News & Analysis as of

Civil Rights Act Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Employer Liability Issues

Dickinson Wright

Sixth Circuit Raises Bar for Employer Liability for Customer Harassment of Employees

Dickinson Wright on

In Bivens v. ZEP, Inc., the Sixth Circuit held that an employer is not liable under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (Title VII), for harassment by a customer unless the employer intended the harassment...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Did the Employer Intend for the Customer to Harass Its Employee? The Sixth Circuit Sets a High Bar

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently held that an employer will be liable for a customer’s harassment of an employee only when it intends for such harassment to occur. ...more

Jaburg Wilk

When Is a Company Your Employer? Understanding the Integrated Enterprise Doctrine Under Title VII

Jaburg Wilk on

Filing a charge of employment discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) can be confusing when determining who the employer is. That’s especially true in a complex corporate environment, where...more

Benesch

Sixth Circuit Raises Standard for Employer Liability in Customer Harassment Cases

Benesch on

When is an employer liable for the harassment of an employee by a non-employee? The Sixth Circuit answered this question on Friday in Bivens v. Zep, Inc., holding that Title VII imposes liability for customer (or other...more

Conn Maciel Carey LLP

Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services: What the Supreme Court’s Unanimous Ruling Means for Employers and DEI Policies

Conn Maciel Carey LLP on

Reshaping the litigation landscape for workplace discrimination claims, last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Ames v. Ohio Dept. of Youth Servs., 145 S. Ct. 1540 (June 5, 2025), that plaintiffs bringing so-called...more

Berkshire

Private Plaintiff Attorneys Step Up in Title VII Disparate Impact Cases

Berkshire on

After the White House announced that it would “deprioritize” disparate impact cases, many employers may have mistakenly concluded that disparate impact liability was no longer a concern under Title VII. However, recent...more

Venable LLP

New Trump Executive Order Dismantles Disparate Impact Liability

Venable LLP on

On April 23, President Trump issued an executive order, "Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy" (EO), intending to abolish a longstanding liability theory for workplace discrimination claims. Emphasizing the need...more

Hinckley Allen

Trump’s Latest Executive Order Addressing Discrimination Claims: What Does This Mean for Disparate Impact Liability?

Hinckley Allen on

On April 23, 2025, President Trump issued his executive order, Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy (“EO”).  The EO’s stated purpose is “to eliminate the use of disparate-impact liability in all contexts to the...more

Lathrop GPM

Federal Agencies Issue Guidance Identifying DEI Policies and Practices That May Be Unlawful

Lathrop GPM on

Last month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) issued guidance that aims to educate the public about conduct and programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Navigating DEI in a Shifting Legal Landscape

Troutman Pepper Locke on

Workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs face more scrutiny than ever in light of President Trump’s recent executive orders regarding DEI policies and programs across the public and private sectors, recent...more

Holland & Knight LLP

How to Run a Legally Compliant DEI Program

Holland & Knight LLP on

The Trump Administration's focus on ending "illegal DEI discrimination" was recently operationalized by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in guidance released on...more

Benesch

Recent Guidance from the EEOC Targets DEI. So How Should Employers React?

Benesch on

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) and the Department of Justice (“DOJ”), two federal agencies responsible for policing discrimination in the workplace, recently issued informal guidance outlining what could...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Federal Agencies Release Much-Anticipated Guidance on DEI in the Workplace

Bowditch & Dewey on

On March 19, 2025, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) and the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued joint guidance highlighting workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) practices that may...more

Conn Kavanaugh

A Guide for Massachusetts Employers Concerning Executive Order 14173, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based...

Conn Kavanaugh on

The federal government does not have legal authority to prohibit private-sector businesses from engaging in lawful Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility practices, or mandate their removal. On January 21, 2025,...more

Brooks Pierce

DOJ and EEOC Issue Statements on Administration’s Interpretation of "Illegal DEI"

Brooks Pierce on

On March 19, 2025, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued two technical assistance documents that illuminate how these federal agencies will define "illegal...more

BakerHostetler

Trump Administration Issues Guidance on ‘Unlawful DEI-Related Discrimination’ in the Workplace

BakerHostetler on

In a follow-up to our previously published article concerning what steps employers should take in the wake of President Donald Trump’s efforts to end illegal DEI discrimination, we note that the federal government has since...more

Fisher Phillips

SCOTUS Predictions: Court Will Make It Easier for Majority-Group Plaintiffs to Assert Title VII Claims, No More “Reverse”...

Fisher Phillips on

The Supreme Court is likely to soon rule that majority-group plaintiffs must meet the same pre-trial evidentiary burden applicable to minority-group plaintiffs – and nothing more – in workplace discrimination claims under...more

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...

EEOC Sues Taco Bell Franchisees for Sexual Harassment and Retaliation

Federal Agency Alleges Fast Food Companies Created Hostile Work Environment for Female Workers, Including Teens, and Fired Manager When She Reported Misconduct - DETROIT – Six related entities operating Taco Bell...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Iowa Erases ‘Gender Identity’ from Its Civil Rights Law: Employers Still Obligated Under Federal Title VII

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

The Iowa Legislature passed a bill (Senate File 418) removing “gender identity” as a protected characteristic under the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The Act prohibits discrimination in employment, education, housing, credit, and...more

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

Recent Executive Orders’ Impact on the EEOC

Recent executive orders have caused the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to abandon litigation and guidance on LGBTQ+ protections and other areas that were priorities during the Biden administration....more

Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP

Executive Orders and deciding effective initiatives, or Trump 2 fast 2 furious

The first month of President Trump’s second administration began with a flurry of Executive Orders, many of which directly affect various employment related issues. While many of the new administration’s Executive Orders (EO)...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Vax On: Fourth Circuit Reinstates Plaintiff’s Religious Bias Suit in COVID Vaccine Mandate Case

On January 7, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed and remanded a district court’s dismissal of a plaintiff’s Title VII religious bias suit—holding the case was sufficient to survive a motion to...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

AI and Workplace Discrimination: What Employers Need to Know after the EEOC and DOL Rollbacks

Husch Blackwell LLP on

Recent developments in federal AI policy, including the effective recission of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Department of Labor (DOL) guidance on AI and workplace discrimination, have raised questions...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

What to Know About the War Being Waged Against DEI

Can you still have DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs? How about affirmative action plans? The Supreme Court’s June 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard garnered national attention in holding...more

Rumberger | Kirk

From Hamilton To Muldrow: Preparing HR For Title VII Claims Beyond The Firing Table

Rumberger | Kirk on

“The Hamilton decision highlights the need for employers to stay up to date on legal developments. In this one decision, the Fifth Circuit opened the door for claims that just one day earlier were not actionable. Reviewing...more

891 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 36

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide