Mandalorian Actress Files Suit Against Disney For Wrongful Termination

Earlier this week, the former Mandalorian actress and MMA fighter Gina Carano filed suit in federal court against Disney, alleging that she was wrongfully terminated and the victim of gender discrimination due to her political posts on social media. The Complaint begins: “A short time ago in a galaxy not so far away, Defendants made it clear that only one orthodoxy in thought, speech, or action was acceptable in their empire, and that those who...
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Fifth Circuit: Discrimination More Than “Ultimate Employment Decisions”

Darrell VanDeusen
Darrell VanDeusen
08/28/2023
Since July 2, 1965, Title VII has made it illegal for an employer “to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his [or her] compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2(a)(1).   Nowhere does the law require that the discrimination be an...
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Former McDonald’s Employee’s Harassment Claim Fails

To prevail on a hostile work environment claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a plaintiff must typically show that there is unwelcome conduct that is based on the plaintiff’s protected characteristic, which is sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the plaintiff’s conditions of employment, and that the employment action is imputable to the employer.  When considering whether there is a hostile work environment, courts look...
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Don’t Refuse To Hire Someone Because Of Their Sex

Kollman & Saucier
Kollman & Saucier
05/03/2022
Better yet, don’t make employment decisions based on protected characteristics.  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in employment on account of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin, as well as retaliation by an employer against an individual who opposes or participates in a protected activity.  Disabilities are covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Age is covered by the Age Discrimination in...
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U.S. Women’s Soccer Team’s Equal Pay Lawsuit Resolved

Clifford Geiger
Clifford Geiger
02/23/2022
On February 22, 2022, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) players announced an agreement that resolved a pay discrimination lawsuit that has been pending since 2019.  The lawsuit alleged violations of the Equal Pay Act and Title VII because the USWNT players were paid less than their male counterparts, including receiving much smaller performance bonuses despite achieving greater on field success.  The...
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Court Allows Topless Teacher's Discrimination Claim to Proceed

A New York Court recently addressed a novel question: whether a female teacher who was fired after a semi-nude picture of her became available to her employer could assert a viable equal protection clause against the school district.  The plaintiff was a probationary middle school teacher in a public school.  She was terminated after the school district came into possession of a semi-nude picture of her.  The picture in question was a...
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“Paramour Preference” Is Not a Title VII Violation, says Ninth Circuit

When I lectured on sex discrimination and harassment to my law school students, I’d pose the following question:  “does the person who didn’t (consensually) date the boss and who then didn’t get promoted have a claim for discrimination or harassment?  No?  But what if I just never got the chance to date them?  I mean, I would have been willing to do so if I’d known that might help me advance or keep my job.”  While some students...
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Fourth Circuit Decision Protecting Transgender Student Rights Stands After Supreme Court Denies Review

On June 28, 2021, the Supreme Court denied the Gloucester County, Virginia School Board’s petition to review Gloucester Co. Sch'l Bd. v. Grimm, No. 20-1163.  The denial leaves a Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals’ s ruling intact, making it unlawful in this jurisdiction (South Carolina, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia) to prohibit students from using  bathroom facilities that align with their gender identity....
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Fourth Circuit Revives Same-Sex Harassment Claim

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals last week joined several other federal appellate courts when it rejected a narrow reading of Supreme Court precedent regarding same-sex harassment claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  Roberts v. Glenn Industrial Group, Inc., No. 19-1215 (4th Cir. May 21, 2021).  The Fourth Circuit covers Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. The case involves Glenn...
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Sex-Plus Age Claim Viable Under Title VII

In Frappied v. Affinity Gaming Black Hawk, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit became the first federal appeal s court to recognize that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964 permits “sex-plus age” claims.  The case arose from a lawsuit filed against a gaming company.  The eight female plaintiffs alleged the casino for which they worked discriminated against women over 40 years old, and they brought several claims, including...
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