Discrimination

  • February 05, 2025

    11th Circ. Backs Navy Win In IT Worker's Promotion Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit upheld the U.S. Navy's defeat of a civilian tech employee's suit claiming he was passed over for several promotions because he was Hispanic and in his 50s, saying he failed to show that supervisors considered his age or race when making decisions.

  • February 05, 2025

    Women's Soccer League Will Pay $5M To Abused Players

    The National Women's Soccer League on Wednesday agreed to a $5 million settlement with a trio of attorneys general that had been investigating the league's widespread mistreatment of its players.

  • February 04, 2025

    Baltimore, Advocacy Groups Sue Trump Over Anti-DEI Orders

    The city of Baltimore and a coalition of academic and restaurant advocacy groups hit the Trump administration with a suit Monday in Maryland federal court over the president's push to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion programs, saying his executive orders are unlawfully vague and block Congress' constitutional power of the purse.

  • February 04, 2025

    FCC Drops 5th Circ. Defense Of Nonbinary Gender Category

    The Federal Communications Commission will no longer defend a nonbinary gender category on its employment diversity forms amid challenges brought by religious broadcasters in the Fifth Circuit, where judges grilled the FCC on Tuesday about its authority to collect and publish industry data on employee diversity.

  • February 04, 2025

    Interplay Between ADA, Rail Safety Regs Teed Up At 5th Circ.

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Wednesday will chime in as amicus on behalf of a colorblind train conductor at Fifth Circuit oral arguments, saying the lower court incorrectly gave railway safety regulations more weight than federal disability law.

  • February 04, 2025

    Trump Trans Care Order Usurps Congress' Power, Suit Says

    The Trump administration overstepped when it issued an executive order cutting off gender-affirming care for people under 19, a group of transgender adolescents, young adults and their families told a Maryland federal court Tuesday, arguing the president is trying to usurp Congressional authority by forcing federally funded hospitals to discriminate.

  • February 04, 2025

    Ex-Meta Marketing Director Alleges Sex Bias, Retaliation

    A former Meta marketing director sued the tech giant in federal court Monday for sex discrimination and retaliation, saying despite her "distinguished" 15 years working to grow the company, she was treated differently than male peers, chastised for complaining about bias and discrimination, and booted after taking mental health leave.

  • February 04, 2025

    Severance Pact Sinks Ex-Mercedes Exec's Age, Race Bias Suit

    The Sixth Circuit upheld the dismissal Tuesday of a former executive's suit claiming the financial arm of Mercedes-Benz pushed her out of the company due to age and racial bias, rejecting her argument that a severance agreement she signed before suing the business wasn't enforceable.

  • February 04, 2025

    UPS, Ex-VP Resolve Race Bias Suit Over Promotion Dispute

    UPS agreed to end a Black former vice president's lawsuit claiming she was passed over for promotion and then replaced by a less experienced white subordinate whom she had trained, according to a Tuesday filing in Georgia federal court.

  • February 04, 2025

    DC Circ. Hints Race Bias Battles Over Vax Rules Merit Reboot

    Incisive questions from a talkative D.C. Circuit panel Tuesday indicated the court is leaning toward reinstating two Black workers' lawsuits alleging a union's phased rollout of its COVID-19 vaccination requirements unlawfully favored white employees.

  • February 04, 2025

    Trans Deputy's Bias Case Hits Headwinds At 11th Circ.

    The full Eleventh Circuit grappled Tuesday with whether a county health plan's coverage exclusions for gender-affirming surgery conflicted with a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision, with several judges taking issue with a panel's ruling that found coverage denials for a transgender employee's vaginoplasty amounted to unlawful discrimination.

  • February 04, 2025

    USPS, Ex-Worker End Pregnancy Accommodation Suit

    A Colorado federal judge closed a former U.S. Postal Service worker's suit claiming the agency walked back accommodations it promised her while she was pregnant, after the parties informed the court that they had agreed to end the dispute that was scheduled for trial.

  • February 04, 2025

    Ex-Littler, Paul Hastings Atty Picked As Acting EEOC Top Cop

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday tapped a top aide to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's acting head for the role of the agency's acting general counsel, elevating an attorney who formerly worked for Paul Hastings LLP and Littler Mendelson PC.

  • February 04, 2025

    Dem School Advocate Says Bias Complaints Led To Firing

    The former Massachusetts director of a pair of Democratic educational advocacy groups said she was subjected to retaliatory criticism and then fired after raising concerns about a new CEO's treatment of women and decision to partner with a conservative organization.

  • February 03, 2025

    'Nowhere To Go': Neil Gaiman Accused Of Raping Ex-Nanny

    "American Gods" author Neil Gaiman has for decades engaged in a pattern of sexual misconduct, including repeatedly raping a woman hired to care for his young son, while his estranged wife Amanda Palmer did nothing to stop the abuse, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday in Wisconsin.

  • February 03, 2025

    DOJ Creates Multiagency Task Force Targeting Antisemitism

    The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday that it is putting together a multi-agency task force to investigate and prosecute antisemitic crimes, including harassment in schools and on college grounds, in response an executive order issued last week by President Donald Trump.

