursday to upend decisions in favor of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in its lawsuit accusing a trucking company of refusing to hire a driver because he's deaf, rejecting the employer's argument that the applicant wasn't qualified for the job.

  • July 10, 2025

    Ga. Sheriff Fired Deputy For Supporting Rival, Suit Says

    Fulton County, Georgia, its sheriff's office and its sheriff have been sued in federal court by a former sheriff's office employee who alleged he was fired because he supported the sheriff's political opponent in the 2024 election.

  • July 10, 2025

    11th Circ. Keeps County Win In Prison Promotion Bias Row

    The Eleventh Circuit kept intact a Georgia district court's decision to toss a county prison counselor's suit claiming she was passed over for promotion because of her gender, ruling Thursday that she lacked evidence to support a discrimination claim.

  • July 10, 2025

    6th Circ. Sinks Ex-Christian School Dean's Racial Bias Claims

    A Christian school's onetime dean of students cannot have his dismissed race and sex discrimination lawsuit revived because his former position falls under a ministerial exception that bars employment claims, the Sixth Circuit has found.

  • July 10, 2025

    Veteran In-House Atty Heads McAllister Olivarius' US Practice

    A former general counsel at PepsiCo and GE is now head of the U.S. practice at McAllister Olivarius, bringing decades of in-house experience to the British-American firm that represents survivors of sexual abuse, harassment and discrimination, according to an announcement.

  • July 09, 2025

    3 Dress Code Tips For Employers As Summer Temps Rise

    With summer temperatures nearing their annual apex in much of the U.S., employers have plenty of leeway to implement dress codes and grooming policies that balance comfort and professionalism, but attorneys say there are still a few land mines to sidestep along the way. Here, experts discuss three ways employers can craft dress codes while staying on the right side of antidiscrimination law.

  • July 09, 2025

    Boston U. Beats Ex-Worker's Suit Over Sex Harassment Probe

    Boston University defeated a former maintenance employee's lawsuit alleging the school bungled its investigation into a sexual harassment complaint against him, with a Massachusetts federal judge ruling the worker's claim was preempted by federal labor law because it required examining his union contract.

  • July 09, 2025

    3rd Circ. Probes 'Disruption' By Alt-Right Ex-Prof's Speech

    A Third Circuit panel pressed the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Wednesday to show that what it called racist off-campus comments by a professor had caused such a disruption that it had to fire him, with one judge asking where they should draw the First Amendment line for free speech.

  • July 09, 2025

    HELP Sets Hearing On NLRB GC, EEOC Member Noms

    President Donald Trump's picks to be the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board and fill a vacancy on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will face their first test next week at a U.S. Senate committee hearing.

  • July 09, 2025

    Red Cross Vax Refuser Decries Firing Over Religious Beliefs

    A former nurse for the American Red Cross suffered physically and economically after she was fired from the organization for not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, counsel for the nurse told a Detroit federal jury Wednesday, arguing that, in the United States, the Red Cross should not be the arbiter of sincerely held religious beliefs.

  • July 09, 2025

    T-Mobile Tanks DEI Policies To Meet FCC Chair's Goal

    T-Mobile says it will shut down diversity, equity and inclusion programs to align with goals of the Federal Communications Commission's chair as the carrier seeks regulatory approval of two major wireless and fiber deals.

  • July 09, 2025

    DOL Watchdog Seeks Form Update To Match Trump Order

    The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs intends to modify its bias complaint form to reflect the Trump administration's rescission of a longstanding legal authority used to prevent federal contractors from discriminating against workers, saying Wednesday the update is urgently needed to prevent public confusion.

  • July 09, 2025

    Fired Male VA Counselor Secures Trial In Sex Bias Suit

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs can't escape a male ex-counselor's sex bias suit claiming his boss declined to promote him because he wanted the job to go to a woman, a Texas federal judge said, ruling a jury needs to probe whether discrimination cost him the position.

  • July 09, 2025

    Top Dems Press EEOC On 'Shakedown' Of Major Law Firms

    Top congressional Democrats are once again seeking information on the Trump administration's "shakedown" of major law firms over their past work and clients.

  • July 08, 2025

    Macy's Says McLaughlin Ruling Backs Axing DOL's ERISA Suit

    Macy's has once again asked an Ohio federal judge to slash a U.S. Department of Labor lawsuit claiming the retail company discriminated against tobacco users by charging them an extra fee through its health insurance plan, this time leaning on the U.S. Supreme Court's recent McLaughlin ruling to argue no new lawsuit is required to push aside agency rulemaking.

  • July 08, 2025

    Chicago Nabs Early Win In City Workers' Genetic Bias Suit

    The city of Chicago defeated allegations that the genetic information of two employees was taken when their spouses took part in a wellness program, with an Illinois federal judge finding that evidence does not back the claims that detailed information was disclosed in violation of federal law.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Lessons From EEOC Case Of Fla. Worker Fired After Stillbirth

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    A recent federal court settlement between a Florida resort and a fired line cook shows that the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission sees stillbirth as protected under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, also providing four other important lessons, says Gordon Berger at Pierson Ferdinand.

  • Advising Employers As AI Meets DEI And Discrimination

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Though companies can use artificial intelligence tools to develop more diverse and inclusive workforces, counsel should also prepare employers for how AI can stymie these efforts, provoke discrimination claims and complicate resulting litigation, says Emily Schifter at Troutman Pepper.

  • A Look At The Hefty Demands In Calif. Employer AI Draft Regs

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    California's draft regulations on artificial intelligence use in employment decisions show that the California Privacy Protection Agency is positioning itself as a de facto AI regulator for the state, which isn't waiting around for federal legislation, says Lily Li at Metaverse Law.

  • Federal Salary History Ban's Reach Is Limited

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    Though a newly effective Office of Personnel Management rule takes important steps by banning federal employers from considering job applicants' nonfederal salary histories, the rule's narrow applicability and overconfidence in the existing system's fairness will likely not end persistent pay inequities, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • 2nd Circ. Hostile Workplace Ruling Widens Arbitration Pitfalls

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    The Second Circuit’s recent decision, affirming the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act applies to a worker whose workplace hostility claims arose before the law’s 2022 enactment, widens the scope of the law — and the risks of unenforceable arbitration agreements for employers, say attorneys at Hinshaw.

  • Title VII Compliance Lessons From Raytheon Age Bias Suit

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    A Texas federal court’s recent refusal to dismiss age discrimination claims from a former Raytheon employee, terminated after he admitted to acts that Raytheon says violated its harassment policy, nonetheless illustrates strategies employers can use to protect themselves when facing competing Title VII workplace obligations, say attorneys at Segal McCambridge.

  • How The Presidential Election Will Affect Workplace AI Regs

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    The U.S. has so far adopted a light-handed approach to regulating artificial intelligence in the labor and employment area, but the presidential election is unlikely to have as dramatic of an effect on AI regulations as it may on other labor and employment matters, say attorneys at Littler.