Hot Spots in Employment Law 2022
High at Work? Key Considerations for NYS Employers Regarding Legal Adult-Use Marijuana
DE Talk: Disability Education & Accessibility: Overcoming the Digital Divide
Illegal or ill-mannered? Title VII meets Ms. Manners
Williams Mullen's COVID-19 Comeback Plan: Conducting Reductions in Force Post COVID-19
Podcast: IP(DC): Drug Prices, Political Pressures & Patents
II-25 – Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Employers in 2018
I-21 – Sexual Harassment (Still), Political Tweeting, and Intersectional Discrimination
I-16 – Kneeling, Indefinite Leave, DC Updates, Non-Compete Consideration, and Pretty as a Protected Class
On March 12, 2025, the Ninth Circuit issued its decision in Kumar v. Koester, dismissing a constitutional challenge to a university’s anti-discrimination policy that added “caste” as a protected class. Effective January 1,...more
In the flurry of executive orders issued shortly after being sworn for a second term, President Donald Trump issued two executive orders and one presidential action dismantling all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)...more
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released a fact sheet that explains why employers need to be careful in using wearable technologies so they do not violate federal nondiscrimination laws. ...more
The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) has released new proposed regulations regarding employers’ use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making systems that would affirm that the use of such...more
We’ve been discussing the various implications of the current ‘return to work’ push. Another implication is layoff decisions and the potential for disparate impact on remote workers, who tend to disproportionally be women and...more
On January 25, 2024, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD – see Note 1) announced new draft guidelines titled “Guidelines on Harassment in the Workplace” (the “Draft Guidelines”). The Draft Guidelines are...more
A number of vendors are promoting artificial intelligence-based software for use in applicant screening and hiring. These tools promise to automate parts of the hiring process and to streamline the review of applicant...more
On September 29 the EEOC issued a press release declaring it filed “143 new employment discrimination lawsuits in fiscal year 2023, noting that is more than a 50% increase over fiscal year 2022 suit filings.” The release also...more
What is caste and caste discrimination? “Caste” or a “caste system” is a social hierarchy passed down through families and can dictate an individual’s permissible professions as well as aspects of their social life,...more
Q: I heard New York City is adding height and weight as protected categories. What does that mean for employers? ...more
On August 18, 2023, the Fifth Circuit overturned its longstanding precedent established in Dollis v. Rubin, 77 F.3d 777 (5th Cir. 1995). The new standard created in Hamilton v. Dallas County, case number 21-10133, allows for...more
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions college and university affirmative action decision last month, some employers are questioning the continuing legality of their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion...more
New York City is poised to become the largest city in the nation to ban discrimination on the basis of a person’s height or weight. Earlier this month, the New York City Council passed Bill INT 0209, new legislation that...more
On February 22, 2023, the Seattle City Council voted to amend the Seattle Municipal Code's prohibition on discrimination in the workplace to include a prohibition on caste discrimination. If signed by the mayor, this new law...more
In a recent opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reiterated the requirements that must be met for an employee to identify a similarly situated comparator for purposes of a Title VII claim. Gamble v. FCA...more
Here is what we cover in this issue of The Employment Law Reporter: •A federal court in New York has dismissed an employment discrimination lawsuit brought by a former employee of the City University of New York. ...more
Welcome to “Mining MSHA,” a regular series of posts focusing on mine safety fundamentals – but designed for both new and experienced mine safety professionals. This series will help safety professionals develop their MSHA...more
Is it discriminatory to discipline employees for wearing #BLM face masks? When does Supervisor Karen cross the line from rude into discrimination? And join us to count down the top eight things you should never, ever say in...more
Employers are struggling to determine how to respond to the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, which, while originating in China, has swiftly turned into a perceived international crisis, upending financial markets,...more
Did you know that employers can be sued in Michigan for height discrimination? Or that in Maine, starting in 2021, employees can take paid time off for any reason at all? States and cities have followed California’s lead in...more
2019 Update - The #MeToo movement, which has grown international in scope, is a wide-ranging campaign to shed light on the occurrence of sexual assault and harassment, particularly in the workplace. The movement began in...more
• Amendments to the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL) lower the bar for employees and individual nonemployees pursuing discrimination and harassment claims. • In several respects, the amendments align the NYSHRL...more
In 2019, discrimination is rarely overt or deliberate. As a society we have come a long way from the ‘No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish’ signs of decades past. But conscious intent is not necessary for unlawful discrimination to...more
The New York City Commission on Human Rights (NYCCHR) released enforcement guidance on Monday, February 18, 2019, defining discrimination based on natural hair and hairstyles as a subset of race discrimination....more
In February 2019, the New York Commission on Human Rights (the “Commission”) issued guidance regarding employment discrimination based upon natural hair or hairstyles. ...more