Discrimination
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July 22, 2024
TikTok Says Arbitration Pacts Doom Former Exec's Bias Suit
TikTok urged a New York federal court to toss a former marketing executive's suit accusing the company of putting her on a "kill list" of employees to push out because she was a woman nearing 50, saying she agreed to arbitrate any employment-related disputes with the company.
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July 22, 2024
Ex-DuPont Workers Settle Age Bias Suit Ahead Of Trial
DuPont has reached a settlement to avoid trial with two former employees who alleged they were fired and replaced by younger workers after a rigged investigation into allegedly hazardous workplace behavior.
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July 19, 2024
4 Lessons As 7th Circ. OKs Honeywell Firing Of DEI Protester
The Seventh Circuit recently held that Honeywell legally fired a white employee who opposed and then skipped mandatory training that was part of the company's diversity, equity and inclusion program, a ruling that employer-side attorneys say provides valuable insight into how companies should handle objectors. Here, Law360 looks at four lessons that can be gleaned from the appellate court's opinion.
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July 19, 2024
9th Circ. Calls Out Wash. AG's Paradox In Christian Charity Suit
Ninth Circuit judges said Friday that Washington state "wants it both ways" in a Christian nonprofit's case over an antidiscrimination law, with the attorney general arguing that there's no credible enforcement threat to substantiate the suit's filing while also stopping short of pledging that the state won't pursue a case against the organization.
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July 19, 2024
3rd Circ. Reverses Court on 90-Day EEOC Clock Ruling
The Third Circuit has revived a New Jersey state employee's sex harassment lawsuit against her employer, finding that a lower court incorrectly calculated when the 90-day clock for her to file suit started after her attorney learned the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission would not pursue her claim.
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July 19, 2024
NFL Antitrust Verdict, WWE Chair Woes Define 2024's 1st Half
The first half of 2024 saw bombshell allegations and yearslong litigation lurching forward, highlighted by the shocking lawsuit accusing the founder of WWE of horrific sexual conduct, an iconic magazine almost shuttering and two NFL cases reaching significant milestones.
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July 19, 2024
US Chess Tolerates Human Trafficking, Champion Claims
The U.S. Chess Federation provides an arena for human trafficking and retaliated against a whistleblower who reported alleged sexual abuse, a two-time national champion claims in a lawsuit filed in New Jersey state court.
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July 19, 2024
Law Profs Throw Flag On NFL's 'Unconscionable' Arbitration
Allowing the NFL's arbitration system, with commissioner Roger Goodell as the arbitrator, to prevail in Brian Flores' discrimination dispute with the league is "unconscionable" and "egregious," a dozen law professors have told the Second Circuit in an amicus brief supporting the former Miami Dolphins head coach.
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July 19, 2024
Hanes Fired Remote Worker Over COVID Vax Refusal, Suit Says
A former Hanes employee brought a discrimination suit against the clothing company Friday, claiming he was fired after the employer refused to provide religious accommodations regarding its COVID-19 vaccine mandate despite his work-from-home status.
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July 19, 2024
Atlanta Strikes Deal To End Ex-Worker's Retaliation Suit
The city of Atlanta has reached a deal with its former immigrant affairs director to resolve her lawsuit alleging she was fired after blowing the whistle on failures in the city's immigrant outreach services, according to a filing in Georgia federal court.
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July 19, 2024
EEOC, Walmart Ink $75K Deal To End ADA Suit
Walmart will pay $75,000 to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging the retail giant fired a distribution center worker because she couldn't get a doctor's approval to work without restrictions, according to a filing Friday in North Carolina federal court.
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July 19, 2024
6th Circ. Rejects Teacher's Bid To Revive Retaliation Suit
The Sixth Circuit refused to reopen a substitute teacher's lawsuit alleging a Tennessee school district placed her under undue scrutiny because she complained about age discrimination, saying she failed to show administrators knew about her U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charges.
