LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION
Discrimination Legal News Articles & Interviews
Navigating Legal Challenges Faced by People With Cerebral Palsy
December 18, 2023. By LAS Staff Writer.
Santa Clara, CA Have you ever wondered about the legal challenges faced by individuals living with cerebral palsy? Understanding the legal landscape for individuals with cerebral palsy involves delving into various facets. Addressing discrimination in educational settings and ensuring access to appropriate resources are critical components of advocating for those with cerebral palsy. Additionally, exploring avenues for financial assistance, such as disability benefits and special needs trusts, is essential for long-term planning.
Read [ Navigating Legal Challenges Faced by People With Cerebral Palsy ]
Hernia Mesh Updates: Bard Trial and FDA’s Pros and Cons
July 25, 2023. By Jane Mundy.
Santa Clara, CA C.R. Bard’s request to replace the final two bellwether hernia mesh injury cases previously selected for trial, arguing that the claims are no longer representative of other claims pending in the litigation, were denied by U.S. District Judge Sargus. Bard’s reasoning is that plaintiffs’ injuries have worsened since filing their complaints: pain has advanced to severe injury.
Read [ Hernia Mesh Updates: Bard Trial and FDA’s Pros and Cons ]
Dell found Liable for Transgender Discrimination
June 22, 2022. By Jane Mundy.
New York, NY An arbitrator found that Dell Technologies discriminated against 61-year-old Cicilia Gilbert, a transgender employee by firing her during her gender transition, said Gilbert’s labor law attorney. According to Cicilia Gilbert’s lawsuit, the tech giant terminated her in the middle of her transition and a co-worker advised her not to come out of the closet.
Read [ Dell found Liable for Transgender Discrimination ]
Employment Discrimination based on Perceived Sexual Orientation
May 1, 2020. By Anne Wallace.
New York, NY Vincent White, a partner at White, Hilferty and Albanese, spoke recently with LAS about the thorny problem of employment discrimination based on an employer’s perception (or misperception) of an employee’s sexual orientation. The hardest problem, according to White, is that the discriminatory comment or action often happens behind closed doors, with no witnesses. “It’s an elevator situation,” said White. “The doors close; the offense happens; and the doors open with no one the wiser, except the employer and a very shocked employee.”
Read [ Employment Discrimination based on Perceived Sexual Orientation ]
PricewaterhouseCoopers to Settle Age Discrimination Lawsuit for $11.6 Million
March 12, 2020. By Anne Wallace.
San Francisco, CA On March 3, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (PwC) offered to settle a lawsuit brought under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and California labor law. The lawsuit claims the accounting giant systematically discriminated against job applicants older than 40. The settlement offer includes payment of $11.625 million and a promise to remedy discriminatory hiring practices in the future.
Read [ PricewaterhouseCoopers to Settle Age Discrimination Lawsuit for $11.6 Million ]
Discrimination Pervasive Despite California Labor Law
February 13, 2020. By Jane Mundy.
Sacramento, CA California has always been at the forefront of protecting individuals from workplace discrimination and employment laws. Despite the California labor law, within some groups, discrimination is pervasive.
Read [ Discrimination Pervasive Despite California Labor Law ]
Google’s Age Discrimination Settlement--Again
August 9, 2019. By Jane Mundy.
Sacramento, CA: Wisdom doesn’t necessarily come with age, at least not with Google. If it did, Google would have wizened up a decade ago, when the courts warned the Internet giant of its “systematic practice of discrimination" involving job applicants who were age 40 and over. Instead, it recently shelled out $11 million to settle a California age discrimination class action lawsuit.
Read [ Google’s Age Discrimination Settlement--Again ]
Women’s Soccer Team California Discrimination Lawsuits Trigger Athletics Fair Pay Act
July 19, 2019. By Jane Mundy.
Santa Clara, CA: On the heels of the U.S. women's soccer team victory and two ongoing California labor law discrimination lawsuits, two Democratic senators have introduced legislation that calls for equal pay for female Olympic and national team athletes.
