Discrimination

  • May 02, 2025

    American Airlines Seeks To Disband Military Leave Suit Class

    American Airlines urged a Pennsylvania federal court to revoke class certification in a lawsuit claiming the company unlawfully denied pilots pay for time spent on military leave, arguing the case involves too many individual inquiries about whether workers can control when they take time off.

  • May 02, 2025

    Civil Rights Groups Told They Can't Block Trump's DEI Orders

    A D.C. federal judge declined Friday to block executive orders from President Donald Trump canceling funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs and contracts, ruling the orders haven't infringed on the missions of the three civil rights groups behind the suit beyond federally funded projects.

  • May 02, 2025

    Quest Settles Fired Black Phlebotomist's Retaliation Suit

    Quest Diagnostics and a Black worker who claimed the company retaliated against her when she reported racist threats patients allegedly made to her have settled their dispute, according to an order Friday in Pennsylvania federal court dismissing the case.

  • May 02, 2025

    White House Says Unions Can't Block Columbia Funding Pull

    The Trump administration urged a New York federal judge to reject unions' challenge to the administration's decision to end $400 million in federal money for Columbia University, saying the unions have not shown they have a legal right to the money or that its loss will cause them or their members harm.

  • May 02, 2025

    Ex-Worker Says DirecTV Fired Her In Biased Force Reduction

    DirecTV's former senior director of e-commerce has sued the company in Georgia federal court, alleging she was let go during a workforce reduction because of her age and gender.

  • May 02, 2025

    Ga. Judge Says School Officials' Immunity Defense Is Too Late

    A Georgia federal judge has refused to free Colquitt County School District officials from a former principal's suit alleging he faced racial discrimination while employed there and was told his contract would be terminated three days after reporting a lynching threat.

  • May 02, 2025

    NC Public Housing Agency Denies Bias Suit Has Legal Backing

    A Charlotte public housing authority and one of its supervisors asked a North Carolina federal judge to rule in their favor ahead of trial over discrimination and retaliation claims brought by one of the authority's former coordinators, arguing the woman's allegations have no legal basis.

  • May 02, 2025

    EEOC Turns To 6th Circ. After Staffing Co. Exits Bias Case

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told a Tennessee federal court Friday it wants to get the Sixth Circuit's take on an order dismissing a staffing agency from a lawsuit claiming the company worked in tandem with a client to restrict the hiring of Black workers.

  • May 02, 2025

    Emory Fired Palestinian Prof Over Gaza Posts, Bias Suit Says

    Emory University folded to pressure from an advocacy group and illegally fired a medical school professor for criticizing on social media Israel's treatment of Palestinian people, the ousted educator alleged Friday in Georgia federal court.

  • May 02, 2025

    Ex-Aide Hits Morgan & Morgan With Disability, Age Bias Suit

    A former legal assistant for personal injury law firm Morgan & Morgan PA has launched a disability and age discrimination suit against the personal injury firm in Florida state court alleging she received more work than younger employees and was told to work on the weekends without overtime pay.

  • May 02, 2025

    Salesforce Favored Indian Men For Promotions, Bias Suit Says

    A white former Salesforce director was forced to resign from the company because her boss refused to promote her, and instead handed out career advancements to Indian men who sometimes had less experience, she said in her suit filed in Colorado federal court.

  • May 02, 2025

    Ex-Litigator, Wilson Elser Plan To Drop Bias Suit

    An ex-Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP litigator who sued the firm for allegedly firing him over his disabilities appears to have settled with his former colleagues, with both parties telling a New York federal judge on Friday they plan to dismiss the case.

  • May 02, 2025

    Workers Say UMich Fired Them For Pro-Palestine Protests

    Former University of Michigan employees alleged in a new lawsuit that they were illegally fired and barred from seeking future work at the university because they participated in demonstrations to support the rights of Palestinians in the conflict in Gaza.

  • May 02, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: Delta $12M Meal Breaks Deal Up For Approval

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for the potential preliminary approval of a $12 million deal to resolve a proposed wage and hour class action against Delta Air Lines Inc. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • May 01, 2025

    Judge Won't Ax Anti-DEI Injunction For Plaintiffs' Tweaks

    A Maryland federal judge Thursday declined to upend his preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration from implementing the bulk of the president's executive orders aiming to slash diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the public and private sectors.

