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Discrimination / Harassment

Age-discrimination firing costs company $103 million

01/05/2026
In what is believed to be the largest jury verdict ever for age discrimination, insurer Liberty Mutual was slammed with a $103 million verdict for firing an older worker returning from medical leave and replacing her with a 20-something new hire.

EEOC chair deploys X to invite complaints

01/05/2026
In an unprecedented move, EEOC chair Andrea Lucas has taken to social media site X to solicit current or former employees to file complaints against their employers.

EEOC settles claim foreign workers treated better than American workers

01/05/2026
The EEOC has recently made it clear that an enforcement priority going forward is protecting American workers from discrimination in favor of foreign workers. The agency updated its webpage portal for national-origin discrimination and provided a one-page information sheet directed at American workers who think they may have experienced national-origin discrimination.

EEOC files class action on behalf of recovering addicts

12/22/2025
In a new class-action lawsuit, the EEOC claims that a blanket rule against hiring applicants who take prescription medication to treat illegal drug addiction violates the ADA. While the ADA fails to protect current users of illegal drugs, it protects those in recovery.

EEOC expected to revise Pregnant Workers Fairness Act regulations

12/22/2025
If you’re struggling with administering reasonable accommodations under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, help may be on the way. It looks like the EEOC may soon be revising the first set of regulations the agency approved during the Biden administration.

Court confirms not every invitation is harassment

12/15/2025
Strict harassment rules are an employer’s prerogative, even if they go far beyond what Title VII requires. Fortunately, there’s a new legal decision that offers guidance on how far employers should go and what does not amount to sexual harassment.

Doing the right thing nets HR director big payday

12/15/2025
Federal laws like Title VII protect HR professionals from retaliation for bringing discrimination and harassment to light, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has a long history of vigorous enforcement of retaliation protections. A recent EEOC settlement makes that clear.

After the SHRM verdict, 5 lessons for employers

12/15/2025
A Colorado jury awarded $11.5 million to a former Society for Human Resource Management employee on race-discrimination and retaliation claims. Employers do not need to take a side to learn from what happened. The themes in this case surface in workplaces of every size.

Worried about possible pay inequity? Here’s what to do

12/08/2025
Employers who want to fix the problem may choose to look for inequity and then equalize pay. There is a right way and a wrong way to do this. Here are the crucial steps.

Another state passes CROWN natural hair discrimination law

12/08/2025
The CROWN Act movement has won another state supporter. Pennsylvania just became the 28th state to pass a version of the model legislation, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.