Discrimination

  • July 31, 2025

    Clinic Settles EEOC Disability Bias Suit Over Worker's Firing

    A pediatric clinic told a Georgia federal judge Thursday that it struck a $70,000 deal to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it fired an employee because she asked to work remotely to manage her anxiety and PTSD.

  • July 30, 2025

    DOJ Flags 'Unlawful Discrimination' To Gov't Fund Recipients

    The U.S. Department of Justice has outlined what it considers "unlawful discrimination" that federal funding recipients must avoid, including diversity, equity and inclusion programs, transgender athletes and "proxy" discrimination of assessing a job applicant's "cultural competence."

  • July 30, 2025

    9th Circ. Tells DOL To Hand Over Workforce Data To Reporters

    The Ninth Circuit said Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Labor must release federal contractor demographic reports to the Center for Investigative Reporting, backing a lower court's order that the data can't be concealed from the public under the concern that it contains commercial information.

  • July 30, 2025

    Mayo Clinic Forced Vaccine On Christian Worker, EEOC Says

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accused the Mayo Clinic on Wednesday of unlawfully threatening to fire a security guard who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine for religious reasons.

  • July 30, 2025

    Workday Can't Shrink Collective Action Alleging AI Hiring Bias

    A California federal judge declined to cut workers from a collective action claiming Workday used artificial intelligence to discriminate against job applicants, denying the human resources company's arguments that workers who were screened by newly acquired technology were disqualified from the suit.

  • July 30, 2025

    McDermott Rife With Race Discrimination, Black Atty Says

    McDermott Will & Emery LLP failed to address racist comments made during a diversity presentation, kept Black attorneys out of leadership and fired a Black associate who complained that she was repeatedly sidelined because of her race, the former employee alleged Wednesday in Illinois federal court.

  • July 30, 2025

    Noem Hit With Religious Discrimination Suit Over Ayahuasca

    A Florida woman alleges in a new federal discrimination lawsuit that U.S. Customs and Border Protection rescinded her job offer after she disclosed her religious practice includes consumption of ayahuasca tea, a federally controlled substance.

  • July 30, 2025

    Workday Wants Firm DQ'd Over Privileged Info In Atty's Suit

    Attorneys at Webb Law Group APC should be disqualified from representing an ex-Workday Inc. attorney in his bias suit against the company and should face sanctions for their "egregious behavior" in disclosing privileged information in a publicly filed document, Workday told a California federal magistrate judge.

  • July 30, 2025

    Calif. Health Group Says Insurer Must Cover Discovery Costs

    California's largest private health foundation told a federal court that a Berkshire Hathaway-owned insurer failed to cover roughly $400,000 in discovery costs the foundation incurred from an executive's now-settled wrongful termination lawsuit, arguing the insurer breached its obligations despite accepting coverage twice.

  • July 30, 2025

    Amazon Cut Worker Seeking ADA Accommodation, Suit Says

    Amazon broke federal disability law by firing a warehouse worker while he was in the process of submitting paperwork supporting his bid for extra break time to help him handle mental health issues, he told an Illinois federal court.

  • July 30, 2025

    Rising Star: Seyfarth's Leo Li

    Leo Li of Seyfarth Shaw LLP has championed clients facing wage-and-hour class actions and California Private Attorneys General Act claims, including by securing a win on appeal for a Southern California Pizza Hut franchisee after a decade of litigation involving thousands of delivery drivers, earning him a spot among employment law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 30, 2025

    NJ County Dispatchers' Pay Affected By Bias, Union Says

    Camden County, New Jersey, pays telecommunication services workers who fall under protected classes — such as veterans and people of color — less than their counterparts who are not classified as such, a Communications Workers of America unit said in a proposed class action.

  • July 30, 2025

    2nd Circ. Hands Clerk Another Shot At Free Speech Firing Suit

    A Second Circuit panel reinstated a suit Wednesday from a court clerk who claimed she was fired for aiding an investigation into an ethics complaint against her former boss, ruling the lower court incorrectly found that her duties as a government worker shielded her from constitutional protection.

