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Category: Congress

NLRB Delays Joint Employer Rule Effective Date in Response to Legal Challenges

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has postponed the effective date of its controversial new joint employer rule until February 26, 2024, two months later than the originally announced effective date of December 26, 2023. The Board said it is delaying the rule’s implementation “to facilitate resolution of legal challenges.” Two lawsuits have been filed to challenge the rule—one by...
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Category: Compensation

Recent Equal Pay Case Illustrates How Federal and State Law Outcomes Can Vary

A recent equal pay discrimination ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit serves as a reminder that a court can reach different outcomes depending on whether it is applying federal law or a more expansive state law. In Eisenhauer v. Culinary Institute of America, a female professor for the Culinary Institute of America sued under both New York...
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Category: ADA

Eleventh Circuit Rules Again That ADA Does Not Allow Claim by Former Employee

Ever since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted in 1990, federal appellate courts have disagreed as to whether a former employee may bring a discrimination claim under that law. In Stanley v. City of Sanford, Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently reaffirmed its position that the ADA does not permit such suits. Despite...
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Category: Litigation

U.S. Supreme Court To Hear Several Important Employment-Related Cases During Upcoming Term

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear several cases concerning employment law during its 2023-2024 term that opened at the beginning of October. While none of these cases is likely to generate the widespread attention received by last term’s college admissions affirmative action ruling, the impact on employers could be extensive. Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC), our affiliated nonprofit...
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Category: Discrimination and Harassment

DOJ Sues SpaceX Over Alleged Immigration Violations, SpaceX Sues Back

In a legal spat that is garnering widespread attention, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and rocket and satellite company SpaceX have sued each other over whether the company’s hiring practices violate U.S. immigration law. On August 23, DOJ filed an administrative lawsuit alleging that the company owned by entrepreneur Elon Musk violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by refusing...
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Category: DACA/DAPA

Federal Court Rules Once Again That DACA Is Unlawful, But Status Quo Remains

A federal trial court has ruled once again that the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is fatally flawed despite the Biden Administration’s efforts to codify it by issuing formal regulations. The solution for the DACA program’s deficiencies “lies with the legislature, not the executive or judicial branches,” the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas...
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Category: ADA

Fourth Circuit Affirms That Expanded Damages/Jury Trials Not Available for ADA Retaliation Claims

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has ruled that equitable relief is the only type of remedy available for retaliation claims brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). On August 16, 2023, the Fourth Circuit held in Israelitt v. Enterprise Services that the ADA’s anti-retaliation provisions do not provide for compensatory or punitive damages or a...
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Category: Discrimination and Harassment

California High Court Rules Third-Party Vendor Can Be Sued for Discrimination Under State Law

The Supreme Court of California has ruled that a third-party vendor performing job application screening services for an employer can be sued directly for discrimination under the state’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). The ruling in Raines v. U.S. Healthworks Medical Group aligns California law with the federal courts’ interpretation that Title VII and other federal antidiscrimination statutes extend...
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Category: Affirmative Action and Diversity

Fresh After Affirmative Action College Admissions Case Win, Plaintiffs Turn to Private Sector

Affirmative action opponents are following their successful Supreme Court challenge of the admissions policies of Harvard and the University of North Carolina by suing entities in the private sector for allegedly discriminatory race-based employment practices. The American Alliance for Equal Rights filed lawsuits against two major law firms, alleging race-based discrimination in their fellowship programs for summer interns. A separate...
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Category: Discrimination and Harassment

5th Circuit Rules Ultimate Employment Decision Not Required for Title VII Disparate Treatment Claim

The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has reversed its own precedent and ruled that an employee can allege a disparate treatment claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act even if the claim does not involve an ultimate employment decision such as termination, denial of a promotion, or the setting of pay. In reversing a...

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