Discrimination
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March 21, 2025
4 Employer Takeaways From Google's $28M Pay Bias Pact
A $28 million settlement in a suit accusing Google of violating California law by paying white and Asian workers better than some nonwhite colleagues should serve as a "wake-up call" for employers in the state, experts say. Here, experts who spoke to Law360 lay out four takeaways for employers.
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March 21, 2025
Calif. Forecast: Car Dealership Challenges NLRB Structure
In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for a ruling on a car dealership's attempt to halt National Labor Relations Board proceedings based on an argument that the board's structure is unconstitutional. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.
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March 21, 2025
Lilly, Christian Worker Settle Bias Suit Over Bible Verse Posts
Eli Lilly & Co. and a former sales representative told a New Jersey federal court Friday that they have resolved the ex-worker's religious bias suit alleging he was unlawfully fired after posting Bible verses to an internal message board that called homosexuality an "abomination."
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March 21, 2025
Teamsters Unit Wants Out Of Black UPS Worker's Bias Suit
A Black UPS employee's claims against a Teamsters unit should be tossed, the union told a Mississippi federal court, saying that he cannot show the union treated him unfairly and that it cannot be held responsible for interfering with his medical leave rights.
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March 20, 2025
Trump Rescinds Paul Weiss Order After Firm Strikes Deal
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he will rescind an executive order suspending security clearances held by Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP employees after the law firm agreed to not adopt DEI hiring practices and to provide $40 million worth of pro bono services to support administration initiatives.
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March 20, 2025
'Epic Self-Own': Lively Says Baldoni Libel Suit Hikes Damages
Blake Lively urged a New York federal judge on Thursday to toss Justin Baldoni's claims that she defamed him with sexual harassment allegations, saying the law prohibits such retaliatory libel suits and that he has committed an "epic self-own" that will put him on the hook for additional damages.
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March 20, 2025
CBS Nixes Bias Suit From Black Worker Fired Over Vacation
A New York appellate court tossed on Thursday a Black CBS worker's state law claims that she was fired for being late to work out of race and sex bias, finding the allegations too similar to claims tossed by a federal judge who faulted her for returning late from an unauthorized vacation.
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March 20, 2025
Mortgage Co. Denied Legal Fees In EEOC Suit
A Washington federal judge has rejected mortgage and financial services company Covius Services LLC's bid for attorney fees after it defeated an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission employment suit alleging that it unlawfully refused to hire a woman because she took pain medication, saying the mortgage company had not shown that the suit was ill-conceived.
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March 20, 2025
4th Circ. Skeptical Of Ex-Fire Captain's Free Speech Suit
A former Lynchburg, Virginia, fire captain faced an uphill battle Thursday to persuade a Fourth Circuit panel to revive his suit alleging he was unconstitutionally fired for social media posts that citizens called transphobic and racist, with one judge saying his posts created an "appalling situation."
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March 20, 2025
4th Circ. Seems Open To Reviving Pregnant Worker's Bias Suit
The Fourth Circuit seemed receptive Thursday to a former hospital worker's argument that she was unlawfully fired for a pregnancy-related disability, pondering whether the lower court had relied on an outdated interpretation of disability bias law when it tossed her case.
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March 20, 2025
5th Circ. Says Shell Worker's Religious Bias Suit Lacking
The Fifth Circuit upheld a Shell subsidiary's win over a former offshore worker's suit claiming he was unlawfully denied a religious exemption from the company's COVID-19 vaccination mandate, saying he hadn't alleged the type of adverse action required for a bias case.
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March 20, 2025
7th Circ. Backs Chicago Rail In Canine Officer's ADA Suit
The Seventh Circuit said Thursday it won't revive a Chicago rail officer's suit claiming he was removed from his canine handler role after testing positive for drugs he had been prescribed, faulting him for failing to respond to the agency's requests to clarify the results.
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March 20, 2025
Ex-Harvard Coach's Bias Suit Filed On Time, Judge Advises
Harvard University shouldn't escape a former ice hockey coach's suit alleging she was forced into retirement for complaining that she was treated differently from her male colleagues, a Massachusetts federal judge recommended, saying her claims were filed within the statutory time limits.
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March 20, 2025
Disciplined Cop's Age Bias Suit Gains Traction At 6th Circ.
A Sixth Circuit panel considering whether to reinstate a police officer's age discrimination suit over a disciplinary action appeared ready Thursday to lend some credence to an arbitrator's decision undermining the department's stated reason for the punishment.
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March 19, 2025
Ryan Reynolds Says Baldoni's Claims Are Just 'Hurt Feelings'
Ryan Reynolds has urged a New York federal court to throw out Justin Baldoni's defamation suit against him, arguing that the "It Ends With Us" actor-director's complaint is devoid of any legitimate allegations and merely stems from Baldoni's "hurt feelings" in his ongoing beef with Reynolds and Blake Lively.
