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Discrimination

  • September 15, 2025

    Alsup Says February Firings Of Federal Workers Were Illegal

    A California federal judge has ruled that it was illegal for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to initiate a mass termination of federal workers, but didn't order their reinstatement, saying the U.S. Supreme Court would intervene and the fired employees "have moved on with their lives."

  • September 15, 2025

    Tesla Favors Foreign Workers Over US Citizens, Court Told

    Tesla discriminates against American workers by giving a leg up to H-1B visa holders whom the company underpays, according to a suit brought in California federal court by two U.S. citizens who said they unsuccessfully sought jobs at the electric vehicle maker.

  • September 15, 2025

    Calif. Legislators OK Requiring Oversight Of Workplace AI

    The California Senate has approved a bill that would restrict how employers can use tools powered by artificial intelligence to make employment decisions, sending the legislation to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk despite opposition from business groups.

  • September 15, 2025

    Disney Workers Get Final OK On $43M Gender Bias Deal

    A California judge granted final approval Monday of Disney's $43.25 million class action settlement with over 15,000 female midlevel managers over allegations the entertainment giant paid them less than their male colleagues.

  • September 15, 2025

    Cozen O'Connor Picks Up 2 Jackson Lewis Attys In Philly

    Cozen O'Connor is expanding its employment law resources in Philadelphia with the additions of two attorneys who have moved their practices from Jackson Lewis PC.

  • September 15, 2025

    PF Chang's Inks $80K Deal In EEOC Religious Bias Probe

    P.F. Chang's will pay a job applicant $80,000 after a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation found support for the would-be employee's claim that the company didn't hire him because he requested not to work on Sundays, the EEOC said Monday.

  • September 15, 2025

    Ex-Epstein Prosecutor Maurene Comey Sues DOJ Over Firing

    Maurene Comey, a former Manhattan federal prosecutor who brought high-profile criminal cases against the likes of Jeffrey Epstein and Sean "Diddy" Combs, sued the Justice Department on Monday alleging her abrupt July firing came "solely or substantially" because she is the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, a Trump critic.

  • September 15, 2025

    DC Water Utility Illegally Pushed Out Older Worker, EEOC Says

    The District of Columbia's water utility ran afoul of age discrimination law when it abruptly fired a 54-year-old human resources employee, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a lawsuit.

  • September 15, 2025

    EEOC Fails To Get Court Approval For Pregnancy Bias Deal

    A Pennsylvania federal judge refused for a second time to greenlight a $30,000 settlement between the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and a child advocacy organization the agency accused of pregnancy discrimination, expressing concerns about the deal's propriety.

  • September 12, 2025

    Taylor Swift Will Only Sit For 'It Ends With Us' Depo If 'Forced'

    Taylor Swift's counsel at Venable LLP told a Manhattan federal judge Friday that the pop superstar has not agreed to be deposed in actress Blake Lively's defamation case against her "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni, but could do so the week of Oct. 20 "if she is forced."

  • September 12, 2025

    6th Circ. Backs Kent State In Prof's Trans Bias Suit

    The Sixth Circuit ruled Friday that Kent State University backtracked on a promotion promised to a transgender professor because of insulting tweets and emails directed at colleagues, not because of their gender identity.

  • September 12, 2025

    6th Circ. Backs University In Ex-HR Director's Retaliation Suit

    The Sixth Circuit on Friday upheld the dismissal of a white former human resources director's lawsuit claiming the University of Toledo fired her for opposing a colleague's promotion, saying the four-month gap between her complaint and termination was too much to support a retaliation suit.

  • September 12, 2025

    Chicago Teachers Union Beats Teacher's Race Bias Suit

    The Chicago Teachers Union won't have to face a lawsuit alleging that it discriminated against a teacher by not pursuing four grievances she filed, an Illinois federal judge ruled Friday, saying she did not put forward evidence connecting the union's inaction to her race or national origin and has "done nothing more than speculate."

  • September 12, 2025

    Employment Lawyers' Weekly DEI Cheat Sheet

    A Fourth Circuit panel appeared reluctant to uphold a Maryland federal judge's injunction that blocked key parts of two executive orders by President Donald Trump targeting workplace diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and newspaper publisher Gannett largely defeated a proposed class action alleging its DEI practices disadvantaged white workers. Here, À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ looks at notable DEI-related legal developments so far this month.

  • September 12, 2025

    3rd Circ. Backs Philly School In Worker's COVID Leave Suit

    A former Philadelphia school employee resigned rather than being fired, the Third Circuit said Friday, affirming a federal court decision tossing his suit claiming he was discriminated against for refusing to get the coronavirus vaccine because of his religious beliefs.

  • September 12, 2025

    New Orleans Fired Director For Reporting Fraud, Suit Says

    The city of New Orleans fired a workforce director out of retaliation for repeatedly raising concerns that employees were committing payroll fraud and misappropriating cash from a COVID-19 federal aid package, according to her suit filed in Louisiana federal court.

  • September 12, 2025

    Va. City Attorney Tells 4th Circ. He's Immune From FMLA Suit

    A Virginia federal judge erred by allowing a Family and Medical Leave Act suit against a municipal attorney to head to trial, the attorney said Friday, asking the Fourth Circuit to hold that he is immune from suit.

  • September 12, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: Google Wants Worker-Protesters' Suit Tossed

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for a dismissal bid hearing in a proposed discrimination class action against Google by a group of former employees who staged protests. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • September 12, 2025

    Black Worker Says Trailer Co. Fired Him For Reporting Bias

    A Black salesperson was fired by a trailer company for complaining that a white supervisor excluded him from team meetings, blamed him for colleagues' mistakes and threatened to shoot a Black co-worker for working too slowly, according to a suit filed in Georgia federal court.

