News & Analysis as of

Employment Discrimination Employer Liability Issues

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

When is an employer liable for harassment by customers? You may be relieved.

When is an employer legally responsible for harassment of its employee by one of its customers? A recent court decision may be a relief for employers in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. Most courts ruling on the...more

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

Outsourcing Hiring Won’t Outsource Risk: Implications for Employers Using AI in Hiring

Recently, a federal court in the Northern District of California issued an important ruling in the closely followed Mobley v. Workday putative class action lawsuit alleging that Workday, a cloud-based software vendor...more

Vedder Price

Sixth Circuit Splits with EEOC and Other Circuits as to Employer Liability for Harassment by Non-Employees Under Title VII

Vedder Price on

In Bivens v. Zep, Inc., No. 24-2109 (6th Cir. Aug. 8, 2025), the Sixth Circuit split with the EEOC and most U.S. Courts of Appeals as to when an employer may be liable under Title VII for harassment by a non-agent (e.g.,...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

If You See Something, Do You Fix It If It Isn’t Your Employee? 6th Circuit Applies Higher Standard to Non-Employee Harassment Case

An employee tells you a customer just harassed them — what should you do? In Bivens v. Zep, Inc. the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals charts its own course in addressing employer liability for third-party harassment. The Equal...more

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

No Intent, No Liability: Sixth Circuit Narrows Employer Liability for Third-Party Harassment

Most employers understand their obligation to prevent discrimination and harassment at work, and the significant consequences that can come if such treatment is allowed to occur. But what if an employee alleges harassment not...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

NFL’s Arbitration Agreement Fumbles, Allowing Coach to Pursue Discrimination Claims in Court: Employment Law Lessons for Employers

Husch Blackwell LLP on

The National Football League (NFL) is in the spotlight this season, not because of any certain game on the field, but for a legal battle off it. Last week, the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that a NFL coach...more

Oppenheimer Investigations Group

Workplace Investigations in Litigation: Strategic Value for Both Plaintiffs and Defendants

Workplace investigations are generally conducted outside of a litigation context and involve complaints that are not ultimately litigated. However, inevitably some workplace disputes that are investigated do make it to...more

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

Fisher Phillips

Another Employer Faces AI Hiring Bias Lawsuit: 10 Actions You Can Take to Prevent AI Litigation

Fisher Phillips on

An unsuccessful job applicant is suing Sirius XM Radio in federal court, claiming the company’s AI-powered hiring tool discriminated against him based on his race. Filed on August 4 in the Eastern District of Michigan, the...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Sixth Circuit Takes Restricted View of Employer Liability for Third-Party Harassment

For years, both the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and multiple federal appellate circuits have agreed on the legal standard for proving liability for sexual or other harassment by a third party such as a vendor or...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

Phelps Dunbar

Sixth Circuit Redefines Employer Liability for Client-Based Harassment

Phelps Dunbar on

In an explicit departure from EEOC guidance and other federal court caselaw, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently held that an employer can only be liable for a client/customer’s harassment of its...more

FordHarrison

Sixth Circuit Requires Proof of Intent for Employers to be Liable for Harassment by a Nonemployee

FordHarrison on

On August 8, 2025, in Bivens v. Zep, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that employer liability for nonemployee harassment requires proof of the employer’s intent, a departure from the...more

Womble Bond Dickinson

DOJ’s DEI Directive: Navigating New Compliance Risks

Womble Bond Dickinson on

On July 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a memorandum to federal agencies titled “Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding Regarding Unlawful Discrimination”. The Guidance is intended to clarify how federal...more

Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC

Clarifying Standards for “Reverse” Discrimination, Coupled with Other Recent Changes (see Muldrow), could have Real Implications...

Did the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Ames v. Ohio Dept. of Youth Serv., 145 S.Ct. 1540 (2025), decided in June of this year, make it easier for employees to bring discrimination lawsuits against their employers? The...more

Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC

Understanding DEI Policies in the Workplace Today

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has been a hot topic. In 2023, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard, 600 U.S. 181 (2023), eliminating race as a factor for college...more

Mintz

Real Versus Robot: Biometric Vetting in Hiring

Mintz on

3 Our recent post (Real Versus Robot) focused on the risks inherent in the virtual world of accidentally hiring a bot and provided some tips for ensuring bad AI-actors don't end up working inside an organization. Today's WSJ...more

Holland & Hart LLP

California's New AI Employment Rules and the Workday Lawsuit: What HR Needs to Know

Holland & Hart LLP on

Starting October 1, 2025, California’s new regulations on Automated Decision Systems (ADS) will impose strict compliance obligations on employers using AI in hiring, promotions, evaluations, and other employment decisions....more

Perkins Coie

DOJ’s DEI Federal Fund Recipient Guidance Deserves Attention by Private Sector Employers

Perkins Coie on

Key Takeaways - - A recently released memo from the U.S. attorney general reminds employers of the current administration’s stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. - The guidance is explicitly directed at...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Massachusetts Makarevich: ‘Understandable’ Separation Agreement Language Aids Employer in Unpaid Wages Case

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

In Makarevich v. USI Ins. Services, LLC, a Massachusetts federal district court judge dismissed a former employee’s claims of discrimination and unpaid wages under the Massachusetts Wage Act, concluding that she had knowingly...more

Fisher Phillips

What PEOs Need to Know About the Current State of Workplace AI Regulation

Fisher Phillips on

As employers across the country embrace the use of artificial intelligence in their workplace activities, federal and state lawmakers are lining up to consider guardrails on common AI practices. From hiring to performance...more

Tucker Arensberg, P.C.

What Employers Need to Know After Supreme Court’s Reverse Discrimination Decision

On June 5, 2025, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, 145 S. Ct. 1540 (2025), making clear that an employee-plaintiff who is a member of a majority group cannot be held...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

DOJ Releases DEI Guidance

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

Attorney General Pam Bondi issued guidance dated July 29, 2025, to all federal agencies and recipients of federal funding, reiterating the Trump Administration’s January directive that all programs, policies, and activities —...more

Foster Garvey PC

2025 Legislative Developments Affecting Washington Employers

Foster Garvey PC on

Washington employers face a wave of new workplace legislation, some of which recently became effective and some that will begin in 2026 and beyond. These new or modified laws address a broad range of topics, many of which...more

2,035 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 82

"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