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March 19, 2025
Judge Tells DOJ To Alert All Agencies Of Perkins Coie Ruling
A Washington, D.C., federal judge Wednesday directed the Trump administration to tell all federal agencies to rescind requests for disclosures about government and contractor relationships with Perkins Coie LLP, following an order last week blocking enforcement of the president's executive order against the Seattle-based law firm.
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March 19, 2025
Full 9th Circ. Quizzes BNSF On Reasons For Conductor Firing
The en banc Ninth Circuit hinted Wednesday it might stand by a panel's earlier ruling overturning BNSF Railway Co.'s win in an ex-conductor's retaliation suit, with several judges expressing skepticism the railway had shown he would've been fired for dishonesty and insubordination even if he hadn't refused to stop conducting a brake test.
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March 19, 2025
ACLU Says Biased AI Tech Boxed Out Deaf Intuit Applicant
Intuit and a human resources technology vendor violated federal and state law by turning away a deaf job applicant after interviewing her using artificial intelligence-based video technology that puts disabled and nonwhite applicants at a disadvantage, the American Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday.
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March 19, 2025
Judge Questions Standing In DEI Executive Orders Challenge
A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday questioned whether three civil rights nonprofits have standing to block the Trump administration's executive orders ending federal diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs and cutting off funding for groups focused on minority populations.
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March 19, 2025
EEOC, DOJ Advise Workers To Look Out For DEI-Based Bias
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission paired with the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday to issue guidance explaining how workers can recognize and report bias tied to diversity, equity and inclusion programs, part of the Trump administration's broader effort targeting the practices across public and private workplaces.
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March 19, 2025
Conn. Barber Says She Faced Anti-Polish Bias, Docked Pay
A former barber at a Greenwich, Connecticut, hair salon has taken her ex-employer to federal court for allegedly discriminating against her for being from Poland, failing to pay overtime, and docking her pay for "house charges" to cover amenities she was never given at work.
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March 19, 2025
Trans Worker Looks To Take Over Bias Case After EEOC's Exit
A transgender woman who claims she was harassed while working at a hog farm told an Illinois federal judge she wants to take over the lawsuit, after the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission dropped the case because the federal government stopped recognizing transgender individuals.
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March 19, 2025
Abortion Aspect Of PWFA Regs Halted For Christian Nonprofit
A Christian education foundation won't have to abide by U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations requiring workplace accommodations for workers who get abortions, a Missouri federal judge ordered, saying the organization is likely to succeed on its claims that the rule illegally infringes on its religious principles.
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March 19, 2025
EEOC Bid For Law Firm DEI Info On Shaky Ground, Attys Say
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent call for law firms to cough up a trove of information about their diversity, equity and inclusion programs lacks statutory authority and may contravene federal law, according to experts from both sides of the aisle.
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March 19, 2025
6th Circ. Says Ex-Steel Co. Manager's Conduct Justified Firing
The Sixth Circuit upheld a steel manufacturer's win in a former manager's suit claiming he was terminated for voicing concerns that white workers were being hired over more qualified Black candidates, saying he couldn't overcome the company's assertion that his abusive supervisory style cost him the job.
Expert Analysis
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Justices Mull Sex-Based Classification In Trans Law Case
After the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in U.S. v. Skrmetti this week, it appears that the fate of the Tennessee law at the center of the case — a law banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender adolescents — will hinge on whether the majority read the statute as imposing a sex-based classification, says Alexandra Crandall at Dickinson Wright.
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Pa. Ruling Highlights Challenges Of Employer Arb. Appeals
A Pennsylvania federal court's recent ruling in Welch Foods v. General Teamsters Local Union No. 397 demonstrates the inherent difficulties employers face when seeking relief from labor arbitration decisions through appeals in court — and underscores how employers are faced with often conflicting legal priorities, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.
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7 Ways To Prepare For An I-9 Audit Or Immigration Raid
Because immigration enforcement is likely to surge under the upcoming Trump administration, employers should take steps to ensure their staff is trained in employment eligibility verification requirements and what to do in the event of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement I-9 audit or workplace raid, say attorneys at Littler.
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California Supreme Court's Year In Review
Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.
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Disentangling Various Forms Of Workplace Discrimination
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.
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Key Requirements In New Maryland Pay Transparency Laws
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.
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Lessons From EEOC Case Of Fla. Worker Fired After Stillbirth
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.
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Advising Employers As AI Meets DEI And Discrimination
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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.
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A Look At The Hefty Demands In Calif. Employer AI Draft Regs
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.
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Federal Salary History Ban's Reach Is Limited
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.
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2nd Circ. Hostile Workplace Ruling Widens Arbitration Pitfalls
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.
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Title VII Compliance Lessons From Raytheon Age Bias Suit
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.
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How The Presidential Election Will Affect Workplace AI Regs
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.