Discrimination

  • April 23, 2025

    FordHarrison Adds Fla. Employment Pro From Bush Graziano

    Management-side labor and employment firm FordHarrison LLP announced this week that it bolstered its Tampa ranks with a new partner from Bush Graziano Rice & Hearing PA.

  • April 22, 2025

    Trump Appointees Raise Eyebrows At Trans Troop Ban

    Despite a panel made mostly of Trump appointees, the D.C. Circuit seemed skeptical Tuesday morning as it heard out the government's argument for why it should be allowed to implement its ban on transgender troops in the military while litigation challenging that policy plays out.

  • April 22, 2025

    Justices Urged To Deny Jan. 6 Cops' Bid To Shield Identities

    The U.S. Supreme Court should reject an appeal from Seattle cops who joined the Jan. 6 "Stop the Steal" demonstration in D.C. and now want to stay incognito, according to a former law school student on Tuesday who sought police records identifying the officers and who said U.S. Supreme Court rules require the officers to seek relief in Washington state court. 

  • April 22, 2025

    Ga. County Freed From Court Worker's Age, ADA Bias Claims

    A Georgia federal judge ended a lawsuit against Fulton County, Georgia, brought by a former juvenile court employee who said her firing constituted age and disability discrimination, ruling Tuesday that there was no dispute it was the court — not the county — that she should have sued.

  • April 22, 2025

    6th Circ. Rift Highlights Split On Law Limiting Arbitration

    A Sixth Circuit panel's recent disagreement on the breadth of a federal law curbing employers' use of mandatory arbitration provisions for workers' sexual harassment and assault claims stems from unusual language in the statute that has and will continue to spawn confusion, experts said.

  • April 22, 2025

    Ex-Prof Cuts $1.6M Deal In Childhood Gender Dysphoria Row

    Six University of Louisville academic officials have agreed to pay about $1.6 million to end a former psychiatry professor's suit alleging he was unconstitutionally pushed out as punishment for his views on treating childhood gender dysphoria, according to court filings and the professor's counsel.

  • April 22, 2025

    'Bizarre' Emails Sink Ex-Prof's ADA Suit, 2nd Circ. Affirms

    The Second Circuit refused Tuesday to revive a disability bias suit from an English professor who said a community college failed to renew her contract because of her heart ailments, crediting the school's argument that "bizarre" emails from the teacher prompted its decision.

  • April 22, 2025

    Wells Fargo Worker Wants Disability Bias Suit Kept In Play

    Wells Fargo cannot shut down a senior finance manager's lawsuit alleging she faced backlash after she sought to work remotely because of health issues, the employee told a North Carolina federal court, saying she put forward enough detail to show she suffered discriminatory actions.

  • April 22, 2025

    ​​​​​​​Litigation Firm Says Ex-Client's Subpoena Warrants Sanction

    The New York-based employment litigation boutique that represented a former Kirkland & Ellis LLP attorney in her now-settled sex discrimination suit against the BigLaw firm has asked a California federal court to quash a subpoena she filed seeking confidential firm information and sanction her.

  • April 22, 2025

    Minn. YMCA Inks $140K Deal To End EEOC Harassment Suit

    A Minnesota YMCA said in a court filing Tuesday that it has agreed to pay $140,000 to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it failed to take action when a male manager sexually harassed female employees, some of whom were teenagers.

  • April 22, 2025

    In Trump Standoff, Harvard Has Law And Money On Its Side

    With strong free-speech arguments and plenty of cash at its disposal, Harvard University appears better positioned than most Trump administration foes to win a high-stakes and closely watched showdown over threats to cut off funding, experts told Law360.

  • April 22, 2025

    Wells Fargo 'Sham' Hiring Suit Delayed For Mediation

    A California federal judge agreed to move deadlines in a proposed investor class action accusing Wells Fargo of conducting "sham" job interviews to meet diversity targets that later triggered a stock drop when the practice was revealed, citing plans to attempt mediation in May.

  • April 22, 2025

    Religious Carveout Can't Shield Aid Group From Gay Bias Suit

    A religious humanitarian nonprofit violated Maryland law by terminating health insurance for a gay ex-worker's husband, a federal judge ruled, saying a statutory exemption for religious organizations didn't apply because the former employee's data analyst job didn't support the group's core mission.

  • April 22, 2025

    Dunkin' Manager Says He Was Asked His Age, Then Fired

    A former district manager for the nation's largest Dunkin' independent franchise operator said he was fired two weeks after getting out of the hospital for a chronic medical condition, and just hours after his supervisor asked him his age.

  • April 21, 2025

    BofA And Merrill Lynch Strike Deal In Gender, Race Bias Suit

    Bank of America and subsidiary Merrill Lynch have settled a gender and race bias suit from two Black financial advisers who claimed the companies supported policies that handed more opportunities to white, male workers, according to a New York federal court filing.

  • April 21, 2025

    Pay Transparency 'Growing Pains' Offer Lessons

    Pay transparency litigation in Washington state highlights the enforcement challenges associated with defining who is a job applicant and offers lessons to other jurisdictions on how to balance these laws' goals with facilitating compliance, attorneys say.

  • April 21, 2025

    EEOC Advances Suit Over Deaf Nurse's Rescinded Job Offer

    A Maryland federal judge refused to toss the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's disability bias suit claiming a Baltimore-area hospital rescinded a job offer it had made to a deaf nurse only after she requested accommodations, saying key facts of the case are still in dispute.

  • April 21, 2025

    Harvard Sues Trump Admin Over $2B Funding Freeze

    Harvard University on Monday hit the Trump administration with a suit in Massachusetts federal court, escalating a high-profile battle after the government slashed more than $2 billion in funding amid allegations the elite school has failed to properly address antisemitism on its campus.

