How far can HR go to regulate employee messages on work uniforms? A new federal appeals court decision on a Black Lives Matter (BLM) controversy provides valuable guidance. The case began after employees at a Minnesota Home Depot displayed "BLM"…
Race Discrimination
How bad does a job action have to be to create a right to sue? Sometimes, the answer is easy. For example, if an employee is terminated or demoted for a bad reason, that clearly counts as an adverse employment…
A federal jury in Washington state has returned a $237.6 million verdict in favor of a Black employee who filed a racial bias suit. The verdict, which is subject to appeal, includes $198 million in punitive damages. Tahvio Gratton began…
The EEOC announced that an employer it targeted in a race bias suit will pay $1.25 million and take other significant steps to end the litigation. The defendant in the race bias suit was Asphalt Paving Systems, Inc., which is…
On July 3, Gov. Chris Sununu signed legislation making New Hampshire the 26th state to enact its version of the CROWN Act prohibiting natural hair discrimination in the workplace. As it pertains to employment, the state’s anti-discrimination law now prohibits…
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has secured an $8.7 million settlement in a case that alleged unlawful race discrimination by the major delivery company DHL. The agency initially brought suit against DHL in September of 2010. It filed the…
A Florida law that targets “wokeness” violates the free speech rights of employers, a federal appeals court has ruled. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit backed a lower court’s decision to block the law’s enforcement. At issue…
Proving unlawful race bias can be an uphill battle for employees. HR professionals can learn a lot from court decisions that say an employee's supposed evidence of race bias fell short – or really didn't show race bias at all.…
HR pros are put in a tough spot when an investigation shows that an employee who alleges race bias or other mistreatment might actually be the problem. On the one hand, discipline might be warranted if the investigation points a…
As an HR pro, you’ve probably accepted that letting employees go is tough – but it’s part of the job. And you’ve likely figured out strategies for handling termination meetings. But what if a supervisor goes rogue – and…
There’s a big difference between mistreating an employee and mistreating an employee for a reason that the law prohibits. In other words, there’s no law against just being a jerk. In a perfect world, there would be no mistreatment at…
For HR pros, it’s a long-standing principle that company documentation can make or break an employer in court. On one hand, solid documentation can protect employers from potential legal trouble. But on the other hand, paperwork mistakes (like these common…
Hooters of Louisiana, LLC has agreed to pay $650,000 to settle a race discrimination and retaliation suit, the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) announced. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, a Hooters location in Metairie subjected Black workers to a work…
The EEOC claims in a newly filed lawsuit that an Idaho employer responded to a bias allegation by telling the reporting employee to “be the bigger person” and then denying her a promotion. The target of the new suit is…
A recent lawsuit provides a case study on what NOT to do when handling employee complaints. How bad was it? A jury awarded an eight-figure payout to a fired worker. To avoid similar mistakes, download our Practical Tools guide on…
What’s solid evidence of race bias, and what’s not? In this lawsuit, a Black worker claimed that the use of the nickname “Sly,” together with other allegations he offered, showed illegal race bias in the workplace. A federal appeals court…
