Discrimination

  • May 27, 2025

    Trump's WilmerHale Order Struck Down In Forceful Decision

    A D.C. federal judge struck down President Donald Trump's executive order targeting WilmerHale in an impassioned opinion Tuesday, writing that Trump's entire order is unconstitutional, and "to rule otherwise would be unfaithful to the judgment and vision of the Founding Fathers!"

  • May 27, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Packaging Co. In Fired Worker's Sex Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit declined Tuesday to scrap a packaging manufacturer's win in an ex-manager's suit claiming she was fired out of gender bias, ruling she couldn't overcome the company's position that she was actually terminated for verbally abusing subordinates.

  • May 27, 2025

    Conn. Firefighters Say Age Bias Taints Retirement Program

    Connecticut's municipal employee pension system unlawfully barred a group of firefighters with over two decades of service from participating in a deferred retirement program because they're under 55 years old, the workers and their union claimed in a federal lawsuit.

  • May 27, 2025

    Upcoming State And Local Wage Laws To Watch

    Washington employers will get some reprieve from steep penalties for pay transparency violations, and workers in Los Angeles County will have the benefit of predictive scheduling. Here, Law360 explores a sampling of new developments employers should keep in mind in the coming weeks.

  • May 27, 2025

    Energy Cos. Ink $700K Deal To End EEOC Harassment Suit

    Two oil and gas exploration services companies have agreed to pay nearly $700,000 to close a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming they allowed sexual comments and racial slurs in the workplace and fired workers who spoke up about the harassment.

  • May 27, 2025

    Congress Needed For Major Changes To Workplace Vax Rules

    The Trump administration is exploring changes to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's stance on workplace vaccine mandates, but legal experts say an act of Congress would be necessary to bring about significant change in this arena.

  • May 27, 2025

    ArentFox Schiff Says Workers' 'Antics' Should Get Suit Tossed

    An Illinois federal judge handling age discrimination claims from two longtime former ArentFox Schiff LLP information technology contractors should permanently dismiss their lawsuit as a consequence for routinely destroying case evidence and discarding their mobile phones while the litigation has been pending, the firm says.

  • May 27, 2025

    Auto Co. Seeks Judge's Recusal For Pushing Bias Settlement

    A Pennsylvania magistrate judge has been improperly pushing an automotive dealership to settle a former manager's suit claiming she faced daily sexual advances and inappropriate comments from her boss, the company said, arguing the judge needs to step aside before an upcoming trial.

  • May 27, 2025

    Vice Media VP Rejoins Ogletree In NYC

    A seasoned BigLaw attorney who left Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC five years ago to move into an in-house legal position at Vice Media has rejoined the labor and employment law firm Tuesday as a shareholder.

  • May 23, 2025

    Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar

    This past year, a handful of attorneys secured billions of dollars in settlements and judgments for both classes and individual plaintiffs against massive companies and organizations like Facebook, Dell, the National Association of Realtors, Johnson & Johnson, UFC and Credit Suisse, earning them recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2025.

  • May 23, 2025

    Employment Lawyers' Weekly DEI Cheat Sheet

    Jenner & Block LLP convinced a Washington, D.C., federal judge to invalidate an executive order by President Donald Trump targeting it in part for its diversity, equity and inclusion practices as unconstitutional, and the U.S. Department of Justice announced the formation of an initiative to use the False Claims Act to quell discrimination by federal funding recipients tied to their DEI programs. Here, Law360 looks at notable DEI-related legal developments over the past week.

  • May 23, 2025

    Service Members' COVID Vax Claims Sent To Military Boards

    A Court of Federal Claims judge said an executive order directing the reinstatement of service members discharged over a COVID-19 vaccine mandate warranted sending the claims of 10 people who refused to comply with the mandate to military records boards for consideration.

  • May 23, 2025

    Car Dealership Can't Swerve Around EEOC Firing Suit

    An Arkansas federal judge declined Friday to toss a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming a car dealership fired a Black worker for complaining that a co-worker called him a "monkey," stating the business couldn't overcome a "Catch-22" it presented the employee before canning him.

  • May 23, 2025

    NJ Panel Revives Ex-Nursing Director's Discrimination Suit

    A New Jersey appeals court panel on Friday revived a former Capital Health nursing director's suit alleging the state nurses association discriminated against her for receiving treatment for alcoholism, finding that the trial court could hear her complaint.

  • May 23, 2025

    Insurer Accused Of Firing Worker Out Of Pregnancy Bias

    An insurance company reneged on its promise to provide its benefits adviser with paid maternity leave and then fired her not long after she raised several concerns about unpaid commissions, according to a lawsuit removed to North Carolina federal court.

  • May 23, 2025

    Pest Co. Seeks To Stamp Out Workers' Tobacco Fee Case

    Global pest control company Rentokil urged a Pennsylvania federal court to toss a proposed class action claiming it unlawfully charged tobacco users more for health benefits without providing a reasonable way to avoid the fee, arguing it's not the company's fault the workers refused to quit the habit.

  • May 23, 2025

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Hears Speech Therapist Race Bias Suit

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider a New York speech therapist's attempt to revive her lawsuit claiming she was discriminated against on the basis of her race when her school district fired her in 2022. Here, Law360 looks at this and other cases on the docket in New York.

  • May 23, 2025

    Mo. Says Starbucks Lacks Grounds To Escape DEI Bias Suit

    The state of Missouri urged a federal judge to reject Starbucks' bid to dismiss its suit claiming its diversity policies discriminate based on race and gender, arguing it has put forward enough evidence showing how the company's practices have harmed its citizens to keep the case in court.

