Sex Discrimination

In an attempt to avoid charges of discrimination under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, a Houston area employer argued that lactation was “not a medically related condition of pregnancy.” The appellate court flatly rejected this argument, stating “It is undisputed in this appeal that lactation is a physiological result of being pregnant and bearing a child.”…

A recent sex bias case out of Louisiana shows that unfortunately, sexism is still alive and well in the workplace. Despite some progress being made toward gender equality – sexist jokes, harassment and biased attitudes still affect many women and may hinder their ability to receive deserved promotions. In the sex discrimination case filed against…

Recently a female basketball referee from New Jersey brought a lawsuit against the local school district and the state scholastic association alleging that she was being illegally discrimination against because of her sex. According to her sex discrimination lawsuit, she was unlawfully excluded from officiating boys’ high school varsity basketball games. The lawsuit raised a…

Many times when workplace discrimination occurs its subtle. For example sex discrimination doesn’t necessarily include an overt statement or action – such as groping or other obvious sexual actions – but may rather exist in a company’s policy or actions that have the effect of discrimination – but aren’t quite so obvious. It’s important to…

A recent Pennsylvania case looked at whether a medical assistant who was subjected to three days of sexual overtures by a doctor who worked for her employer could go to trial on claims of sexual harassment and retaliation. The court determined she could. The medial assistant – Aimee Fox – complained about a doctor employed…

Can you bring a sexual discrimination lawsuit if you are a volunteer? Yes said the 7th circuit court in a recent sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation case involving unpaid volunteers. The court in Volling v. Antioch Rescue Squad reviewed whether female members of a private, nonprofit rescue squad in Illinois may sue the two companies that…

A large class action gender discrimination lawsuit has just been filed against a high profile law firm. The lawsuit Francine Friedman Griesing v. Greenberg Traurig, LLP, includes 215 women, was filed after the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found “reasonable cause to believe” that the law firm discriminated against its female attorneys. The EEOC…

Workers can bring cases based on sex and disability discrimination for a variety of reasons. Although in some situations the discrimination may be obvious such as firing an employee for turning down sexual advances, other times the discrimination may not be readily apparent. In a recent employment discrimination case out of Ohio, Koren v. Ohio Bell…

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has just ruled that federal employment discrimination law (Title VII) prohibits transgender discrimination. This means that employers may not take a person’s transgender status into account in making employment decisions, such a hiring, firing and promoting. This decision follows the same reasoning applied to longstanding sex and gender discrimination laws…