Discrimination

  • November 07, 2025

    Apartment Management Co. Must Face Age Bias Suit

    A property management company must face a former regional director's lawsuit claiming she was fired and replaced with younger employees because she was in her 60s, with a Tennessee federal judge saying a jury should weigh allegations that a supervisor repeatedly urged her to retire.

  • November 07, 2025

    Scant Details Doom VA Worker's Race Bias Suit, 8th Circ. Says

    The Eighth Circuit backed the dismissal of a suit from a Black worker who claimed her boss at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs bullied and harassed her, saying she hadn't linked the alleged mistreatment she complained about to her race.

  • November 06, 2025

    11th Circ. Backs Trash Co.'s Defeat Of Age Bias, Reprisal Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday upheld a Georgia garbage collection company's win in a bias and retaliation suit from a former employee who said she was forced out for her role in a criminal sexual assault probe of a coworker, with the court saying that getting subpoenaed didn't qualify as protected activity.

  • November 06, 2025

    Real Estate Companies Escape Ex-Worker's Bias Claims

    Compass Inc. and a real estate advisory firm don't have to face an agent's lawsuit claiming she was fired for complaining about supervisors' allegedly misogynistic, derogatory and sexually explicit comments, as a New York federal judge ruled Thursday she'd failed to claim her employers knew about her complaints.

  • November 06, 2025

    AI Health Tech Co. Settles Fired Worker's Sex Bias Suit

    A company that provides artificial intelligence technology to healthcare companies has agreed to settle a former employee's lawsuit alleging she was fired after speaking up about pay disparities and advocating for women to receive the same recognition as their male counterparts.

  • November 06, 2025

    Ex-Deputy Sheriff Fights To Keep Political Firing Suit Alive

    A former Metro Atlanta deputy sheriff alleging he was forced to resign due to his age and support for the sheriff's 2024 election opponent pushed back Wednesday against a bid to dismiss his lawsuit, arguing his claims against the sheriff as an individual are not barred by qualified immunity.

  • November 06, 2025

    Atty Errors Shouldn't Doom Vax Bias Suit, 5th Circ. Says

    The Fifth Circuit revived a worker's religious-bias suit claiming she was illegally fired for opposing a medical tech company's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, ruling the lower court acted too harshly when it handed a win to her former employer after her attorney made formatting errors.

  • November 06, 2025

    Black Exec Who Confronted McDonald's CEO Loses Bias Suit

    McDonald's defeated a Black former security executive's suit alleging he was fired for confronting the company's CEO about racial disparities, with an Illinois federal judge ruling his remarks about social inequities weren't protected by federal law.

  • November 06, 2025

    Mass. Pay Transparency Law May Boost Other Worker Claims

    Massachusetts' newly implemented pay transparency law seems primed to be used as a tool to bolster laws already in place — including in discrimination and equal pay cases — even if the new statute itself is unlikely to spawn significant legal action, experts told Law360.

  • November 06, 2025

    8th Circ. Won't Rehear EEOC Harassment Case Against BNSF

    The Eighth Circuit said it won't rethink its decision to restore classwide claims in a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit claiming BNSF Railway Co. failed to protect female workers from verbal abuse and unwanted sexual advances.

  • November 06, 2025

    8th Circ. OKs Home Depot Barring Worker's Display Of 'BLM'

    An Eighth Circuit panel vacated a National Labor Relations Board ruling that Home Depot illegally forced out a worker who insisted on showing Black Lives Matter support at work, holding Thursday that social unrest at the time of their February 2021 display justified the company's caution.

  • November 06, 2025

    Trump Elevates EEOC Chair Lucas From Acting Status

    President Donald Trump has named Andrea Lucas the chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after she served for nine months in an acting capacity, the agency announced Thursday, further solidifying Republican leadership at the workplace bias watchdog. 

  • November 05, 2025

    Ex-Bassist Makes Key Changes In Suit Against Metal Band

    The founding bassist of the Grammy-nominated metal band Hatebreed has asked a Connecticut judge not to trim claims from a lawsuit over his sudden termination, saying a new version of the complaint will cure any legal defects identified by the group's vocalist and its business arm.