  • May 01, 2025

    Planned Parenthood Slams HHS 'Attacks' On Teen Program

    Planned Parenthood on Thursday pressed a D.C. federal court to block the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' "attacks" on a long-running, successful public health initiative aimed at preventing teen pregnancy, claiming that HHS has implemented new, "deeply inconsistent" requirements threatening the program's funding.

  • May 01, 2025

    Troops Urge High Court To Keep Transgender Ban On Ice

    Several transgender service members and recruits told the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to reject the Trump administration's bid to lift a federal judge's order prohibiting implementation of the Pentagon's ban on transgender military service, claiming the policy is so deeply rooted in animosity that it won't survive judicial inspection.

  • May 01, 2025

    EEOC Blasts 'Intentional' Med Record Mishandling In ADA Suit

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Thursday urged a Colorado federal court to sanction an appliance retailer that filed a former employee's unredacted medical records in a disability bias lawsuit, saying the employer meant to "harass and embarrass" the worker.

  • May 01, 2025

    3rd Circ. Backs Charter School In Black Worker's Bias Suit

    The Third Circuit upheld the dismissal of a Black cafeteria manager's suit claiming she was fired for complaining that her bosses at a charter school system mistreated her due to her race, ruling the suit falls flat because she was employed by an outside food service company.

  • May 01, 2025

    Nixed Order Stirs Confusion Amid Feds' Workforce Data Push

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's efforts to proceed with its annual workplace demographic data collection after President Donald Trump rescinded a key piece of legal authority has experts unsure if small federal contractors are still required to comply. 

  • May 01, 2025

    5th Circ. Says Ex-LSU Researcher Can't Reopen Bias Case

    The Fifth Circuit on Thursday upheld Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center's defeat of a lawsuit from a Black former program manager who claimed she was terminated because of her race, saying a trial court correctly concluded that her evidence fell short.

  • May 01, 2025

    Norfolk Southern's Promotion Process Is Biased, Workers Say

    Norfolk Southern Corp. has been sued in Georgia federal court by two longtime billing clerks who allege the company's promotion process is riddled with race and age bias and that its customer service division systematically pressures workers not to take medical leave.

  • May 01, 2025

    NC Chef Says Restaurant Canned Him For Being Trans

    The former executive sous chef at a resort restaurant in Flat Rock, North Carolina, claims in a lawsuit that he was terminated for having gender dysphoria and for requesting time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act to recover from gender reassignment surgery.

  • May 01, 2025

    5th Circ. Won't Revive Demoted Geologist's Age Bias Suit

    A geologist can't reopen his lawsuit alleging he was stripped of his supervisory duties and demoted by a Texas water management agency because he's in his 60s, the Fifth Circuit ruled, finding no issue with the trial court's rationale for tossing the case.

  • May 01, 2025

    6th Circ. Hints Workers, Not Judges, Must Trigger EFAA Shield

    The Sixth Circuit appeared concerned Thursday by a trial court's decision to invoke the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Act in a workplace dispute even though the employee failed to cite it, with the court's chief judge calling the move "astonishing."

Expert Analysis

  • NWSL's $5M Player Abuse Deal Shifts Standard For Employers

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    The National Women's Soccer League's recent $5 million settlement addressing players' abuse allegations sends a powerful message to leagues, entertainment entities and employers everywhere that employee safety, accountability and transparency are no longer optional, say attorneys at Michelman & Robinson.

  • Navigating The Use Of AI Tools In Workplace Investigations

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Artificial intelligence tools can be used in workplace investigations to analyze evidence and conduct interviews, among other things, but employers should be aware of the legal and practical risks, including data privacy concerns and the potential for violating antidiscrimination laws, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • How Justices Rule On Straight Bias May Shift Worker Suits

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    Following oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, in which a heterosexual woman sued her employer for sexual orientation discrimination, the forthcoming decision may create a perfect storm for employers amid recent attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Employer Tips To Navigate Cultural Flashpoints Investigations

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    As companies are increasingly flooded with complaints of employees violating policies related to polarizing social, cultural or political issues, employers should beware the distinct concerns and increased risk in flashpoints investigations compared to routine workplace probes, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • 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.