The two lawsuits filed against U.S. Soccer are both California labor lawsuits for violation of the equal pay act and discrimination against the U.S. Soccer Federation: a federal class action was filed in March 2019 by 28 members of the women’s national team citing gender discrimination
Both California labor lawsuits accuse the U.S. Soccer Federation of violating the equal pay act and discrimination, and both were filed in California where the women are employed when they meet for national team camp. Goalie Hope Solo in August 2018 filed a lawsuit claiming that the men's team received $9 million for losing early in their 2014 World Cup bid, but the women's team got only $2 million for winning the 2015 tournament. This amount translates to women getting paid 38 cents for every dollar paid to men. As well, Solo said that in the Olympics, the women's first team is paid on the same level as the men's backup team.
This discrepancy over fair pay has persisted despite plaintiff’s team:
• winning its third World Cup title on July 5, 2015
• post-Cup Victory Tour, which drew tens of thousands of fans to soccer stadiums across the U.S. and made tens of millions of dollars for the Soccer Federation
• snagging four World Cups and four Olympic gold medals
• holding the top spot in world rankings for the sport for 10 of the last 11 years.
• generating $50.8 million in revenue while the men's national team generated $49.9 million from 2016 to 2018
And 23 million viewers made it the most watched soccer game in American TV history.
US Soccer told a California federal court in late June that the women’s national team negotiated and agreed to the pay scheme that is being challenged as discriminatory.
Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., introduced The Athletics Fair Pay Act, which would amend the US Code to require equal pay for men's and women's national athletic teams. "Despite the incredible advancements made by women in sports, female athletes in sports like soccer and hockey are paid significantly less than their male counterparts," Feinstein said in a statement and reported by CNN. This bill would update the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act to mandate that national governing bodies in each Olympic sport pay female athletes "fairly and equally," the senators said. The proposed act would also require governing bodies to provide Congress with annual pay reports detailing the compensation of their amateur athletes. The senators also noted that the U.S. women's national ice hockey team in 2017 threatened to boycott before USA Hockey caved and gave them a pay raise.
A California federal judge won't let the U.S. Soccer Federation transfer the women's national team lawsuit to the Northern District of California, saying the federation has already argued that district is an improper venue, according to Law360. (The women's national soccer team sued in the Central District of California in March.)
U.S. Soccer argued to move the case to the Northern District per the first-to-file rule, which holds that multiple suits involving the same parties and allegations take place in the district where the first such suit was filed, saying that Solo's suit came first.
U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner told the federation that arguments it made to the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) regarding combining the two lawsuits (Hope Solo and the women's team ) “fatally undermine its bid to move the latter suit to the Northern District, where Solo's lawsuit is ongoing. Judge Klausner wrote that if the two lawsuits are identical, as U.S. Soccer contends in the current motion, that same argument must apply to the team's lawsuit as well, and the first-to-file rule is not an absolute but a factor to be weighed with other considerations.
The women's national soccer team sued in the Central District of California in March. The judge wrote that the Central District has far more connections to the case, as the women's team plays and trains in the district and it's home to key witnesses. As well, he said that Solo's counsel has indicated she would move to transfer her case to the Central District.
TheSolo case is Solo v. U.S. Soccer Federation, case number 3:18-cv-05215, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Read [ Women’s Soccer Team California Discrimination Lawsuits Trigger Athletics Fair Pay Act ]
The two lawsuits filed against U.S. Soccer are both California labor lawsuits for violation of the equal pay act and discrimination against the U.S. Soccer Federation: a federal class action was filed in March 2019 by 28 members of the women’s national team citing gender discrimination
California Discrimination and Fair Pay Lawsuits
Both California labor lawsuits accuse the U.S. Soccer Federation of violating the equal pay act and discrimination, and both were filed in California where the women are employed when they meet for national team camp. Goalie Hope Solo in August 2018 filed a lawsuit claiming that the men's team received $9 million for losing early in their 2014 World Cup bid, but the women's team got only $2 million for winning the 2015 tournament. This amount translates to women getting paid 38 cents for every dollar paid to men. As well, Solo said that in the Olympics, the women's first team is paid on the same level as the men's backup team.
