Navigating Conflicting Laws, Regulations When It Comes to Implementing DEI Policies in the Workplace
Conflicting laws and regulations that vary significantly between the states create a challenging roadmap filled with obstacles for employers. Here are just a few best practices for law firms and companies to navigate what is now a balancing act when it comes to DEI in the workplace.
August 16, 2024 at 10:42 AM
9 minute read
DiversityProgress for the advancement of many in our profession and beyond has historically been glacial, particularly for people of color, those with disabilities we can see and those that we cannot, and openly LGBTQ+ people. Events of the past year, including the U.S. Supreme Court decision on affirmative action and the censorship of DEI initiatives in a growing number of states, are likely to slow and potentially reverse the advances we as a profession have made and will also impact the broader business community. The increased vilifying of LGBTQ+ individuals, the ridicule of those who are differently abled, the significant rise in anti-Semitism, violence against Asians, and other acts of virulent exclusion will more likely go unchecked if we as lawyers do not exemplify, study, and champion diversity, as well as the elimination of bias and inclusion. As trained advocates, if we do not advocate for protecting the value of a diverse and inclusive culture, the brutal lessons from history will haunt us. Conflicting laws and regulations that vary significantly between the states create a challenging roadmap filled with obstacles for employers. Here are just a few best practices for law firms and companies to navigate what is now a balancing act when it comes to DEI in the workplace.
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Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
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