Discrimination

  • August 08, 2025

    7th Circ. Ruling Shows Courts' Struggle To Apply Groff

    A split Seventh Circuit opinion over whether a public school was legally obligated to carve out a religious exemption to an LGBTQ+ inclusivity policy highlights a broader judicial struggle to put relatively new U.S. Supreme Court rules for faith-based workplace accommodations into practice, experts said.

  • August 08, 2025

    NY Firm Falcon Rappaport Adds Employment Partner

    New York business law firm Falcon Rappaport & Berkman LLP has hired an attorney from Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP as a partner in its labor and employment practice group, the firm announced.

  • August 08, 2025

    Black Officer's Lower Pay Ruled Not Based On Discrimination

    The pay disparity between a Black female corrections lieutenant and two white male lieutenants was rooted in civil service pay rules and job differences, not gender and race-based discrimination, an Alabama federal judge ruled.

  • August 08, 2025

    Convenience Store Strikes Deal In EEOC Disability Bias Suit

    An Alabama convenience store operator will pay $40,000 to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging it fired a disabled cashier after co-workers mocked him and retaliated against him for complaining, according to a consent decree filed Thursday.

  • August 07, 2025

    'Star Wars' Actor, Disney Agree To End Political Bias Suit

    A former "Star Wars" actor has agreed to drop her suit claiming that The Walt Disney Co. and Lucasfilm fired her for sharing her political views on social media, according to a joint stipulation of dismissal filed Thursday in California federal court.

  • August 07, 2025

    7th Circ. Affirms ExxonMobil's Win In Ex-Worker's Bias Suit

    The Seventh Circuit has upheld summary judgment for ExxonMobil in a discrimination and retaliation suit brought by a former employee, saying that, while it was clear she worked in a "toxic" workplace, her allegations weren't supported by the evidence in the record.

  • August 07, 2025

    'Breakdown In Civility' Gets Boies Schiller Sanctioned

    A California federal judge slapped Boies Schiller Flexner LLP with a $15,000 sanction Thursday in a former worker's suit claiming Levi Strauss & Co. declined to promote her out of sex bias, faulting the firm for a "uniquely eye-opening breakdown in civility and professionalism."

  • August 07, 2025

    Housing Authority Can't Slip Ex-Worker's Retaliation Lawsuit

    A North Carolina federal judge has refused to end a discrimination suit against Charlotte's public housing authority Inlivian, finding that several material disputes remain about whether an ex-worker faced retaliation after whistleblowing.

  • August 07, 2025

    EEOC, Auto Dealer Close Book On Harassment Suit

    A classic car dealership and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have ended a lawsuit claiming a company executive made inappropriate sexual comments and pressured an office manager to send him nude photos, according to an order in Illinois federal court Thursday.

  • August 07, 2025

    Worker Says Property Firm Fired Her Over Medical Diagnosis

    A property management firm has been sued in Georgia federal court by a former employee who alleged she was discriminated against and eventually fired after being diagnosed with ovarian fibroids requiring a hysterectomy and hernia repair.

  • August 07, 2025

    10th Circ. Upholds Okla. Law Banning Trans Care For Minors

    The Tenth Circuit declined to block an Oklahoma law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors, ruling that a recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion backing a similar law from Tennessee undermines state residents' claims that the statute is discriminatory.

  • August 07, 2025

    Ex-Worker Sues Firm For Bias After Work On CDC Contract

    A former employee sued a management consulting and professional services firm in Georgia federal court Wednesday, alleging he was discriminated against and ultimately fired because of his Islamic faith and PTSD while working on a three-year Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contract.

  • August 07, 2025

    Depo Row Yields Cross Sanctions Bids In Ala. Civil Rights Suit

    Paper goods company Kimberly-Clark and a former employee are pointing fingers at each other in Mobile, Alabama, federal court over a reportedly failed deposition amid the ex-employee's discrimination suit, with each side requesting discovery sanctions over the other's "bad faith" behavior.

  • August 07, 2025

    Ikea Settles Suits Claiming It Favored Young Workers

    Ikea has resolved several suits accusing the retailer of unlawfully favoring young workers for jobs and promotions while discouraging older employees from applying, according to filings in Pennsylvania federal court.

  • August 06, 2025

    City Leaders' Words Get Fired Cop's Age Bias Suit Revived

    The Eleventh Circuit revived age bias claims Wednesday from an ex-cop who said a Florida city demoted her and gave her assistant chief of police role to a younger worker, finding city leaders' public push for younger employees cast doubt on the reasons for her demotion and firing.

