Search
The Employer Handbook BlogCourt Nixes Elective Abortion Accommodation Mandate—but Discriminate At Your Own Risk
The PWFA was designed to support pregnant workers.
But when the EEOC included abortion in the mix, a federal court hit pause. Continue reading
Articles Posted in Discrimination and Unlawful Harassment
When Your Emails Make the Case… for the Other Side
Flamethrower messages torpedo an ADA claim in this no-nonsense ruling from a federal appellate court. Continue reading
So You’ve Gotta File an EEO-1 Report. Now What?
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 a legal obligation to get this right—and soon. Continue reading
Federal Judge Halts EEOC’s Attempt to Mandate Gender Identity Protections
A Texas federal court has weighed in on how far the EEOC can go when interpreting Title VII.
Spoiler alert: it didn’t go well for the EEOC. Continue reading
Fired Over $15. Or Was It the HR Complaints?
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, the timing raised red flags.
The Second Circuit said a jury should decide whether she was fired for taking the $15—or for speaking up. Continue reading
Equal Pay, FLSA, and a $3.27M Verdict: Jury Sides with Fired Chief People Officer in Her Retaliation Case Against A Law Firm
You’d expect a company to listen when its Chief People Officer—especially one with nearly three decades of labor and employment law experience—raises concerns about compliance. Instead, this employer—a law firm—reassigned her shortly thereafter and fired her within the week of returning from bereavement leave. A jury just awarded her $3.27 million for retaliation.
Can a Judge Make Lawyers Attend “Religious Liberty Training”? This Court Said Nope.
A recent Fifth Circuit decision offers a pointed reminder to employers, litigators, and trial courts alike: enforcement authority has limits—even after a verdict. At the center of the controversy? A court-ordered “religious liberty training” imposed on a corporate defendant’s attorneys by a judge dissatisfied with how the company communicated a jury’s verdict. Here’s how that unfolded—and why the appellate court stepped in.
Continue reading
Trump’s EEOC nomination could break the deadlock—and reshape enforcement
After months of legal gridlock, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is about to get its quorum back—and a Republican majority with it. Continue reading
Hostile Work Environment Claims Don’t Need to Be Personal to Be Actionable
A Black lecturer in his 70s says a fellow professor in his department regularly made racially charged remarks—not necessarily directed at him, but about Black colleagues more broadly. A federal judge says that could be enough to support a hostile work environment claim under Title VII. Continue reading