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July 19, 2024
Ex-Bronco Linebacker Sues NFL Over Denied THC Exemption
A former linebacker for the Denver Broncos is suing the team and the National Football League, alleging they're violating the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act by denying him an exemption to use synthetic THC to treat his disabilities.
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July 19, 2024
Right-Wing Policy Plans Would Defang Civil Rights Watchdogs
Project 2025, a prominent conservative organization's playbook for a potential incoming Republican administration, proposes drastically scaling back federal civil rights agencies' ability to enforce workplace antidiscrimination laws.
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July 19, 2024
Contractor, EEOC Settle Trans Worker Harassment Probe
A California-based contractor that works on sprinkler systems reached a deal to resolve a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation that found reasonable cause to believe the employer caused a transgender worker to quit by allowing him to be verbally and physically harassed.
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July 19, 2024
Amazon Fired Worker On Maternity Leave, Bias Suit Says
An Amazon warehouse worker said the company violated the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act by firing her two days before she was to return from maternity leave after she requested an extension based on her doctor's recommendation, according to her suit filed in Illinois federal court.
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July 19, 2024
Calif. Forecast: $5M Nurses Wage Deal Up For Approval
In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for the potential final approval of a $5 million deal to end a class action against a nurse staffing agency. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.
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July 19, 2024
DC Denied Sanctions Over Late Discovery In Age Bias Suit
A federal court rejected the District of Columbia's request that it punish a city employee for overdue responses to discovery requests made in her suit alleging she was sidelined because she's over 50, saying the city hadn't taken the proper steps before asking for the court's assistance.
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July 19, 2024
Rising Star: Jackson Lewis' Douglas J. Klein
Douglas J. Klein of Jackson Lewis PC has defended employers against class and collective actions, including federal court cases involving a "naked" class waiver at Insomnia Cookies and wage-and-hour claims against New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, earning him a spot among employment law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.
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July 19, 2024
NY Forecast: NLRB Injunction Bid Against Starbucks Resumes
A status conference is scheduled this week in the National Labor Relations Board's recently revived suit seeking an injunction barring Starbucks from violating federal labor law at stores across the country.
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July 18, 2024
Insults Fly As Attys Beef Over Ex-NFL Player's Sex Abuse Suit
Attorneys for an ex-NFL player and the former controller for his reptile shipping company accused each other of stonewalling, dishonesty and running up litigation costs at a hearing Thursday, where a Colorado state judge largely ignored the lawyers' "speeches" and urged them to confer more meaningfully.
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July 18, 2024
Worker, Biz Groups Clash On Proposed AI Rules In California
Worker advocates urged the California Civil Rights Council Thursday to "future-proof" its proposed regulations on the use of artificial intelligence tools in employment, while the state's chamber of commerce opposed what it reads as language "creating essentially a new type of discrimination claim."
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July 18, 2024
Florida Urges 11th Circ. To Allow Gender Law Despite Appeal
Florida officials have urged the Eleventh Circuit to immediately allow enforcement of a law restricting gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors and adults despite an appeal, saying that a lower court wrongly determined the law was discriminatory and that patients will be harmed if "life-altering" medical procedures are not outlawed.
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July 18, 2024
9th Circ. Revives Fired Doctor's COVID Vax Religious Bias Suit
The Ninth Circuit revived a doctor's claims that Washington State University failed to accommodate his religious beliefs when it fired him from his residency for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, ruling Thursday that U.S. Supreme Court precedent necessitates another look at his case.
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July 18, 2024
Ex-Seattle Port Police Chief Seeks Up To $20M In Firing Trial
The Port of Seattle's former police chief told a Washington state jury on Thursday that $14 million to $20 million from his former employer would be a "reasonable range" of damages for robbing him of his law enforcement career as punishment for complaining about unfairness in workplace misconduct investigations.
Expert Analysis
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Fostering Employee Retention Amid Shaky DEI Landscape
Ongoing challenges to the legality of corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs are complicating efforts to use DEI as an employee retention tool, but with the right strategic approach employers can continue to recruit and retain diverse talent — even after the FTC’s ban on noncompetes, says Ally Coll at the Purple Method.
