The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed suit against Piedmont Cheerwine Bottling Co. for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) after it required an employee with multiple sclerosis (MS) to submit to a medical exam and a physical agility test to obtain medical information and then fired her after receiving the results. The employee was a store merchandiser at Cheerwine’s Read More

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has announced that Lyft has paid off the $19.4 million it owed to the state for misclassifying drivers as independent contractors. The dispute originated when Lyft drivers filed for unemployment and disability benefits, triggering an audit of the rideshare company’s records from 2014 to 2017 by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce (NJDOL). Based on the audit Read More

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently filed a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit in a North Carolina federal court against Smithfield Fresh Meats Corp. In its suit, the EEOC alleges that Smithfield violated the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it refused to accommodate a pregnant worker's medical restrictions and terminated her Read More

A federal court has certified a class action in the case of Does v. Musk, 2025 BL 291150, D. Md., No. 25-0462-TDC, 8/18/25. The case involves U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees who are part of a mass layoff directed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which plans to merge USAID with the U.S. State Department. The certification ensures that the USAID employees may pursue Read More

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials withdrew emergency use rules for some COVID-19 vaccinations and implemented stricter access rules for other COVID-19 vaccinations. The move has made employer coverage of COVID shots and other vaccinations far more complicated, even as a new wave of U.S. COVID infections has surged. Currently, U.S. residents are experiencing about 3.5 million new infections per week, Read More

An examination of Wells Fargo’s website reveals that the company has quietly removed all language related to diversity. The company previously had a DEI program page, but it has now rebranded the program as one of “inclusion and accessibility.” Earlier this year, Wells Fargo announced that hiring managers no longer had to consider diverse candidates for upper-level positions. In August, protestors targeted the Read More

In its August 2025 decision in Richards v. Eli Lilly & Co. et al., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has fundamentally altered how federal courts manage actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The ruling governs courts within the Seventh Circuit, including courts in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Increased rigor in the FLSA certification standard may save employers substantial Read More

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has confirmed its plans to eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), which governs and enforces federal contractor responsibilities. The DOL’s proposed 2026 budget allocates no funding or staff to OFCCP.  According to a DOL spokesperson, the DOL intends to reassign OFCCP’s duties under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act to the U.S. Equal Employment Read More

As part of the Workers’ Rights Enforcement Grant program established in 2023, the California Labor Commissioner’s Office has awarded $8.55 million in grants to 16 local prosecutors. The purpose of these grants is to help local governments enforce labor laws, including wage payment violations and other employment practices illegal under state law. Usage of these grants is likely to result in an increased number of Read More

A Texas federal district court has issued a ruling finding portions of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) enforcement guidance on harassment unlawful. More specifically, the Court held that the definition of “sex” in the guidance was too expansive insofar as it included sexual orientation or gender identity. The Court’s ruling has vacated those portions of the guidance Read More