  • November 05, 2025

    T-Mobile Must Face Gay Ex-Manager's Harassment Claims

    A California federal judge ruled Wednesday that T-Mobile can't fully escape a gay ex-manager's suit claiming he was harassed by a co-worker who mocked his voice and was eventually fired after complaining about the mistreatment, saying a jury needs to review whether his termination was illegal.

  • November 05, 2025

    10th Circ. Says Muldrow Can't Save Army Gender Bias Suit

    The Tenth Circuit tossed a civilian U.S. Army employee's lawsuit claiming a female supervisor subjected him to a hostile work environment by favoring women and sidelining him because he's a man, ruling on Wednesday that the U.S. Supreme Court's Mulrow decision didn't lower the bar for hostile workplace claims.

  • November 05, 2025

    Appeals Court Won't Kick SpaceX Sex Bias Suit To Arbitration

    A California appeals court backed a trial court's refusal to force arbitration of a former SpaceX employee's suit claiming her boss forced her into a sexual relationship in exchange for career advancement, finding her claims were protected by a law barring mandatory out-of-court resolution for sex misconduct cases.

  • November 05, 2025

    Philip Morris Damages Guardrail Bid Meets Skeptical Justices

    Massachusetts' top court appeared unreceptive Wednesday to arguments made by Philip Morris USA Inc. that a since-reduced $1 billion verdict issued by a state court jury means more guidelines are needed to curtail massive awards.

  • November 05, 2025

    Texas Tech Prof Seeks High Court Review Of Free Speech Suit

    A Texas Tech University professor urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Fifth Circuit's ruling that a former business school dean didn't have to face his retaliation lawsuit over the professor's anti-tenure views, arguing the appeals court applied the wrong qualified immunity standard.

  • November 05, 2025

    Mamdani's Win May Energize Sluggish NYC Anti-Bias Agency

    New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani made a campaign promise to significantly boost funding for the city agency tasked with combating workplace discrimination, a move experts said could revitalize a watchdog plagued by backlogs and staffing shortages.

  • November 05, 2025

    X Ends Sex Bias Suit Over Twitter Acquisition Layoffs

    X Corp. has ended a sex bias suit from a former employee who accused the company of enacting harsh working conditions after Elon Musk's takeover of social media company Twitter in order to strategically push out women workers.

  • November 04, 2025

    Calif. Justices Doubt 'Illegible' Arb. Pact Is Enforceable

    California Supreme Court justices Tuesday doubted that an employer's "illegible" arbitration agreement is enforceable, with multiple justices observing that it's impossible to read terms of the contract at issue, which had been photocopied so many times the words are blurry.

  • November 04, 2025

    Worker Fired After Bug Bite Incident Can't Revive ADA Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit declined Tuesday to revive a disability bias suit claiming a steel company unfairly fired a worker for failing to alert safety personnel when a co-worker complained about a potential bug bite on her neck, ruling his case lacked evidence that discrimination drove his termination.

  • November 04, 2025

    Hustler Casino HR Manager Fired For Speaking Up, Suit Says

    Flynt Management Group's former human resources manager alleges he was terminated after speaking up about the company's "entrenched culture of non-compliance" that spilled out onto its Hustler Casino, saying the company fired employees who blew the whistle over gaming regulations and those whose documented medical absences kept them off work, according to a complaint filed Monday in California state court.

  • November 04, 2025

    4th Circ. Urged To Revive Bias Suit Over COVID Vaccine Firing

    A Black former sales administrator asked the Fourth Circuit on Monday to revive her religious and race bias lawsuit, arguing that her employer knew she was deeply religious and she proved a "sincerely-held belief" against receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

  • November 04, 2025

    Mass. Attys Split As Punitive Damages Rules Go To Top Court

    A case before Massachusetts' top appellate court over whether more safeguards are needed to cap runaway punitive damage awards has divided attorneys, with some saying the big-dollar verdicts can be skewed by improper evidence and others calling the matter a solution in search of a problem.