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Justices' Title VII Ruling Requires Greater Employer Vigilance
The U.S. Supreme Court���s recent Muldrow v. St. Louis ruling expands the types of employment decisions that can be challenged under Title VII, so employers will need to carefully review decisions that affect a term, condition or privilege of employment, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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6th Circ. Bias Ruling Shows Job Evaluations Are Key Defense
In Wehrly v. Allstate, the Sixth Circuit recently declined to revive a terminated employee’s federal and state religious discrimination and retaliation claims, illustrating that an employer’s strongest defense in such cases is a documented employment evaluation history that justifies an adverse action, says Michael Luchsinger at Segal Mccambridge.
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Navigating Harassment Complaints From Trans Employees
The Eleventh Circuit's recent decision in Copeland v. Georgia Department of Corrections, concerning the harassment of a transgender employee, should serve as a cautionary tale for employers, but there are steps that companies can take to create a more inclusive workplace and mitigate the risks of claims from transgender and nonbinary employees, say Patricia Konopka and Ann Thomas at Stinson.
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Employer Considerations Before Title IX Rule Goes Into Effect
While the U.S. Department of Education's final rule on Title IX is currently published as an unofficial version, institutions and counsel should take immediate action to ensure they are prepared for the new requirements, including protections for LGBTQ+ and pregnant students and employees, before it takes effect in August, say Jeffrey Weimer and Cori Smith at Reed Smith.
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5 Employer Actions Now Risky After Justices' Title VII Ruling
Last week in Muldrow v. St. Louis, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that harm didn't have to be significant to be considered discriminatory under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, making five common employer actions vulnerable to litigation, say Kellee Kruse and Briana Scholar at The Employment Law Group.
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Breaking Down EEOC's Final Rule To Implement The PWFA
Attorneys at Littler highlight some of the key provisions of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's final rule and interpretive guidance implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which is expected to be effective June 18, and departures from the proposed rule issued in August 2023.
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How To Prepare As Employee Data Reporting Deadlines Near
As filing deadlines approach, government contractors and private companies alike should familiarize themselves with recent changes to federal and California employee data reporting requirements and think strategically about registration of affirmative action plans to minimize the risk of being audited, say Christopher Durham and Zev Grumet-Morris at Duane Morris.
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Address Complainants Before They Become Whistleblowers
A New York federal court's dismissal of a whistleblower retaliation claim against HSBC Securities last month indicates that ignored complaints to management combined with financial incentives from regulators create the perfect conditions for a concerned and disgruntled employee to make the jump to federal whistleblower, say attorneys at Cooley.
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Why Corporate DEI Challenges Increasingly Cite Section 1981
As legal challenges to corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives increase in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on race-conscious college admissions last year, Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act is supplanting Title VII as conservative activist groups' weapon of choice, say Mike Delikat and Tierra Piens at Orrick.
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Inside OMB's Update On Race And Ethnicity Data Collection
The Office of Management and Budget's new guidelines for agency collection of data on race and ethnicity reflect societal changes and the concerns of certain demographics, but implementation may be significantly burdensome for agencies and employers, say Joanna Colosimo and Bill Osterndorf at DCI Consulting.
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New Wash. Laws Employers Should Pay Attention To
The Washington Legislature ended its session last month after passing substantial laws that should prompt employers to spring into action — including a broadened equal pay law to cover classes beyond gender, narrowed sick leave payment requirements for construction workers and protections for grocery workers after a merger, say Hannah Ard and Alayna Piwonski at Lane Powell.
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The Shifting Landscape Of Physician Disciplinary Proceedings
Though hospitals have historically been able to terminate doctors' medical staff privileges without fear of court interference, recent case law has demonstrated that the tides are turning, especially when there is evidence of unlawful motivations, say Dylan Newton and Michael Horn at Archer & Greiner.