New England Biz Law Update

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit against six related entities operating Taco Bell restaurants in Michigan, alleging that they violated federal law by allowing a senior manager to sexually harass female employees, including teenagers, and firing a local assistant manager who reported the misconduct.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi issued a memorandum to all Department of Justice employees in February outlining a shift in the DOJ’s approach to immigration enforcement. Citing illegal immigration as a “historic threat” to the nation, the memo called for an aggressive stance that prioritizes criminal prosecution of immigration-related violations.

A jury can decide whether Texas A&M University-Texarkana discriminated against a White administrator on the basis of race when it forced him to resign after 25 years of employment and replaced him with a younger Black woman, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas has ruled.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has appealed a Texas federal court’s decision that invalidated its 2024 overtime rule, setting the stage for a review by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

LeoPalace Guam Corporation, operating as LeoPalace Resort in Guam, has agreed to pay $1,412,500 to resolve a national origin discrimination lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

A municipal attorney who accused a city solicitor of harassment, unequal pay, Wage Act violations, and unethical conduct did not waive her claims by also filing a whistleblower suit, a U.S. District Court judge in Massachusetts has ruled.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell is leading a counterattack against President Donald Trump’s frontal assault on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the country’s workplaces.

The annual H-1B pre-registration process is set to open on March 7 and will continue through March 24, 2025.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a lower court’s ruling, finding that an oil service technician provided sufficient evidence to survive summary judgment on his disability-related claims. The technician had regularly updated his employer about a knee injury. However, he was terminated after attempting to return from medical leave.

Several organizations banded together to file a federal lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders aimed at eliminating “illegal” diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) programs, marking the first major legal challenge to the administration's new DEI policies.