Employers, take note: vague safety concerns and “we did our best” no longer cut it. A recent Third Circuit opinion revived a religious accommodation claim from a firefighter who wanted to keep his beard for faith-based reasons. Applying the Supreme Court’s Groff v. DeJoy standard, the court made it clear:…
It’s here. As of June 1, 2025, employers with operations or applicants in New Jersey must comply with the New Jersey Pay and Benefit Transparency Act. This new law requires upfront pay transparency in job postings and mandates internal notice of most promotions. It applies more broadly than you might…
Some jobs just require heavy lifting—literally. And courts aren’t about to tell employers to rewrite essential duties just because someone asks for an exception. TL;DR: An employee recovering from a disability asked to return to his old job, but he couldn’t meet the essential physical demands. The employer…
Some employees make life miserable for their coworkers. They gossip, sabotage, and bully—but that doesn’t always add up to a viable lawsuit. In fact, a recent federal appellate decision reminds us that even the ugliest workplace conduct isn’t unlawful unless it crosses a very specific legal line. TL;DR: Just…
A recent DOL enforcement action shows how routine rounding practices can spiral into serious legal exposure. This post breaks down one employer’s nearly $600,000 mistake—and explains what the FLSA really permits when it comes to rounding work time. TL;DR: A construction contractor just had to pay nearly $600,000 in…
The PWFA was designed to support pregnant workers. But when the EEOC included abortion in the mix, a federal court hit pause. TL;DR: A federal judge in Louisiana just struck down part of the EEOC’s new rules under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) that required employers to accommodate elective…
The Supreme Court appears ready to give the President what amounts to a blank check to fire a Senate-confirmed member of the National Labor Relations Board — no cause, no hearing, no due process. Just “You’re fired,” in an 11 p.m. email. TL;DR: On May 22, 2025, the Supreme Court…
Flamethrower messages torpedo an ADA claim in this no-nonsense ruling from a federal appellate court. TL;DR: An adjunct professor accused her college of ADA discrimination after it declined to renew her contract. But the Second Circuit quickly dismissed her claims—thanks in no small part to her own emails, which read like…
If you’ve been staring at the words “EEO-1 Component 1” and thinking they sound like a rejected Star Wars droid, you’re not alone. But if you’re an HR pro at a private company with 100+ employees (or a federal contractor with 50+ employees and a contract over $50,000), you’ve got…
This isn’t a story about a rogue employee—it’s about the person running the show. TL;DR: The EEOC has filed a Title VII lawsuit against the owner of a hospitality group in Hawaii, alleging he subjected teenage and adult female employees to years of sexual harassment—much of it in front…