  • September 12, 2025

    Lack Of EEOC Quorum Can't Fell Bias Suit, Agency Says

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission doesn't need a quorum to sue a tire manufacturer alleging it fired workers out of disability bias because they took prescribed narcotics, the agency told a Tennessee federal court, urging rejection of the business' motion to dismiss.

  • September 11, 2025

    Industrial Tech Co. Sanctioned For Deleted Texts In Title VII Suit

    A New York federal judge has sanctioned ultrasonic testing company Sonotec after two of its staff members were found to have deleted text messages about a former employee who is pursuing sexual harassment retaliation claims against the company, finding they should have known litigation was imminent at the time they erased the correspondence.

  • September 11, 2025

    6th Circ. Backs Hospital In Nurse's Suit Over Vaccine Mandate

    The Sixth Circuit upheld an Ohio medical center's win in a suit claiming it unlawfully placed a Christian nurse on unpaid leave because of religious objections to COVID-19 vaccines and testing methods, ruling Thursday that excusing her from the infection prevention methods would have been too burdensome.

  • September 11, 2025

    UPS Avoids Fired Worker's Age, Gender Bias Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge tossed an ex-UPS worker's suit claiming the delivery company fired him out of age and gender bias and because his retirement benefits were about to vest, ruling he failed to discredit his ex-employer's position that he was terminated for sexually harassing a trainee.

  • September 11, 2025

    Vax Battle Offers Justices Vehicle To Widen Religious Rights

    The U.S. Supreme Court will consider taking up a case brought by a group of religious healthcare workers challenging a New York state vaccination requirement, setting up an opportunity for the high court to broaden workers' ability to secure faith-related job accommodations.

  • September 11, 2025

    AI Co. Employee Says Complaining Of Sex Bias Got Her Fired

    An artificial intelligence software developer fired a data scientist after she complained that colleagues had minimized her contributions, held her to different standards than male co-workers and subjected her to unwanted sexual advances, according to a lawsuit filed in New York federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • Parsing 3rd Circ. Ruling On Cannabis, Employee Private Suits

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    The Third Circuit recently upheld a decision that individuals don't have a private right of action for alleged violations of New Jersey's Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Act, but employers should stay informed as the court encouraged the state Legislature to amend the law, say attorneys at Mandelbaum Barrett.

  • EEOC Wearable Tech Guidance Highlights Monitoring Scrutiny

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent fact sheet on wearable technologies cautions against potential issues with federal anti-discrimination laws and demonstrates growing concern from regulators and legislators about intrusive technologies in the workplace, say attorneys at Littler.

  • 4 Employment Law Areas Set To Change Under Trump

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    President Donald Trump's second term is expected to bring significant changes to the U.S. employment law landscape, including the potential for updated worker classification regulations, and challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion that are already taking shape, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • What Employment Bias Litigation Looks Like After Muldrow

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    Nine months after the U.S. Supreme Court created an undemanding standard for discrimination claims in Muldrow v. St. Louis, Eric Schnapper at the University of Washington discusses how the Title VII litigation landscape has changed and what to expect moving forward.

  • 10 Key Worker-Friendly California Employment Law Updates

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    New employment laws in California expand employee rights, transparency and enforcement mechanisms, and failing to educate department managers on these changes could put employers at risk, says Melanie Ronen at Stradley Ronon.

  • How PAGA Reform Can Inform Employer Strategies In 2025

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    While recent changes to California's Private Attorneys General Act will not significantly reduce PAGA claims, employers can use the new law to potentially limit their future exposure, by taking advantage of penalty reduction opportunities and more, say attorneys at Thompson Coburn.

  • How Deregulation Could Undermine Trump's Anti-DEI Agenda

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    While rolling back federal agency power benefited conservative policies during the Biden administration, it will likely undermine President Donald Trump's ability to wield agencies like the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives beyond the federal workforce and into the private sector, says Ally Coll at the Purple Method.

  • Trump Should Pass On Project 2025's Disparate Impact Plan

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    The Trump administration should reject Project 2025's call to eliminate the disparate impact doctrine because, as its pro-business Republican creators intended, a focus on dismantling unnecessary barriers to qualified job candidates serves companies' best interests more successfully than the alternatives, says Susan Carle at American University.

  • Expect A Big Shake Up At The EEOC Under 2nd Trump Admin

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    During President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is likely to significantly shift its focus and priorities, especially where workplace DEI initiatives, immigration enforcement, LGBTQ+ rights and pregnancy protections are concerned, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.

  • 4 Novel Issues From The Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Suits

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    A series of lawsuits arising from actress Blake Lively's sexual harassment and retaliation complaint against her "It Ends With Us" co-star, Justin Baldoni, present novel legal issues that employment and defamation practitioners alike should follow as the litigation progresses, say attorneys at Dorsey & Whitney.

  • Religious Accommodation Lessons From $12.7M Vax Verdict

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    A Michigan federal jury’s recent $12.7 million verdict against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan starkly reminds employers of the risks they face when assessing employees’ religious accommodation requests, highlighting pitfalls to avoid and raising the opportunity to consider best practices to follow, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.

  • Lessons From United's Axed Win In Firing Over Online Pics

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    In Wawrzenski v. United Airlines, a California state appeals court revived a flight attendant’s suit over her termination for linking photos of herself in uniform to her OnlyFans account, providing a cautionary tale for employers navigating the complexities of workplace policy enforcement in the digital age, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • How Trump Admin May Approach AI In The Workplace

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    Key indicators suggest that the incoming Trump administration will adopt a deregulatory approach to artificial intelligence, allowing states to fill the void, so it is critical that employers pay close attention to developing legal authority concerning AI tools, say attorneys at Littler.