  • April 21, 2025

    NJ Panel Revives Ex-Group Home Worker's Whistleblower Suit

    A New Jersey appeals court reinstated a group home worker's lawsuit alleging she was fired for raising concerns about staffing levels and training, reasoning Monday that she met the pleading standards for the state's whistleblower law.

  • April 21, 2025

    NBA Wants Some Details Sealed In Fired Refs' COVID Suit

    The NBA has urged a New York federal court to issue a ruling protecting private medical records and other information about employees not in involved a lawsuit brought by former referees, who alleged they were terminated after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine even though they requested religious exemption.

  • April 21, 2025

    CBS, Male Writer End Bias Suit Over Diversity Quotas

    CBS Studios Inc. and its parent have agreed to end a lawsuit brought by a straight white male freelance writer who accused CBS of discriminating against him by repeatedly choosing to hire more diverse candidates for writer roles, according to a stipulation filed in California federal court Friday.

  • April 21, 2025

    Fired Claims Co. Exec Says Pay Bias Led To Her Ouster

    A claims management company paid a former executive less than three of her male colleagues with the same work duties, then fired her after she filed a charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she told a Georgia federal court.

  • April 21, 2025

    Sacramento State Prof Can Take Race Bias Claims To Trial

    A California federal judge is sending race bias claims by a Black lecturer at Sacramento State University to trial, finding a jury needs to parse through his allegations that a colleague may have attempted to sabotage his application to a tenure-track role on the basis of discrimination. 

  • April 21, 2025

    Va. City Says It Wasn't Employer Of Atty Bringing FMLA Suit

    An attorney cannot sustain his lawsuit accusing the city of Martinsville, Virginia, of unlawfully firing him after he requested leave to care for his mother, the city told a federal court, saying it had no power to terminate him because it was not his employer.

  • April 18, 2025

    Ex-Katten Partner Hits Firm With $67M Age Bias Suit

    A former Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP partner launched a $67 million discrimination lawsuit against his one-time firm in New York federal court, alleging he was pushed out of the aircraft-finance practice group, pressured to resign and then fired because of the firm CEO's "stereotyped views of lawyers in their 60s."

Expert Analysis

  • A Path Forward For Employers, Regardless Of DEI Stance

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    Whether a company views the Trump administration's executive orders ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs as a win or a loss, the change rearranges the employment hazards companies face, but not the non-DEI and nondiscriminatory economic incentive to seek the best workers, says Daniel S. Levy at Advanced Analytical Consulting Group.

  • Bias Suit Shows WNBA Growing Pains On Court And In Court

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    A newly filed disability discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against the Los Angeles Sparks is the latest in a series of employment discrimination disputes filed by WNBA professionals, highlighting teams' obligation to meet elevated workplace expectations and the league's role in facilitating an inclusive work environment, say attorneys at Michelman & Robinson.

  • 2 Areas Of Labor Law That May Change Under Trump

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    Based on President Donald Trump's recent moves, employers should expect to see significant changes in the direction of law coming out of the National Labor Relations Board, particularly in two areas where the Trump administration will seek to roll back the Biden NLRB's changes, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Justices' Revival Ruling In Bias Suit Exceeds Procedural Issue

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Waetzig v. Halliburton allowed the plaintiff in an age discrimination lawsuit to move to reopen his case after arbitration, but the seemingly straightforward decision on a procedural issue raises complex questions for employment law practitioners, says Christopher Sakauye at Dykema.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'Late Night' Shows DEI Is More Than Optics

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    Amid the shifting legal landscape for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Troutman's Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter chat with their firm's DEI committee chair, Nicole Edmonds, about how the 2019 film "Late Night" reflects the challenges and rewards of fostering meaningful inclusion.

  • 9 Considerations For Orgs Using AI Meeting Assistants

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    When deciding to use artificial intelligence meeting assistants, organizations must create and implement a written corporate policy that establishes the do's and don'ts for these assistants, taking into account individualized business operations, industry standards and legal and regulatory requirements, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit

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    The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Determining What 'I Don't Feel Safe' Means In The Workplace

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    When an employee tells an employer "I don't feel safe," the phrase can have different meanings, so employment lawyers must adequately investigate to identify which meaning applies — and a cursory review and dismissal of the situation may not be a sufficient defense in case of future legal proceedings, says Karen Elliott at FordHarrison.

  • How EEOC Enforcement Priorities May Change Under Trump

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has already been rocked by the Trump administration's dramatic changes in personnel and policy, which calls into question how the agency may shift its direction from the priorities set forth in its five-year strategic enforcement plan in 2023, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Back To Basics After Admin Change

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    Having an up-to-date employee handbook is more critical now than ever, given the recent change in administration, and employers should understand their benefits and risks, including how they can limit employers’ liability and help retain employers’ rights, say Kasey Cappellano and Meaghan Gandy at Kutak Rock.

  • What Axed Title IX Gender Identity Rule Means For Higher Ed

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    Following a Kentucky federal court's recent decision in State of Tennessee v. Cardona to strike down a Biden-era rule that expanded the definition of Title IX to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity, institutions of higher education should prepare to reimplement policies that comply with the reinstated 2020 rule, say attorneys at Venable.

  • A Path Forward For Cos. Amid Trump's Anti-DEIA Efforts

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    Given the Trump administration’s recent efforts targeting corporate diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs — including threatening possible criminal prosecution — companies should carefully tailor their DEIA initiatives to comply with both the letter and the spirit of antidiscrimination law, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Workforce Data Collection Considerations After DEI Order

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    Following President Donald Trump's executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, employers should balance the benefits of collecting demographic data with the risk of violating the order’s prohibition on "illegal DEI," say Lynn Clements at Berkshire Associates, David Cohen at DCI Consulting and Victoria Lipnic at Resolution Economics.