Last week, a federal judge in Texas backed a challenge to a nationwide ban on noncompete agreements, which restrict employees from joining rival firms. The ruling came shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court expanded judicial authority to challenge federal agencies' rule-making power, affecting the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) proposed ban... Read More »
On Friday, Kansas' highest court permanently barred the state from enforcing a law that banned the most common second-trimester abortion procedure. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the ban violated the state constitution’s right to abortion, which the court had recognized in a 2019 decision. The 5-1 ruling by the... Read More »
A fired Uber driver’s class action suit that alleged his dismissal occurred because racial discrimination caused his low ratings on post-ride passenger surveys was dismissed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on June 24. The appellate court said the driver’s allegations were insufficient to support his claims because he... Read More »
Microsoft has agreed to pay $14.4 million to resolve allegations by the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) that the company penalized employees for taking legally protected forms of leave. The settlement follows a multi-year investigation into the tech giant's employment practices. The CRD accused Microsoft of retaliating against and discriminating... Read More »
In a one-of-a-kind lawsuit, a Parkland school shooting survivor has reached a civil settlement with the school shooter, granting the victim the rights to the shooter’s name, among other extraordinary awards. Anthony Borges was gunned down by his classmate, school shooter Nikolas Cruz, on Valentine's Day 2018 in Parkland, Florida’s... Read More »
Christopher Grimes was found guilty of the second-degree murder of Adrian Dawson in 2018 which took place after Grimes hit a parked car in the strip mall in which Dawson’s fiancée and child were sitting. The two men had an altercation that led to Dawson’s murder by gunshot when Grimes... Read More »
Kanye West and former Yeezy apparel chief of staff Milo Yiannopoulos have been hit with a lawsuit filed in a United States District Court in California. The plaintiffs include eight former employees, who allege that they were subjected to “forced labor and cruel inhuman, or degrading treatment” while working on... Read More »
The U.S. Supreme Court has dealt a setback to the Biden administration’s efforts to extend federal protections against discrimination to gay and transgender students. In a 6-3 ruling on Monday, the court temporarily blocked the implementation of new Title IX regulations in several states, creating widespread uncertainty for schools nationwide.... Read More »
A naturalized citizen sued Meta Platforms, Inc., which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, for employment discrimination, alleging the social media company chose to hire noncitizens with specialty worker visas because it could pay them less. The Ninth Circuit, relying on a federal statute, reversed the district court’s dismissal of the... Read More »
The United States Supreme Court has decided to take up a case on the constitutionality of state bans on gender-affirming care. Currently, the states are split on whether this care should be allowed for minors under the age of 18. Gender-affirming care is used to treat gender dysmorphia, which occurs... Read More »
In a decision on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a setback to the prosecution of former President Donald Trump on charges related to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. The court's 6-3 ruling granted former presidents sweeping immunity for their official acts while in office, potentially... Read More »
The California Legislature has passed reforms to a decades-old labor law with bipartisan support and a promise of immediate implementation upon Governor Gavin Newsom's signature. The reforms, approved on Thursday, aim to amend the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) of 2004, which allows workers to sue employers for labor violations... Read More »
Starting Tuesday, a new law will require many California bars and nightclubs to offer common date-rape drug test kits to protect patrons from the dangers of drink spiking. The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has confirmed that the implementation of Assembly Bill 1013 will affect approximately 2,400 establishments... Read More »
A woman who received electroconvulsive therapy for depression sued Somatics, LLC, the manufacturer of an FDA-cleared device that delivers electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), aka electric shock treatment, to treat severe major depressive episodes. Before undergoing her treatment, the patient was only warned that ECT could cause short-term memory loss. Unfortunately, her... Read More »
On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 1984 precedent that had long empowered government agencies to interpret ambiguous laws. The 6-3 ruling, which came in a fishing industry regulation case, is a triumph for opponents of expansive government oversight and deals a setback to President Joe Biden's administration. The... Read More »