  • August 06, 2025

    Ex-WBZ Anchor Files $4M Race Suit Against CBS, Paramount

    Paramount, CBS and its Boston affiliate station WBZ-TV face a $4 million lawsuit in Massachusetts federal court from a former WBZ morning anchor who alleges the defendants discriminated against her as a white woman and demoted her following an inadequate investigation into complaints by colleagues who accused her of racism. 

  • August 06, 2025

    WilmerHale Beats Fired Associate's Racial Bias Claims

    A Manhattan judge Wednesday threw out a former WilmerHale senior associate's lawsuit alleging he was unfairly evaluated and eventually fired because he is Black, finding that the complaint doesn't plausibly allege discriminatory comments were made about his race or that employees of other races were treated better.

  • August 06, 2025

    UC Policy Found Discriminatory Based On Immigration Status

    A California state appeals court has ruled that the University of California's employment policy against hiring unauthorized immigrant students who lack federal work permits is "facially discriminatory," and that the university system couldn't lean on a risk of federal enforcement for justification.

  • August 06, 2025

    Accounting Firm Must Face Ex-Credit Union CEO's Firing Suit

    The largest accounting firm in Connecticut, Whittlesey PC, must face the former CEO of Sound Federal Credit Union's claim that he was fired for following the firm's advice on when to calendar gains from a $1.2 million property sale, a Connecticut trial court judge has ruled.

  • August 06, 2025

    Judge Questions USDA's Climate Grant Cuts

    A D.C. federal judge grilled an attorney for the federal government over why the U.S. Department of Agriculture's climate-focused grants for farmers and food nonprofits were rescinded en masse when they seemingly aligned with the program, but also told recipients that she won't be "rearranging" the agency's priorities.

  • August 06, 2025

    Detroit Tigers Settle Ex-Vice President's Age, Race Bias Suit

    The Detroit Tigers settled an age and race bias lawsuit brought by one of its former vice presidents in Michigan federal court Wednesday, closing the door on more than two years of pointed litigation.

  • August 06, 2025

    Waste Co. Can't Knock Out EEOC Hiring Bias Suit

    A Missouri federal judge declined to toss a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming a waste management company refused to hire a woman for a driver position out of gender bias, ruling a jury needs to decide whether a manager's discouraging comments amounted to prejudice.

  • August 06, 2025

    EEOC, Chevy Dealer Ink Deal In ADA Suit Over Service Dog

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has brokered a $30,000 settlement with a Maryland Chevrolet dealership that the agency accused of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by denying a Navy veteran's request to bring his service dog to work, forcing him to leave his job.

  • August 06, 2025

    7th Circ. Adopts Flexible Standard For Collective Actions

    The Seventh Circuit in a discrimination case against Eli Lilly & Co. laid out a new standard for certifying collective actions, joining the Fifth and Sixth circuits in departing from a two-step analysis courts had used for decades but taking a more middle-of-the-road approach.

  • August 06, 2025

    6th Circ. Won't Restore Auto Worker's $2.3M Age Bias Win

    The Sixth Circuit refused to reinstate a $2.3 million jury award in favor of a former manufacturing employee who claimed he was let go because he was in his 60s, agreeing with a lower court that evidence presented at trial didn't support his age bias claims.

Expert Analysis

  • How Latest High Court Rulings Refine Employment Law

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    The 2024-2025 U.S. Supreme Court term did not radically rewrite employment law, but sharpened focus on textual fidelity, procedural rigor and the boundaries of statutory relief, say attorneys at Krevolin & Horst.

  • Challenging A Class Representative's Adequacy And Typicality

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    Recent cases highlight that a named plaintiff cannot certify a putative class action unless they can meet all the applicable requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, so defendants should consider challenging a plaintiff's ability to meet typicality and adequacy requirements early and often, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • Age Bias Ruling Holds Harassment Policy Lessons

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    A Kansas federal court's recent decision in Holman v. Textron Aviation, rejecting an employee's assertion that his termination for failing to report harassment was pretextual and due to age bias, provides insight into how courts analyze whether actions are pretextual and offers lessons about enforcing anti-harassment policies, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • Employer Tips As Deepfakes Reshape Workplace Harassment

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    As the workplace harassment landscape faces the rising threat of fabricated media that hyperrealistically depict employees in sexual or malicious contexts, employers can stay ahead of the curve by tracking new legal obligations, and proactively updating policies, training and response protocols, say attorneys at Littler.

  • How To Balance AI Adoption With Employee Privacy Risks

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    As artificial intelligence transforms the workplace, organizations must learn to leverage AI's capabilities while safeguarding against employee privacy risks and complying with a complex web of regulations, including by vetting vendors, mitigating employee misuse and establishing a governance framework, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • 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.