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Employment Discrimination Hostile Environment

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

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

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

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

BakerHostetler

Trump Administration Releases New Guidance on Unlawful DEI

BakerHostetler on

On July 30, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a new memorandum from Attorney General Pam Bondi that provides further guidance on what DEI practices the Trump Administration considers unlawful discrimination. ...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Doing Nothing in Response to a Report of Sexual Harassment Could Cost You Millions – the LAPD Recently Learned the Hard Way

If an employee complains about a sexually suggestive picture circulating in the workplace that looks like her but is not, is that a hostile work environment complaint? It might be. In Lillian Carranza v. City of Los Angeles,...more

Whiteford

Employment Law Update: Federal Judge Rules Attorney Was Fired for Legitimate Workplace Behavior Concerns, not Due to Alleged...

Whiteford on

A recent decision from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington highlights the importance of clear, documented reasons for employee terminations. In Kang v. The Boeing Company, a case involving a former...more

Proskauer - California Employment Law

Employee’s Indirect Exposure To Harassing Conduct Supported $4 Million Verdict

Carranza v. City of Los Angeles, 111 Cal. App. 5th 388 (2025) - Lilian Carranza, an LAPD captain, learned that a photo of a topless woman who looked like but was not Carranza was circulating electronically among LAPD...more

Gould + Ratner LLP

Coldplay Gate: What if It Happened at Your Company?

Gould + Ratner LLP on

The internet lit up recently with viral footage from a “kiss cam” at a Coldplay concert in Boston, Massachusetts. The clip, now dubbed by some as “Coldplay Gate,” depicts the married CEO of Astronomer, Inc., having an...more

Robinson Bradshaw

EEOC Guidance Partially Vacated: What’s an Employer to Do?

Robinson Bradshaw on

Savvy employers read and implemented the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s 2024 Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace. Now, portions of that Guidance relating to LGBTQ+ employee rights are defunct....more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

What Do Recent DEI Training-Focused Federal Agency Guidance and Court Decisions Mean for Employers?

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

Two new technical-assistance documents jointly released by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) warn that common diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-training practices —...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Managing cross border sexual harassment investigations in Australia and Asia––10 key considerations for employers (Part 2)

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

In Part 2 of our series, we’ll look at who forms part of an investigation team, how location affects which laws apply to an investigation, notification and timing requirements. (Part 1 covers the definition of ‘workplace’...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Managing Cross-Border Sexual Harassment Investigations: Legal Insights and Practical Realities

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

In today’s global workplace, managing sexual harassment complaints is no longer a matter confined to a single jurisdiction. As companies expand across borders, their legal obligations become increasingly complex....more

Perkins Coie

Employers See Wins in Title VII Suits Over DEI Trainings

Perkins Coie on

Key Takeaways - - Employers have recently prevailed in several cases across the country in which plaintiffs attacked diversity training and other DEI-related initiatives in the workplace. Decisions have indicated that many...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Managing cross border sexual harassment investigations in Australia and Asia––10 key considerations for employers (Part 1)

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Seyfarth recently hosted a webinar entitled ‘Managing Cross-Border Sexual Harassment Investigations in Australia and Asia’, addressing the practical considerations that employers should be aware of when investigating...more

Lerch, Early & Brewer

What Employers Need to Know About the New EEOC Guidance Regarding DEI–Related Discrimination

Lerch, Early & Brewer on

On March 19, 2025, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the United States Justice Department jointly issued two technical assistance documents focused on educating the public about DEI-related...more

McAfee & Taft

When can an employer be liable for harassment happening outside of work?

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Generally, employers are not responsible for events involving their employees that happen after hours and away from work. But that is not always the case. In its April 2024 Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace,...more

Oppenheimer Investigations Group

Digital Danger: When Social Media Posts Can Trigger Workplace Investigations

Employers bear the responsibility of preventing and correcting harassment in the workplace. While the line between on and off duty conduct has never been crystal clear, in today’s hyper-connected world of social media, the...more

Holland & Hart - Employers' Lawyers

A Shoddy Investigation Is Not Retaliatory

When an employee complains of discrimination or harassment, companies often investigate the matter. Doing so allows a company to address alleged improper behavior and it may allow the company to avoid potential liability –...more

Mandelbaum Barrett PC

Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni: Hollywood’s Legal Battle — A Landmark Employment Law Case

Mandelbaum Barrett PC on

A high-profile legal dispute is unfolding between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni over workplace misconduct allegations tied to their 2024 film It Ends With Us. This case, filed in the United States District Court for...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

Lowering the Legal Standard for Establishing Workplace Harassment Claims

Amundsen Davis LLC on

In the wake the U.S. Supreme Court’s April 2024 decision in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, some federal courts feel compelled or justified applying the same rationale to lower the standard to prove up workplace harassment...more

Zuckerman Spaeder LLP

What Is Illegal DEI? Employers and Workers Are Still Looking for Answers

Zuckerman Spaeder LLP on

Five years ago, companies were eager to adopt diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Now, the pendulum has swung in the other direction. DEI programs are under attack, and employers are trying to figure out what...more

Mayer Brown

DOJ and EEOC Issue Guidance Regarding “Unlawful DEI-Related Discrimination”

Mayer Brown on

On March 19, 2025, the US Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) issued a joint press release announcing two technical assistance documents addressing diversity, equity, and...more

Proskauer - California Employment Law

March 2025 California Employment Law Notes

We invite you to review our newly-posted, March 2025 California Employment Law Notes, a comprehensive review of the latest and most significant developments in California employment law....more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Workplace Investigations – One Size Does Not Fit All

Troutman Pepper Locke on

Over the last few years, employers have faced new and expanded obligations under state and federal employment laws relating to prohibition of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in the workplace. These changes stem...more

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