This discrepancy over fair pay has persisted despite plaintiff’s team:
• winning its third World Cup title on July 5, 2015
• post-Cup Victory Tour, which drew tens of thousands of fans to soccer stadiums across the U.S. and made tens of millions of dollars for the Soccer Federation
• snagging four World Cups and four Olympic gold medals
• holding the top spot in world rankings for the sport for 10 of the last 11 years.
• generating $50.8 million in revenue while the men's national team generated $49.9 million from 2016 to 2018
And 23 million viewers made it the most watched soccer game in American TV history.
US Soccer told a California federal court in late June that the women’s national team negotiated and agreed to the pay scheme that is being challenged as discriminatory.
The Athletics Fair Pay Act
Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., introduced The Athletics Fair Pay Act, which would amend the US Code to require equal pay for men's and women's national athletic teams. "Despite the incredible advancements made by women in sports, female athletes in sports like soccer and hockey are paid significantly less than their male counterparts," Feinstein said in a statement and reported by CNN. This bill would update the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act to mandate that national governing bodies in each Olympic sport pay female athletes "fairly and equally," the senators said. The proposed act would also require governing bodies to provide Congress with annual pay reports detailing the compensation of their amateur athletes. The senators also noted that the U.S. women's national ice hockey team in 2017 threatened to boycott before USA Hockey caved and gave them a pay raise.
California Discrimination and Fair Pay Lawsuit
A California federal judge won't let the U.S. Soccer Federation transfer the women's national team lawsuit to the Northern District of California, saying the federation has already argued that district is an improper venue, according to Law360. (The women's national soccer team sued in the Central District of California in March.)
U.S. Soccer argued to move the case to the Northern District per the first-to-file rule, which holds that multiple suits involving the same parties and allegations take place in the district where the first such suit was filed, saying that Solo's suit came first.
U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner told the federation that arguments it made to the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) regarding combining the two lawsuits (Hope Solo and the women's team ) “fatally undermine its bid to move the latter suit to the Northern District, where Solo's lawsuit is ongoing. Judge Klausner wrote that if the two lawsuits are identical, as U.S. Soccer contends in the current motion, that same argument must apply to the team's lawsuit as well, and the first-to-file rule is not an absolute but a factor to be weighed with other considerations.
The women's national soccer team sued in the Central District of California in March. The judge wrote that the Central District has far more connections to the case, as the women's team plays and trains in the district and it's home to key witnesses. As well, he said that Solo's counsel has indicated she would move to transfer her case to the Central District.
The
Hewlett-Packard Enterprises Named in Gender Pay Discrimination Lawsuit
January 7, 2019. By Anne Wallace.
Santa Clara, CA In late 2018, R. Ross and C. Rogus filed a class action California unpaid wages lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) that describes a pattern of gender-based pay discrimination. It’s hardly news, you think, that tech giants underpay women.
Read [ Hewlett-Packard Enterprises Named in Gender Pay Discrimination Lawsuit ]
The New Year Rings in New Sexual Harassment Rules, Mainly Triggered by #MeTooMovement
January 4, 2019. By Jane Mundy.
Sacramento, CA: The #MeTooMovement has resulted in a number of new laws with the goal to make it easier for employees to report sexual harassment and for employers to have a voice in investigations concerning this and other California labor law violations. Most of these laws took effect January 1, and employers would be wise to become familiar with them.
