CASE UPDATE: Juarez v. Social Finance, Case No. 3:20-cv-03386-LB Fair access to loans is a civil right. Our livelihood depends on credit because we use loans to advance our education, purchase a home or a car, or keep our businesses running. This is why it is critical for lenders to stop blocking entire categories of consumers from accessing loans simply because they are not U.S. citizens and instead evaluate their application based on their credit history and profile. In 2020 Outten & Golden filed a nationwide class-action lawsuit against SoFi, a major online personal finance co ..read more

  The #MeToo movement isn’t only about revealing abusive conduct by Hollywood moguls and television celebrities. Empowered in part by the strength of this movement, women and men employed in low-wage hourly jobs at McDonald’s and other fast-food franchises are stepping forward to expose sexual harassment and hostile work environments. Sexual Harassment: An Endemic, Systemic Problem According to one 2017 report, 90 percent of women and 70 percent of men in the restaurant industry indicated they were subjected to sexual harassment, more than any other industry ..read more

  Job seekers in Illinois will soon likely have fewer reasons to worry that past convictions will stand in the way of future employment opportunities. The Illinois legislature recently passed amendments to the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) that expand “ban the box” protections against employment and hiring discrimination based on criminal history. If signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker as expected, SB 1480 will make it more difficult for employers to justify using past convictions for adverse hiring decisions. The state’s existing “ban the box” law generally prohibits employers from asking ab ..read more

Job seekers and workers in Philadelphia will soon have fewer worries about whether their criminal or credit histories will stand in the way of potential opportunities. That is due to a series of amendments to Philadelphia’s “Ban The Box” ordinance and other provisions of The Philadelphia Code that further limit the information employers can use when screening candidates and making employment decisions. If you are looking for work in Philadelphia, here is what you need to know about these changes and how they impact your right to be free from employment discrimination based on unrelated crimina ..read more

  With the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine, employers are anxious to get workers back onsite. At the same time, many employees have concerns over vaccinations at work: Can my employer force me to get a vaccine? What if I refuse? What if I have a disability or religious belief that would prevent me from doing so?  EEOC Provides Guidance on Workplace Vaccinations On December 16, 2020, The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published an updated technical assistance document – “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws” –   ..read more

  In New York City and elsewhere in the country in recent years, job applicants and employees have obtained increased protections from employment discrimination based on criminal history. “Ban the box” laws and ordinances, including New York City’s Fair Chance Act (FCA), provide opportunities for tens of thousands of workers, under the idea that past transgressions should not render a person ineligble for all employment. As New York City explains, “there is no greater danger to the health, morals, safety and welfare of the city and its inhabitants than the existence of groups prejudiced a ..read more

Gaming is big business. Often, it is also a cesspool of misogyny, assault, sexual harassment, and discrimination. As detailed in a recent New York Times exposé, scores of competitive gamers and streamers have courageously come forward with stories of rampant sexual misconduct and hostile environments of harassment allowed to persist by industry leaders and fellow competitors. As appalling as the tales are, victims and others in the industry forecast these recent stories will serve as catalysts for long-overdue changes after previous waves of complaints were met with swift backlash or denials ..read more

If the events of the past few weeks have shown us anything, it’s that – like Black lives – words matter. Both spoken and in writing, the language we use has the power to inspire, offend, unite, and divide. Sometimes, the use of seemingly harmless words, or even the absence of words, can be influential. For lawyers, words are our stock in trade. In contracts and other transactions, choosing the right terms leads to agreement; selecting vague and ambiguous terms, or choosing not to abide by them, leads to disagreement and courtroom disputes. This is no more important than in the employer-employe ..read more

The current chaos in our lives includes a pandemic that has put over twenty million people out of work and the seemingly unceasing killing of Black people by police. But last week, we saw glimmers of hope for a better future. On Thursday, June 18, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s attempts to rescind the DACA program. Three days earlier, the high court found the language of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (prohibiting sex discrimination) applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Both decisions significantly impact worker ..read more

In a significant victory for immigrants’ rights, the U.S Supreme Court blocked the Trump Administration’s attempt to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Court’s surprising 5-4 decision found the administration failed to provide legally sufficient reasons for ending the program under the Administrative Procedure Act. While the Court’s decision in Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of University of California (Regents) acknowledges the Administration can end DACA if it provides a sufficient reason, many legal and political experts agree that it wil ..read more