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Discrimination

  • September 10, 2025

    VA, Ex-Worker End Bias Suit Over FMLA Issues

    A Black former employee of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has agreed to end her suit alleging she was charged with not reporting to work despite having approved intermittent medical leave and was discriminated against because of her race and sex, a Missouri federal court said Wednesday.

  • September 10, 2025

    Terminal Co. Inks $20K Deal In EEOC Disability Bias Suit

    A marine terminal operator has agreed to pay $20,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it refused to return a truck driver with a heart condition to his job after he received medical clearance, the EEOC said Wednesday.

  • September 09, 2025

    7th Circ. Doubts Proof In Chicago Cop's COVID-19 Death Case

    A Seventh Circuit panel seemed unconvinced Tuesday that a Chicago police officer's widow has enough evidence to go to trial on claims that he contracted COVID-19 and died days later because his superiors never responded to his work accommodation request.

  • September 09, 2025

    5th Circ. Backs Texas University In Medical Leave Suit

    The Fifth Circuit upheld Texas Christian University's win over a former employee's lawsuit claiming she was fired for taking medical leave, saying she failed to show she was eligible for federally protected time off to take care of her mental health.

  • September 09, 2025

    10th Circ. Seems Unsure About Reviving Rehab Worker's Suit

    An occupational therapist tried to persuade a Tenth Circuit panel Tuesday to revive her suit alleging she was illegally punished after complaining about sexual harassment, with several judges questioning whether the circumstances surrounding her resignation amount to the sort of negative employment decision needed to keep her case alive.

  • September 09, 2025

    UPS, Teamsters Look To Ax Ex-Worker's Return-To-Work Suit

    A Tennessee federal judge should toss an ex-UPS employee's claims that the company and a Teamsters local thwarted his attempt to return to work after an on-the-job injury, the company and union argued, saying they made every effort to get him back to work, but he wouldn't cooperate.

  • September 09, 2025

    8th Circ. Won't Revive Black Workers' Bias Suit Against Nucor

    The Eighth Circuit declined Tuesday to reinstate a race bias suit from two Black former workers who claimed steel manufacturer Nucor unfairly disciplined them for complaining that they faced racist harassment, saying their hostile work environment and retaliation claims were rightly tossed.

  • September 09, 2025

    Fed Circ. Won't Revive Ex-DOI Worker's Military Bias Case

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday refused to revive a former U.S. Department of the Interior employee's allegations that he was denied promotions because he's an Air Force veteran, ruling the claims were precluded by a 2008 settlement agreement and 2022 appeals court decision.

  • September 09, 2025

    Full 11th Circ. Backs Health Plan's Gender Care Exclusions

    The Eleventh Circuit struck down a win Tuesday for a transgender sheriff's deputy who sued a Georgia county health plan after it refused to pay for gender-affirming surgery, saying the challenged coverage exclusion did not violate federal anti-discrimination law.  

  • September 09, 2025

    BDO Seeks To Ditch Bulk Of Ex-Partner's $75M Bias Suit

    Accounting firm BDO sought to fend off most of the claims in a $75 million discrimination suit brought by a former tax partner who took leave when her son had a stroke, telling a New York federal court she was not an employee protected by the laws she says the firm violated.

  • September 09, 2025

    Lambda Legal Attorney Indicted Over Judge Shopping Probe

    An attorney with LGBTQ rights nonprofit Lambda Legal has been charged in Alabama federal court in connection with an alleged judge-shopping scandal in Alabama, with prosecutors claiming he lied to a panel of federal judges investigating the episode.

  • September 09, 2025

    Wash. Pay Transparency Ruling Leaves Many Open Questions

    The Washington Supreme Court's narrow opinion on who can sue as a job applicant under the state's pay transparency law leaves much unsettled, particularly about how class actions should be managed and whether the law's penalties are unconstitutional, attorneys told À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ.

  • September 09, 2025

    Drink Co. Illegally Axed Worker With MS, EEOC Says

    A North Carolina soft drink maker discriminated against a probationary worker with multiple sclerosis when it refused to permanently hire her after she passed a physical agility test and provided a doctor's note clearing her to work, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said.

  • September 09, 2025

    NASA Shuts Down Black Ex-Engineer's Bias Suit

    A Texas federal judge tossed a race and age bias suit from a Black ex-NASA engineer who claimed he was placed on an unrealistic performance improvement plan and then pushed into retirement, saying he hadn't shown prejudice drove the agency's actions.