  • May 23, 2025

    DOL Picks New Acting Leaders For Wage Compliance Unit

    The U.S. Department of Labor announced Friday a new acting administrator as well as four policy advisers to serve in the agency's division tasked with ensuring employers pay their employees in line with federal minimum wage and overtime laws.

  • May 23, 2025

    EEOC's Acting Chair Eyes Federal Sector Program Revisions

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told federal agencies they will no longer face monetary penalties for disobeying orders during administrative proceedings and warned that workers shouldn't immediately lose opportunities when they're accused of bias, moves the EEOC framed as opening efforts to remold its federal sector program.

  • May 23, 2025

    Cooley Hires 'Next-Gen' Boston Labor & Employment Partner

    A Choate Hall & Stewart LLP partner has joined Cooley LLP's labor and employment practice and global litigation department in Boston.

  • May 23, 2025

    Ruby Tuesday Fired Bartender On Medical Leave, Court Told

    Ruby Tuesday fired a bartender while she was out on medical leave recovering from a broken hip that she sustained in a car accident and refused to let her return to her former role, she said in a suit filed in North Carolina federal court.

  • May 23, 2025

    Southwest Flight Attendant Fights To Revive Nixed Sanctions

    A flight attendant urged the Fifth Circuit to reconsider its move to axe a contempt order against Southwest Airlines in her wrongful termination suit, arguing it shouldn't be scrapped just because the panel took issue with court-ordered religious liberty training for Southwest attorneys.

  • May 23, 2025

    Ex-Immigration Judge Fights To Keep Fla. Bias Suit Alive

    A former immigration judge has urged a Florida federal court to reject U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's bid for an early win against her disability bias claims, arguing she was denied a hardship transfer and reasonable accommodation due to her gender and age.

  • May 22, 2025

    California City Cleared In Employment Discrimination Trial

    A Los Angeles jury cleared the city of Baldwin Park, California, of liability on Thursday in a wrongful-termination suit by a former longtime employee who claimed that she was forced to resign after complaining about race and gender bias and misuse of federal housing funds.

Expert Analysis

  • The Key Changes In Revised FDIC Hiring Regulations

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    Attorneys at Ogletree break down the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s new rule, effective Oct. 1, that will ease restrictions on financial institutions hiring employees with criminal histories, amend the FDIC's treatment of minor offenses and clarify its stance on expunged or dismissed criminal records.

  • Employer Tips For PUMP Act Compliance As Law Turns 2

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    Enacted in December 2022, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act requires employers to provide reasonable break time and a private space for employees to express breast milk, but some companies may still be struggling with how to comply, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • What To Know About Ill. Employment Law Changes

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    Illinois employers should review their policies in light of a number of recent changes to state employment law, including amendments to the state’s Human Rights Act and modifications to the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, say attorneys at Kilpatrick.

  • Mich. Whistleblower Ruling Expands Retaliation Remedies

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    The Michigan Supreme Court's recent Occupational Health and Safety Act decision in Stegall v. Resource Technology is important because it increases the potential exposure for defendants in public policy retaliation cases, providing plaintiffs with additional claims, say Aaron Burrell and Timothy Howlett at Dickinson Wright.

  • How States Are Approaching AI Workplace Discrimination

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    As legislators across the U.S. have begun addressing algorithmic discrimination in the workplace, attorneys at Reed Smith provide an overview of the status, applicability and provisions of 13 state and local bills.

  • The Risks Of Employee Political Discourse On Social Media

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    As election season enters its final stretch and employees increasingly engage in political speech on social media, employers should beware the liability risks and consider policies that negotiate the line between employees' rights and the limits on those rights, say Bradford Kelley and James McGehee at Littler.

  • 7th Circ. Rulings Offer Employee Vaccine Exemption Guidance

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    Dawn Solowey and Samantha Brooks at Seyfarth explain how two recent Seventh Circuit rulings in Passarella v. Aspirus and Bube v. Aspirus could affect litigation involving employee vaccine exemptions, and discuss employer best practices for handling accommodation requests that include both religious and secular concerns.

  • Employers Should Not Neglect Paid Military Leave Compliance

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    An August decision from the Ninth Circuit and the settlement of a long-running class action, both examining paid leave requirements under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, are part of a nationwide trend that should prompt employers to review their military leave policies to avoid potential litigation and reputational damage, says Bradford Kelley at Littler.

  • Old Employment Law Principles Can Answer New AI Concerns

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    Despite growing legal and regulatory concerns about how artificial intelligence tools may affect employment decisions and worker rights, companies should take comfort in knowing that familiar principles of employment law and established compliance regimes can still largely address these new twists on old questions, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • NYC Wage Info Bill Highlights Rise In Pay Transparency Laws

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    With New York City the latest to mull requiring companies to annually report employee wage data, national employers should consider adapting their compliance practices to comply with increasingly common pay transparency and disclosure obligations at state and local levels, says Kelly Cardin at Littler Mendelson.

  • Workday AI Bias Suit Suggests Hiring Lessons For Employers

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    As state laws and a federal agency increasingly focus on employment bias introduced by artificial intelligence systems, a California federal court's recent decision to allow a discrimination suit to proceed against Workday's AI-driven recruitment software, shows companies should promptly assess these tools' risks, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.

  • How Anti-DEI Bill Could Affect Employers' Diversity Efforts

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    Sen. J.D. Vance's recently introduced Dismantle DEI Act would substantially limit employers’ ability to implement and promote workplace diversity, equity and inclusion, but there are still steps employers can take to support a diverse workforce, says Peter Ennis at Cozen O’Connor.

  • US Labor And Employment Law Holds Some Harsh Trade-Offs

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    U.S. labor and employment laws have evolved into a product of exposure-capping compromise, which merits discussion in a presidential election year when the dialogue has focused on purported protections of middle-class workers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.