  • February 03, 2025

    5th Circ. Won't Revisit HHS Win On Scope Of ACA

    The Fifth Circuit has declined to conduct an en banc rehearing after an appellate panel upheld a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule that said the Affordable Care Act forbids against transgender bias in healthcare, but one judge argued the court got its analysis wrong.

  • February 03, 2025

    U. Of Alabama Can't Ax Military Family Leave Suit At 11th Circ.

    The University of Alabama at Birmingham can't escape a former researcher's lawsuit claiming she was disciplined for not working while on leave to care for her daughter in the Marines Corps, the Eleventh Circuit said Monday, ruling states don't have sovereign immunity to military-related provisions of federal family leave law.

  • February 03, 2025

    11th Circ. Bias Fight Could Set Bar For Trans Benefits Suits

    The full Eleventh Circuit will hear arguments Tuesday from a Georgia county looking to overturn a trial court's ruling that found its health plan's denial of gender-affirming surgery violated federal anti-discrimination law, in a case that could help clarify how a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision impacts employee benefits.

  • February 03, 2025

    Fired SpaceX Workers Want To Know Where Musk Was

    An attorney representing fired SpaceX workers urged a California federal judge Monday to reconsider a previous judge's ruling that the retaliation case does not belong in state court and to allow her clients access to records about CEO Elon Musk's past movements to prove the location from which he directed the company.

  • February 03, 2025

    Amazon Military Leave Class Should Be Certified, Judge Says

    A New York federal judge recommended on Monday greenlighting class treatment for more than 9,000 military reservists who accused Amazon of failing to fully provide paid leave for employees on active duty, saying the workers have shown the employment policies at issue apply to all of them.

  • February 03, 2025

    Ex-Fox Sports TV Host Accuses Executive Of Sexual Assault

    A former on-air Fox Sports host and reporter has sued the network and executive Charlie Dixon in California state court alleging he sexually assaulted her in his hotel room in 2016.

  • February 03, 2025

    Feds Back Out Of Trans Ga. Deputy's 11th Circ. Rehearing

    The U.S. Department of Justice said Friday that it was pulling out of supporting a Georgia transgender sheriff's deputy's bid to have gender-affirming surgery covered by her county government, just days before her case is set to be reheard by the full Eleventh Circuit.

  • February 03, 2025

    NJ Mayor Says Ex-Aide Was At-Will And Can't Sue Over Firing

    Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop has asked a New Jersey federal judge to toss a retaliation lawsuit by a former aide who was fired after the aide supported his Republican sister's political campaign in Missouri, contending the worker was an "at will" employee whose rights under the First Amendment or the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination were not violated.

  • February 03, 2025

    Drexel Owes Prof $350K After Equal Pay Jury Win, Judge Says

    A Pennsylvania federal judge said Drexel University owes a philosophy professor $350,000 in damages after a jury found she was willfully paid less than male colleagues out of bias, rejecting the university's position that the award should be reduced because it did not deliberately violate equal pay laws.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Lessons Learned From 2024's Top FMLA Decisions

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    Last year's major litigation related to the Family and Medical Leave Act underscores why it is critical for employers to understand the basics of when leave and accommodations are required, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Lessons Learned From 2024's Top ADA Decisions

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    Last year's major litigation related to the Americans with Disabilities Act highlights that when dealing with accommodation requests, employers must communicate clearly, appreciate context and remain flexible in addressing needs, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Top 10 Employer Resolutions For 2025

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    While companies must monitor for policy shifts under the new administration in 2025, it will also be a year to play it safe and remember the basics, such as the importance of documenting retention policies and conducting swift investigations into workplace complaints, say attorneys at Lawrence & Bundy.

  • What To Expect From EEOC Next Year After An Active 2024

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    While highlights this year for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission include its first-ever Pregnant Workers Fairness Act cases and comprehensive workplace harassment guidance, the question for 2025 is whether the commission will sustain its momentum or shift its focus in a new direction, says Shannon Kelly at GrayRobinson.

  • Ledbetter's Legacy Shines In 2024 Equal Pay Law Updates

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    The federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act turned 15 this year, and its namesake's legacy is likely to endure in 2025 and beyond, as demonstrated by 2024's state- and local-level progress on pay equity, as well as several rulings from federal appellate courts, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • What Employers Should Consider When Drafting AI Policies

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    As generative artificial intelligence continues to evolve and transform the workplace, employers should examine six issues when creating their corporate AI policies in order to balance AI's efficiencies with the oversight needed to prevent potential biases and legal pitfalls, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Eye On Compliance: When Calif. Jobs Require Driver Licenses

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    With a California law banning unnecessarily requiring job applicants to have driver's licenses rolling out Jan. 1, employers should take to heart the law's goal of preventing discriminatory barriers while they assess and revise their employment materials for compliance, says Ani Khachatryan at Wilson Elser.

  • Ring In The New Year With An Updated Employee Handbook

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    One of the best New Year's resolutions employers can make is to update their employee handbooks, given that a handbook can mitigate, or even prevent, costly litigation as long as it accounts for recent changes in laws, court rulings and agency decisions, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.