  • September 08, 2025

    3rd Circ. Revives Ex-Lecturer's Suit Over Alt-Right Views

    The Third Circuit on Monday found school disruptions at the New Jersey Institute of Technology caused by a philosophy lecturer's comments don't outweigh his free speech rights, reversing the school's summary judgment win in the professor's lawsuit alleging NJIT violated his constitutional rights by refusing to renew his contract after his off-campus, alt-right comments drew national attention.

  • September 08, 2025

    Walgreens Fired Pharmacy Heads After Union Vote, Suits Say

    Two ex-pharmacy managers have accused Walgreens of firing them for refusing to spy on their employees amid a campaign to unionize at a store in southwest Washington state, according to two new lawsuits launched in federal court in the Evergreen State.

  • September 08, 2025

    Lowe's Workers Drop Suit Claiming Unlawful Insurance Fees

    Ex-Lowe's employees have dropped a proposed class action alleging the home improvement retailer violated federal law by overcharging tobacco-using employees for health insurance, according to a notice filed in North Carolina federal court.

  • September 08, 2025

    Whisper Not Enough To Sustain Worker's Harassment Suit

    A Pennsylvania federal judge tossed a Merck Sharp & Dohme worker's suit Monday claiming his boss sexually harassed him by whispering in his ear at a staff meeting, ruling the singular incident did not create a hostile work environment at the pharmaceutical company.

  • September 08, 2025

    2nd Circ. Rejects NYC Teacher's Bias Claims As 'Implausible'

    The Second Circuit declined Monday to reinstate a New York City public school teacher's claims that he was pushed out of the classroom and into a non-teaching role because he's Indian and Hindu, finding no tether between the derogatory comments he alleged his supervisor made and the involuntary reassignment.

  • September 08, 2025

    Drexel Defends Employees In Ex-Administrator's Bias Case

    Drexel University officials on Monday denied that contentious interactions between staff members and a former administrator were motivated by race and gender bias, telling a Pennsylvania federal judge in a bench trial the real driver was concern about her allegedly interfering with the independence of the school's auditors.

  • September 08, 2025

    Atkinson Andelson Employment Ace To Join Ogletree In Calif.

    Ogletree Deakins announced Monday that it is bringing aboard a partner from Atkinson Andelson Loya Ruud & Romo to bolster its capacity to handle employment-related litigation.

  • September 08, 2025

    Pain Clinic, Hospital Ink $350K Deal In EEOC Retaliation Suit

    A pain clinic and an Arkansas hospital have agreed to pay $350,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming they fired a physician assistant for participating in a sexual harassment investigation into one of the clinic's owners.

  • September 08, 2025

    EEOC, Plastics Co. Get OK For $460K Sex Harassment Deal

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and a Michigan plastic product manufacturer have inked a $460,000 settlement ending a suit alleging the company didn't adequately address rampant sexual harassment against more than a dozen female employees.

  • September 08, 2025

    Fisher Phillips Merges With Atlanta L&E Boutique

    Fisher Phillips announced Monday it has combined with Elarbee Thompson Sapp & Wilson LLP, a labor and employment law firm based in Atlanta, growing its ranks by 22 lawyers.

  • September 08, 2025

    Ex-Judge Says Wash. DA, Court Sabotaged Election Bid

    A Washington state attorney and former pro tem judge in Seattle has filed a lawsuit alleging she was racially discriminated against when a county prosecutor's office had her disqualified from hearing cases due to rulings she made from the bench.

Expert Analysis

  • 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

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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.

  • Eye On Compliance: ADA Accommodations For Obesity

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    As the classification of "obesity" as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act continues to evolve, employers should note federal district and state court deviations from U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines, which have deemed obesity to be a qualifying impairment, no matter the cause, says Lauren Stadler at Wilson Elser.

  • 3rd. Circ. Ruling Shows Employers Where To Put ADA Focus

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    A recent Third Circuit decision in Morgan v. Allison Crane & Rigging, confirming that the Americans with Disabilities Act protects some temporarily impaired employees, reminds employers to pursue compliance through uniform policies that head off discriminatory decisions, not after-the-fact debates over an individual's disability status, says Joseph McGuire at Freeman Mathis.

  • 11th Circ. Ruling Offers Refresher On 'Sex-Plus' Bias Claims

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    While the Eleventh Circuit’s recent ruling in McCreight v. AuburnBank dismissed former employees’ sex-plus-age discrimination claims, the opinion reminds employers to ensure that workplace policies and practices do not treat a subgroup of employees of one sex differently than the same subgroup of another sex, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.