Expert Analysis

  • How Ending OFCCP Will Affect Affirmative Action Obligations

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    As President Donald Trump's administration plans to eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which enforces federal contractor antidiscrimination compliance and affirmative action program obligations, contractors should consider the best compliance approaches available to them, especially given the False Claims Act implications, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • Employer Best Practices For Navigating Worker Separations

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    As job cuts hit several major industries, employers should take steps to minimize their exposure to discrimination claims, information leaks and enforcement challenges, such as maintaining sound documentation, strategic planning and legal coordination, says Mark Romance at Day Pitney.

  • Employer Tips For Responding To ICE In The Workplace

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    Increased immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump's administration has left employers struggling to balance their compliance obligations with their desire to provide a safe workplace, so creating a thorough response plan and training for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's presence at the workplace is crucial, say attorneys at Hanson Bridgett.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Shifting Worker Accommodation Rules

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    Since President Donald Trump took office, many changes have directly affected how employers must address accommodation requests, particularly those concerning pregnancy-related medical conditions and religious beliefs, underscoring the importance of regularly reviewing and updating accommodation policies and procedures, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Shifting DEI Expectations Put Banks In Legal Crosshairs

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    The Trump administration's rollbacks on DEI-friendly policies create something of a regulatory catch-22 for banks, wherein strict compliance would contradict established statutory and administrative mandates regarding access to credit for disadvantaged communities, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • Compliance Tips After Court Axes EEOC's Trans Rights Take

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    A Texas federal court's recent decision struck portions of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's 2024 guidance pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity under Title VII, barring their use nationwide and leaving employers unsure about how to proceed in their compliance efforts, say attorneys at Dorsey & Whitney.

  • 5 Insurance Claims That Could Emerge After NCAA Settlement

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    Following the recent NCAA class action settlement that will allow revenue sharing with college athletes, there may be potential management liability for universities, their executive leadership and boards that could expose insurers to tax, regulatory, breach of contract and other claims, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.

  • 8th Circ. Ruling Highlights Complicated Remote Work Analysis

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    The Eighth Circuit’s recent opinion in Kuklenski v. Medtronic USA demonstrates that the applicability of employment laws to remote workers is often a fact-driven analysis, highlighting several parameters to consider when evaluating what state and local laws may apply to employees who work remotely, say attorneys at Vedder Price.

  • Philly Law Initiates New Era Of Worker Protections

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    A new worker protection law in Philadelphia includes, among other measures, a private right of action and recordkeeping requirements that may amount to a lower evidentiary standard, introducing a new level of accountability and additional noncompliance risks for employers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Justices' Ruling Lowers Bar For Reverse Discrimination Suits

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous opinion in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, lowering the evidentiary burden for plaintiffs bringing so-called reverse discrimination claims, may lead to more claims brought by majority group employees — and open the door to legal challenges to employer diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • 4 Midyear Employer Actions To Reinforce Compliance

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    The legal and political landscape surrounding what the government describes as unlawful diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives has become increasingly complex over the past six months, and the midyear juncture presents a strategic opportunity to reinforce commitments to legal integrity, workplace equity and long-term operational resilience, say attorneys at Krevolin & Horst.

  • Proposed State AI Rule Ban Could Alter Employer Compliance

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    A proposal in the congressional budget bill that would ban state and local enforcement of laws and regulations governing artificial intelligence may offer near-term clarity by freezing conflicting rules, but long-term planning would remain difficult for employers seeking safe, lawful AI deployment strategies, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • What Employers Can Learn From 'Your Friends & Neighbors'

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    The new drama series "Your Friends and Neighbors," follows a hedge fund firm manager who is terminated after an alleged affair with an employee in another department, and his employment struggles can teach us a few lessons about workplace policies, for cause termination and nonsolicitation clauses, says Anita Levian at Levian Law.