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Discrimination

  • 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.

  • September 08, 2025

    Insulation Co. Settles EEOC Sexual Harassment Suit

    An insulation contractor struck a $40,000 deal with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to settle a suit claiming its owner sexually harassed an office manager for years by inappropriately touching her and spreading rumors about her sex life.

  • September 05, 2025

    Feds Say Supreme Court Trumps 9th Circ.'s UC Grant Ruling

    The Trump administration has urged the Ninth Circuit to reconsider a panel decision that upheld an order to reinstate University of California research grants terminated by the White House, saying the U.S. Supreme Court subsequently contradicted the panel's holding in a "materially identical" case.

  • September 05, 2025

    7th Circ. Probes Colleague, Timing In DePaul Firing Bias Suit

    A Seventh Circuit panel on Friday dove into the timeline of a former DePaul University professor's firing and the details surrounding a colleague who allegedly received comparatively lighter treatment amid sexual misconduct allegations as the judges considered reviving claims that the university decided against rehiring him because of his race.

  • September 05, 2025

    Munchkin Says 'Unhinged' GC Was Fired For Good Reason

    Munchkin Inc. says it had multiple legitimate reasons to terminate the baby company's general counsel for cause after he launched a "retaliatory and vindictive campaign" against another executive, calling him "unhinged" and slamming his suit against the company as "harassing," according to a filing in California state court.

  • September 05, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Ex-DLA Worker's Disability Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit revived a suspended Defense Logistics Agency employee's lawsuit that accused the agency of disability discrimination, saying in a published opinion that the agency's "numerous errors" warranted pushing back the former employee's deadline for filing suit.

  • September 05, 2025

    6 Calif. Employment Bills To Watch As Session Winds Down

    With California's legislative session nearing completion, several notable employment bills are awaiting lawmakers' action, including a sweeping proposal to regulate the use of artificial intelligence-infused technology and a bill tweaking how wage information is disclosed in job listings. Here, À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ looks at six legislative proposals that discrimination and wage lawyers should have on their radar.

  • September 05, 2025

    6th Circ. Finds Boss' Pregnancy Remark Supports Bias Claim

    A split Sixth Circuit panel revived part of a lawsuit from a woman who alleges a Michigan hospital system laid her off because she was pregnant, finding that evidence that the worker's supervisor was concerned about the pregnancy's effects on department productivity supports pregnancy discrimination claims.

  • September 05, 2025

    DC Circ. Says Grievance Deal Can't End Title VII Suit

    The D.C. Circuit reinstated Friday a Black worker's race bias suit claiming she faced discrimination and harassment at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, ruling a settlement that resolved grievances her union filed against her employer did not justify the dismissal of her civil rights claims.

  • September 05, 2025

    NY Forecast: NY Judge Weighs Tossing Car Dealer Bias Suit

    This week, a New York federal judge will consider a Chevrolet dealership's bid to dismiss a former employee's lawsuit claiming he was fired after he complained that a supervisor made racist remarks toward him and other workers. 

  • September 05, 2025

    Property Management Co. Hit With Disability Bias Suit In NC

    Georgia-based property manager FirstKey Homes faces claims in North Carolina federal court from a former employee who claims the company forced her to notify other employees they were being fired along with other unwanted tasks in retaliation for her disability-related work-from-home requests.

  • September 05, 2025

    6th Circ. Backs Brewery In Ex-Worker's Retaliation, Bias Suit

    The Sixth Circuit upheld the dismissal of a former brewery worker's suit claiming he was suspended out of retaliation for complaining that a supervisor made inappropriate comments about a back injury he faced, ruling he couldn't overcome a workplace investigation that found he was a "toxic employee."

  • September 05, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: $2M Animal Feed Co. Wage Deal Before Court

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for arguments regarding a potential deal to end a long-running wage and hour class action against animal feed supplier ACX Pacific Northwest Inc. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • September 04, 2025

    American Airlines Says Tech Can't Support Sex Bias Suit

    An American Airlines technician can't support her claim that the airline discriminated against her on the basis of sex when it demoted her from her crew chief role as her 90-day trial period drew to a close, the airline said Thursday, saying she was demoted because of performance issues.

  • September 04, 2025

    5th Circ. Seems Open To United Workers' COVID Vax Class

    The Fifth Circuit wrestled Thursday with allowing a group of United Airlines employees to pursue classwide claims that they were illegally forced to take unpaid leave after seeking exemptions from the company's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, with two judges appearing receptive to letting a certification order stand.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Employment Verification Poses Unique Risks For Staffing Cos.

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    All employers face employee verification issues, but a survey of recent settlements with the U.S. Department of Justice's Immigrant and Employee Rights Section suggests that staffing companies' unique circumstances raise the chances they will be investigated and face substantial fines, says Eileen Scofield at Alston & Bird.