Can a public school require students to engage with materials that conflict with their parents’ religious beliefs without offering an opt-out? In Mahmoud v. Taylor, the U.S. Supreme Court enjoined the Montgomery County public...more
7/1/2025
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Educational Institutions ,
First Amendment ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
LGBTQ ,
Mahmoud v Taylor ,
Notice Requirements ,
Opt-In ,
Opt-Outs ,
Parental Rights ,
Public Schools ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
SCOTUS
Must a student with a disability prove that their school acted in “bad faith” to win a discrimination case? Until now, courts in some parts of the country said yes, requiring disabled students to meet a higher standard than...more
6/16/2025
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Bad Faith ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Evidentiary Standards ,
OCR ,
Public Schools ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
SCOTUS ,
Special Education ,
Students ,
Title II
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating against any individual based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. But does that protection apply equally to white, male, or...more
On March 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order (“EO”) titled “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities,” directing the Secretary of Education to undertake all...more
3/24/2025
/ Charter Schools ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Department of Education ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Educational Institutions ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Funding ,
Federal Grants ,
IDEA ,
Public Schools ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Students ,
Title I ,
Trump Administration
Can parents legally agree to financially protect third parties from claims arising from their children’s injuries? In MK v. Auburnfly, LLC, (No. 364577, 2024 WL 5148278, Dec. 17, 2024), a published opinion, the Michigan Court...more
1/3/2025
/ Appeals ,
Bodily Injury ,
Contract Terms ,
Hold Harmless ,
Indemnification ,
Minors ,
Negligence ,
Premises Liability ,
Public Policy ,
Third-Party ,
Third-Party Liability ,
Unenforceable Contract Terms ,
Void and Unenforceable
Can employers force workers to sit through a meeting where its (critical) views of unionization are presented to dissuade them from joining a union? On November 13, 2024, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) ruled that...more
On July 31, 2024, the Michigan Supreme Court revived two 2018 voter-initiated laws aimed at increasing the state’s minimum wage and expanding earned sick time for workers. ...more
Can a student harassed by another student bring a lawsuit against the school for allegedly creating a hostile environment under state law? On July 29, 2024, the Michigan Supreme Court answered no....more
On August 1, 2024, the National Labor Relations Board is set to roll out its Fair Choice-Employee Voice Rule, which includes three major changes...more
In Michigan, various state employment laws prohibit employers from retaliating against employees. But can an employee pursue a public policy retaliation claim against the employer in addition to a statutory retaliation claim?...more
7/24/2024
/ Asbestos ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
MI Supreme Court ,
OSHA ,
Public Policy ,
Retaliation ,
Staffing Agencies ,
State OSHA Laws ,
Statutory Violations ,
Wrongful Termination
The Michigan Constitution allows voters to initiate ballot measures to change or propose new laws. These citizen initiatives are made outside of the Legislature, enabling ordinary voters to create policy through the ballot. ...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has ruled that the waiver of a State's immunity under Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is unconstitutional. This ruling permits a State to defend a Title V...more
On May 22, 2024, a group of national business associations filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) from implementing its new Final Rule on overtime. As we noted in our prior alert, the new rule...more
5/29/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Final Rules ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Minimum Salary ,
Over-Time ,
Salaried Employees ,
Threshold Requirements ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
“Third party” or “associational” retaliation is reprisal taken by an employer against someone other than the person who engaged in “protected conduct.” In 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Title VII’s anti-retaliation...more
5/14/2024
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Appeals ,
Employment Litigation ,
Hiring & Firing ,
MI Supreme Court ,
Protected Activity ,
Retaliation ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Termination ,
Third-Party ,
Third-Party Relationships
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently held that an employer’s proposal and adherence to proposals could in itself be deemed to be unlawful bad faith bargaining. District Hospital Partners, 375 NLRB No. 55...more
On April 19, 2024, the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“DOE”) issued its long-awaited and lengthy Final Title IX regulations (the “2024 Final Rule”). The 2024 Final Rule requires that all...more
Federal law prohibits employers from relying on certain protected statuses (race, color, religion, sex, or national origin) when making employment decisions. Lower courts have required employees suing employers to point to a...more
4/23/2024
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Employee Transfers ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Lateral Transfers ,
Muldrow v City of St Louis ,
SCOTUS ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Title VII
When has a party waived its contractual right to arbitrate? Until recently, most federal Courts of Appeal—including the Sixth Circuit— held that a party who participates in litigation (e.g., by serving and responding to...more
On Friday, March 8, 2024, the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Texas entered an order that struck down the National Labor Relations Board's recently adopted 2023 regulations defining joint employer...more
Michigan’s new Prevailing Wage for State Projects Act (the “Act”) became effective on February 13, 2024, and is substantially similar to a prior statutory prevailing wage requirement which was repealed in 2018. ...more
Effective January 22, 2024, Michigan’s law on compulsory arbitration of public labor disputes will be officially amended to include police officers employed by higher education institutions....more
Can a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) limit the authority of a labor arbitrator to determine the appropriateness of a disciplinary punishment? It can, but only when the CBA clearly says so, reiterated the Michigan Court...more
1/4/2024
/ Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Awards ,
Arbitrators ,
Code of Conduct ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Contract Terms ,
Disciplinary Proceedings ,
Employment Litigation ,
Just Cause ,
Reinstatement
On December 5, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that emeritus status does not necessarily create a constitutionally protected property interest. Peterson v Johnson, _F.4th_, 2023 WL 8431635 (for...more
12/7/2023
/ Bylaws ,
Corporate Governance ,
Due Process ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employment Litigation ,
Grievance Process ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Professors ,
School Policies ,
Teachers ,
Universities
On November 22, 2023, Michigan Governor Gretchen E. Whitmer signed into law two bills (SB 395 & SB 396) reforming the teacher and school administrator evaluation processes at K-12 schools. The new legislation introduces...more
On November 15, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a decision that underscores the importance of ensuring proper steps are taken when Title IX complaints are first received by a school for sexual...more