Dirty Linen: How Women Sued the Reader's Digest and Changed History, by Elaine Auerbach
Dirty Linen is an everywoman manifesto and a gentle tutorial on fundamental civil rights activism by the working mom next door. Set in Westchester County, New York in the 1970’s, Reader’s Digest was, at the...
New Legislation Introduced to End Forced Arbitration in Sexual Assault Cases
The Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) has been around for decades, but one of the consequences of the #MeToo movement has been a widespread recognition that allowing employers to force survivors of sexual assault and harassment into arbitration is a real problem. Not only do arbitration agreements...
California Law Revived: Ninth Circuit Partially Upholds Ban on Mandatory Arbitration
In 2019, California Governor Newsom signed bill AB-51 into law. The new law effectively allowed employees to bring employment-related claims to court instead of mandated arbitration. One year later, when certain business groups attempted to challenge the law, U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller...
A Missouri College Combats Sexual Assault On Campus with Student-Run Organization
In 2016, the CDC reported that while attending college, about 10% of undergraduate women and 3% of men experience some kind of sexual assault. Students at Northwest Missouri State University are taking steps to fight back against sexual assault occurring on campus. It’s On Us is a student-led...
Allegheny College Reaches Settlement with Student in Title IX Case
Following mediation, sexual assault claims against Allegheny College were settled last month in a Pennsylvania court. The lawsuit was filed by a female former Allegheny football player who alleged Title IX violations, as well as negligence and emotional, physical, and mental distress, after she...
Five Plaintiffs Join Sexual Assault Case Against Eastern Michigan University
A total of 24 individuals have joined a Title IX lawsuit against Eastern Michigan University, alleging Title IX violations related to several sexual assaults at the school. The newest plaintiffs filing in the September 2021 case include four women and one man. Plaintiffs allege that the school...
Six State Senators Urge EEOC to Investigate Pregnancy Discrimination at Amazon
Senators from six states are urging the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) to investigate potential discrimination practices against pregnant Amazon warehouse employees. The senators sent a letter to the EEOC citing the e-commerce giant’s “systemic failure to provide adequate accommodations”...
Facebook Accused of Discrimination in Job Ad Targeting
Facebook has been accused of gender and age discrimination relating to its targeted job advertising practices. In a report released in September 2021 by nonprofit group Global Witness describing an investigation into Facebook’s ad targeting algorithm, the social media giant “appears to operate...
Same-Sex Workplace Sexual Harassment Laws Expanded In Landmark Appeal
A recent decision in the Fourth Circuit appellate court further defined the “evidentiary routes” available to employee plaintiffs bringing same-sex sexual harassment claims. This type of harassment in the workplace is prohibited by Title VII.
In Roberts v. Glenn Industrial Group, Inc., the court...
Sexual Abuse Class Action Filed by Four Current and Former Brown University Students
Grant & Eisenhofer and co-counsel have filed a federal class action complaint alleging Brown University failed to protect them after being sexually assaulted on and off campus, despite university policies and knowledge of the transgressions.
The plaintiffs, four former and current students...
Workplace Discrimination Resources Available After Landmark Supreme Court Decision
In June 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a breakthrough decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. The decision held that employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or transgender status is prohibited as part of sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. One year...
New York Passes Bill Organizing Panel of Experts to Stop Cyberbullying
Earlier this summer, a bill was passed by New York lawmakers to establish a cohort to study cyberbullying in the state. The nine-member task force includes experts from the fields of child psychology, mental health, technology, among others, to combat online bullying. The goal of the group is...