The EEOC just refreshed its national origin educational materials. They focus on anti-American discrimination. But turn the examples around and you see an equally important point: pro-American favoritism can violate Title VII too. TL;DR: Title VII protects all national origin groups. The EEOC’s new guidance spotlights discrimination against Americans,…
When the agency that enforces the nation’s anti-discrimination laws ends up defending one of its own under Title VII, that is not just newsworthy. It is a lesson for every employer about how bias, inconsistency, and poor process can sneak into even the most compliance-minded workplaces. TL;DR: A federal judge…
Missing narcotics. A dazed nurse. Co-workers whispering. A trip to the ER. It sounds like the plot of a medical drama, but it was the real backdrop for a recent Seventh Circuit employment case. The outcome offers lessons for every employer, not just hospitals. TL;DR: A nurse fired after opioids…
A performance review ended with a professor out of a job, and the employer defending itself in court. The problem? Remarks about maternity leave, inconsistent flexibility, and suspicious timing after a discrimination complaint. The appellate court said a jury should hear the case. TL;DR: A finance professor at a…
You’ve trained your managers to avoid bias. But what happens when an employee tries to win a lawsuit by flipping that logic—stereotyping the employer instead? One California court just had a firm answer: Nope. TL;DR: A university employee sued for discrimination after not receiving a permanent promotion. The court…
Fired Over $15. Or Was It the HR Complaints? A laundromat worker reimbursed herself $15 from the register for a taxi fare—something she claimed was standard practice with a receipt. Three days later, she was fired. But because she had just complained about racial harassment, disability discrimination, and unpaid wages,…
Some employers think they’ve found a silver bullet: delegate the tough call to someone else and—boom—problem solved, liability dodged. But as the Ninth Circuit recently reminded us, an “independent” reviewer isn’t a shield if they’re just channeling someone else’s bias. TL;DR: The Ninth Circuit reinstated a discrimination claim after finding…
Yesterday, I received an email from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that literally took my breath away. The email contained a press release in which Andrea Lucas, Acting Chair of the EEOC, made it clear that the agency is cracking down on discrimination against American workers. Here is her…
Yesterday, I read a press release in the EEOC’s Virtual Newsroom announcing the resolution of a retaliation lawsuit. In my twenty-plus years of practicing employment law, I didn’t recall seeing retaliation claims quite like this one. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the general manager complained to the company’s Acting Chief…
In 2022, Florida passed The Individual Freedom Act. But most people know this law as the “Stop W.O.K.E. Act,” which stands for “Stop the Wrongs to our Kids and Employees.” Whatever we call it, the Act says employers cannot subject “any individual, as a condition of employment,” to “training, instruction,…