Employers are more frequently relying on the use of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) tools to automate employment decision-making, such as software that can review resumes and “chatbots” that interview and screen job...more
On April 19, 2022, a California Appeals Court reversed and remanded a trial court’s grant of summary judgment in an employer’s favor, concluding there was a triable issue of material fact regarding whether a defendant had...more
On April 14, 2022, the Seventh Circuit affirmed the entry of summary judgment on claims under the Illinois Whistleblower Act and Illinois Jury Act, concluding that the plaintiff was not terminated for engaging in protected...more
4/19/2022
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Illinois ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statutory Violations ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
On January 6, 2022, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals held that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois erred in denying class certification to putative subclasses of unsuccessful Black job applicants...more
1/19/2022
/ Civil Rights Act ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Department of Corrections ,
Disparate Impact ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
FRCP 23(f) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Race Discrimination ,
Title VII ,
Workplace Exam Standards
On October 28, 2021, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) Chair Charlotte A. Burrows announced that the agency is launching an initiative to ensure that artificial intelligence (“AI”) used at all stages of the...more
As we previously reported, a new amendment to the Illinois Freedom to Work Act (820 ILCS § 90) regarding the use of non-competition and non-solicitation restrictive covenants for Illinois employees will take effect on January...more
11/15/2021
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Low-Wage Workers ,
New Amendments ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On August 13, 2021, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law an amendment to the Illinois Freedom to Work Act (820 ILCS § 90), which imposes restrictions on the use of non-competition and non-solicitation (employee and...more
8/19/2021
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Low-Wage Workers ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State Labor Laws
The Illinois Legislature recently passed a bipartisan bill, available here, that seeks to significantly amend the Illinois Freedom to Work Act (820 ILCS § 90) and impose restrictions on the use of non-competition and...more
Employers have increasingly embraced artificial intelligence (“AI”) in the workplace, using the technology to maximize efficiency in nearly every aspect of the employment relationship including hiring, performance management,...more
On March 23, 2021, Illinois Governor Pritzker signed into law SB1480. As discussed below, the law makes significant changes to the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA), the Illinois Equal Pay Act (IEPA) and the Illinois Business...more
3/24/2021
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
EEO-1 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Equal Pay ,
Governor Pritzker ,
Hiring & Firing ,
New Legislation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies
Two bills were recently introduced in the Illinois legislature that seek to limit or preclude the use of restrictive covenants for Illinois employers. ...more
On April 22, 2020, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, with the backing of several Aldermen, introduced the COVID-19 Anti-Retaliation Ordinance (the “Ordinance”), which, if enacted, would prohibit Chicago employers from retaliating...more
4/29/2020
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
City Councils ,
Covered Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Local Ordinance ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Quarantine ,
Sick Employees ,
Statutory Penalties
On July 31, 2019, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law House Bill 834 (the “Bill”), which amends the Illinois Equal Pay Act of 2003 (“IEPA”) to prohibit employers from inquiring into a job applicant’s salary...more
Illinois will soon become the eleventh state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. On June 25, 2019, Governor Pritzker signed into effect House Bill 1438—the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (“CRTA”). The CRTA,...more
6/27/2019
/ Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Discipline ,
Drug Testing ,
Employment Policies ,
Exemptions ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Governor Pritzker ,
Hiring & Firing ,
New Legislation ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
Recreational Use ,
Right to Privacy ,
State Legislatures ,
Workplace Safety ,
Zero Tolerance Policies
On February 15, 2019, the Fifth Circuit affirmed the grant of summary judgment in favor of Andeavor Corporation f/k/a Tesoro Corporation on a SOX whistleblower claim, concluding that the plaintiff lacked an objectively...more
On January 23, 2019, the Seventh Circuit held that the ADEA’s prohibition of disparate impact discrimination do not extend to job applicants. Kleber v. CareFusion Corp., No. 17-cv-1206....more
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California recently dismissed a putative class action alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”), finding that the named plaintiff lacked standing to...more
10/30/2017
/ Article III ,
Background Checks ,
Class Action ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Dismissals ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Injury-in-Fact ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Spokeo v Robins ,
Standing ,
Statutory Rights ,
Subject Matter Jurisdiction
On Monday, March 20, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a Petition for Writ of Certiorari in Verble v. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC. (No. 16-946), thereby declining an opportunity to resolve a conflict amongst circuit...more
On August 26, 2015, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted summary judgment on a whistleblower retaliation claim under Section 806 of SOX, holding that Plaintiff Ivor Hill failed to establish a...more
The Eastern District of Pennsylvania recently ruled that an employee’s SOX whistleblower retaliation claim failed as a matter of law because no causal connection existed between his complaints and termination and the employer...more