Read [ The New Year Rings in New Sexual Harassment Rules, Mainly Triggered by #MeTooMovement ]
- “Face of Channel 4 News” Fired -- Too Old to be Female on TV By Anne Wallace (Dec-13-18)
- Google Employee Tagged as “Too Old” May Yet Have the Last Word By Anne Wallace (Oct-23-18)
- Retail giant Target Settles California Labor Lawsuits over Cashier Seating for $9 million. By Jane Mundy (Aug-16-18)
- DePuy Hip’s Million Dollar Surgeons “Taking Share of Business” By Jane Mundy (Dec-24-17)
- Facebook Slapped with Disability and Age Discrimination Lawsuit with Whistleblower Allegation By Brenda Craig (Sep-27-17)
- Retaliation to be added to Tesla Inc. Workplace Racial Discrimination Suit By Brenda Craig (May-26-17)
- Contractor to US Government Cited for Equal Pay Violations, Settles for $1.2 Million By Gordon Gibb (Feb-25-17)
- California Workplace Discrimination Dinosaurs By Jane Mundy (Nov-6-16)
- Another Unarmed Black Man Shot and Killed by Police By Lucy Campbell (Sep-28-16)
- Gay Teacher Fails “Good Fit Test” at New York Private School By Brenda Craig (Sep-23-16)
- North Carolina’s “Bathroom Bill” Has Serious Implications for State Employment Law By The National Trial Lawyers (Apr-14-16)
- Who’s Hispanic? New Trial After White Applicant Receives $1.3 Million for Race Discrimination By The National Trial Lawyers (Mar-10-16)
- California Judge Certifies Discrimination Class Action Suit for Female Attorneys By The National Trial Lawyers (Dec-31-15)
- Parents of Autistic Children Sue Disney Park By Brenda Craig (Nov-20-15)
- Age Discrimination “Rampant” Says Attorney Lisa Maki By Brenda Craig (Nov-13-15)
- Boston Jury Awards $11M to Public Servant for Race Discrimination and Retaliation By The National Trial Lawyers (Oct-29-15)
- $4 Million Award in L.A. for Hispanic Boss Harassing Disabled White Coworker By The National Trial Lawyers (Aug-14-15)
- Female Mounties Allege Gender Harassment in Class-Action Hearing By Gordon Gibb (Jun-3-15)
- Age Discrimination Case Against Zillow Can Proceed By The National Trial Lawyers (Mar-13-15)
- Retaliation Remains the #1 Employment Law Claim By The National Trial Lawyers (Mar-5-15)
- A Tough Title IX Fight in Alabama for BHJ By Brenda Craig (Feb-23-15)
- The Case of Ms. Jane Doe and Title IX By Brenda Craig (Feb-19-15)
- Celebrity’s Nanny Sues for California Overtime – California Nanny Law Update By Jane Mundy (Oct-5-13)
- School Districts Are Not Liable for Money Damages from the Misidentification of Students As Disabled... By LAS Staff Writer (Sep-18-13)
- Gender Harassment in One of the World’s Most Respected Police Forces By Brenda Craig (Jun-25-13)
- New York Employers Face Employment Lawsuits By Heidi Turner (Nov-25-12)
- Overtime Bonus Lawsuits By Heidi Turner (Oct-7-12)
- 2000 Walmart Discrimination Cases Filed Across the US By Lucy Campbell (Jun-12-12)
- Publix Managers File Unpaid Overtime Class Action Lawsuit By Abi Kistler (Apr-27-12)
- College Discrimination: Supreme Court Weighs In—Again By Jane Mundy (Feb-25-12)
- Merck Shuts Down Propecia Website By Lucy Campbell (Feb-9-12)
- YAZ/Yasmin Increases Risk of Blood Clots by 75 Percent, Says FDA Study By Lucy Campbell (Oct-31-11)
- Lilly Pulls Sepsis Drug WorldWide By Lucy Campbell (Oct-25-11)
- Costco Discrimination Class Action Saved By Lucy Campbell (Sep-19-11)
- US Supreme Court Strikes Down Massive Wal-Mart Class Action By Gordon Gibb (Jun-20-11)
- Maryland Nonprofit Group Files Housing Lawsuit By Charles Benson (Nov-30-10)
- Philadelphia Bartender Sues Employer for Alleged Racial Discrimination By Charles Benson (Nov-17-10)
- Government Probe into Elder Abuse Reveals Wide Spread Fraud By Lucy Campbell (Oct-27-10)
- California Labor Law: "Working at Blockbusters Is Like a Bad Movie" By Jane Mundy (Sep-30-10)
- Employee of Texas-Based Chain Wins $8.1 Million By Gordon Gibb (Sep-10-10)