New England Biz Law Update

Effective handling of employee complaints is a cornerstone of healthy workplace culture and risk management.

A female doctor’s claims of gender discrimination and retaliation failed to survive summary judgment when she couldn’t demonstrate that workplace tensions stemmed from gender-based animus rather than general interpersonal conflicts, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.

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.