The same unpaid leave that protects an employer in one case can create liability in another. TL;DR: Unpaid leave can be a lawful, reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when an employee truly cannot work. But after the Supreme Court’s Muldrow decision lowered the bar for…
Employers often worry that if they don’t run a picture-perfect investigation, a court will second-guess their decision. The Sixth Circuit just reminded everyone that the law doesn’t demand perfection; it demands reasonableness. And one employer’s measured, fact-based approach was enough to win. TL;DR: A truss manufacturer fired a production-line employee…
If you’ve ever wondered why the same few employees keep you up at night, Todd Stanton has a theory—and it’s both painfully accurate and refreshingly practical. Todd is the founder of Stanton Law and the author of The 95% Rule: 29 Employment Law Axioms for Owners, Execs, and HR. His…
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…
When an employee voluntarily resigns to work somewhere else, it may feel like fallout from a workplace conflict. But under Title VII, it isn’t punishment or “discipline.” TL;DR: A Philadelphia school employee who objected to a COVID-19 vaccination policy claimed religious discrimination after leaving for another teaching job. The Third…
Second chances just became a little stronger in Philadelphia. On October 8, 2025, the Mayor signed new amendments to the city’s Fair Chance Hiring law, Philadelphia’s version of “Ban the Box,” that tighten requirements for employers and expand rights for applicants with criminal records. TL;DR Philadelphia has amended its Fair…
An airline services company once thought a single scheduled break was enough time for a new mom to pump breast milk. The result? A federal lawsuit that is still headed to trial, and a reminder of what today’s PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act now makes crystal clear. TL;DR: A federal…
It’s the kind of line you say when you’re thinking out loud, not realizing that your thoughts are about to become Plaintiff’s Exhibit A. TL;DR: A First Circuit panel revived a federal postal employee’s Title VII sex-discrimination claim after her supervisor, while interviewing her for a promotion, remarked that…
A recent Fourth Circuit decision shows how strong documentation can make or break a retaliation case. TL;DR: An employee claimed that her employer retaliated after she raised race concerns. The Fourth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for the employer because contemporaneous records showed performance issues and leadership misalignment that began well before…
“Heads I win, tails you lose.” That’s how the Sixth Circuit described one hospital’s strategy after it tried to switch to arbitration only after losing some key early motions in court. The judges didn’t flip for it. TL;DR: A Michigan hospital tried to move a religious-discrimination case to arbitration only…