  • July 30, 2025

    Worker Advocates Warn Of W&H Perils Of 'Bossware'

    The proliferation of digital surveillance and automated decision systems that monitor and manage workers' activities enables wage theft and algorithmic wage discrimination and requires more robust policymaking, the National Employment Law Project said in a new report. Here, Law360 speaks with two worker advocates from the group about "bossware" and its impact on workers' rights.

  • July 30, 2025

    2nd Circ. Backs Atty Fee Award In Google Race Bias Case

    The Second Circuit refused to upend a $22,400 fee awarded to a law firm for prelitigation services it provided to a worker who accused Google of giving her poor performance reviews because she's Black, saying the worker hadn't shown the cost was unreasonable.

  • July 30, 2025

    Wisconsin YMCA, Ex-VP Agree To End Sex Bias Suit

    A former vice president of operations and a Wisconsin YMCA agreed to end a suit by the former employee accusing the company of firing her as she was trying to get pregnant, the parties told a federal court.

  • July 29, 2025

    Ex-LA Officer Can't Revive Suit Over COVID-19 Testing Costs

    A California appellate court Monday refused to revive a former Los Angeles police officer's suit claiming that he was denied due process when he was fired after refusing to comply with the city's COVID-19 policies, finding that the officer wasn't fired until after he made his case to the city.

  • July 29, 2025

    10th Circ. Backs Lab In Christian Worker Group's Bias Case

    The Tenth Circuit refused on Tuesday to reopen a Christian employee resource group's lawsuit alleging a Department of Energy lab operator unlawfully withdrew its support from the group because it required leaders to affirm certain beliefs, finding no issue with a trial court's toss of the case.

  • July 29, 2025

    Axos Wants Justices To Undo Auditor's $1.5M Retaliation Win

    BofI Federal Bank, now operating as Axos Bank, has taken its dispute with a former auditor to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the justices to vacate a Ninth Circuit decision upholding a $1.5 million jury verdict in favor of the auditor, who claimed he was fired for whistleblowing.

  • July 29, 2025

    Detroit Casino Can't Beat Denied Vaccine Exemption Suit

    A dozen former supervisors at a Detroit casino can proceed to trial on claims that their employer refused to accommodate their religiously motivated requests to skip the COVID-19 vaccine, a Michigan federal judge has ruled.

  • July 29, 2025

    Travelers Gets Trim Of Ex-Worker's Tobacco Health Fee Suit

    A Minnesota federal judge pared down claims Tuesday from a former Travelers worker's suit alleging the insurance and financial services company unlawfully imposed a surcharge on the health plans of employees who disclosed they were tobacco users and thereby violated nondiscrimination provisions in federal benefits law.

  • July 29, 2025

    UMich Escapes Black Law Prof's Bias Suit At 6th Circ.

    The Sixth Circuit refused Tuesday to revive a Black law professor's lawsuit claiming the University of Michigan disciplined her out of bias and retaliation because she took medical leave, finding she failed to cast doubt on the university's belief that she'd abandoned her classes.

  • July 29, 2025

    EEOC Retreat On Trans Bias Enforcement Illegal, Suit Says

    A Maryland-based LGBTQ+ advocacy organization alleged in a lawsuit Tuesday that recent steps taken by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to walk back enforcement of protections against sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination violate federal civil rights law and the U.S. Constitution.

  • July 29, 2025

    EEOC's Design Implies Job Security, Fired Commish Says

    Former U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner Jocelyn Samuels urged a D.C. federal court not to toss her lawsuit challenging her January removal, arguing the agency's design shows Congress didn't intend to give the president unrestricted power to remove commissioners he disagreed with.

  • July 29, 2025

    7th Circ. Backs Ex-CTA Worker's Sanction Over Deleted Chats

    The Seventh Circuit has affirmed a lower court's dismissal of a former Chicago Transit Authority employee's retaliation lawsuit as a sanction for spoiling evidence, saying his explanation about how electronic phone messages were deleted changed over time and concluding that he wasn't entitled to an evidentiary hearing or jury review.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • 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.