Sexual harassment has been in the headlines again in recent weeks. Just last week, the EEOC filed suit against a trucking company in Michigan over alleged sexual harassment. The EEOC claims that the president of logistics, who was also a member of the board of directors and part owner, passed over more qualified candidates to
Four recent decisions by federal courts show just how much weight an employer’s investigation can hold in litigation, for better or worse. Investigation quality does not operate on a simple pass/fail switch. It moves along a spectrum, and where an employer’s investigation lands on that spectrum — from “feeble” to “flawed” — can decide a
When workplace disputes move from behind the scenes to the front page, the script doesn’t change as much as one might expect. Last week, the Southern District of New York issued an opinion in Blake Lively v. Justin Baldoni that reads less like a Hollywood drama and more like an employment law primer where documentation
In a case of first impression, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held on February 25, 2026, that all claims in a sexual harassment case are prohibited from going to arbitration, not just the sexual harassment claim.
This decision means that employers will not be able to compel arbitration of other employment claims when there
On January 16, 2026, a federal jury in Atlanta awarded $5.5 million to a security guard who alleged that her security company’s vice president of operations sexually harassed her.
The plaintiff, Makita Bryant, sued both the security company and the vice president in his individual capacity. For her claims against the security company, Bryant was
If an employee complains about a sexually suggestive picture circulating in the workplace that looks like her but is not, is that a hostile work environment complaint? It might be. In Lillian Carranza v. City of Los Angeles, a California appeals court recently upheld a $4 million verdict for a former Los Angeles Police
Recall that just last year, the EEOC updated its Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace for the first time in 30 years. We blogged about it here. Earlier this year, President Trump issued Executive Order 14168 directing the EEOC to rescind portions of the guidance; however, the EEOC took no action because it
Can you compel arbitration with an employee who is alleging sexual harassment? You may recall that in 2022, Congress enacted the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (EFAA), which precludes employers from requiring employees to arbitrate sexual harassment claims. But what if the alleged harassment occurred before the EFAA effective date?
Harassment prevention is still a top priority for federal agencies (which means it should be a priority for all employers). Last spring, we blogged about the EEOC’s guidance on this issue, and now the OFCCP has issued its own guidance, this time focusing on harassment in the construction industry.
There is nothing particularly
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released long-awaited Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace, No. 915.064. The EEOC also published a “Summary of Key Provisions,” FAQs for employees, and a fact sheet for small businesses. This is the EEOC’s first update to its harassment guidance in 30 years