By Jill Kahn Marshall and Anna Beckelman On April 23, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy” which aims to “eliminate the use of disparate-impact liability in all contexts to the maximum degree possible to avoid violating the Constitution, Federal civil rights...
By Ethan Krasnoo Can an employer fire an employee shortly before the employee is due to collect a bonus and withhold the bonus payment? In a ruling from May 2, 2025, a New York appellate court has held the employer cannot do so, because the withholding of an earned bonus...
RPJ’s Deena R. Merlen spoke with the Financial Times earlier this month about the waves of layoffs sweeping through Silicon Valley. “We’re seeing seismic changes in employment practices, reflecting a broader cultural shift in the U.S.,” says Ms. Merlen in the article. “These shifts are influencing how decisions are made...
Last week, RPJ’s Nafsika Karavida delivered a presentation before the International Section of the Swedish Bar Association in New York City. The event featured a series of independent presentations by leading legal professionals, including Gonzalo Zeballos, Partner and Head of BakerHostetler’s International Litigation team; Carlos Ramos-Mrosovsky, Chair of the NYSBA’s...
By Jill Kahn Marshall and Anna Beckelman The New York State Senate recently passed Senate Bill S372, also known as the No Severance Ultimatums Act, which would add a new Section 215-d to the New York Labor Law in order to “ensure that all New Yorkers are provided protections when...
RPJ’s Deena Merlen was recently interviewed by Business Insider about Microsoft’s large-scale waves of layoffs. Asked whether Microsoft’s recent actions are actually unlawful, Ms. Merlen noted that some employees may seek to argue that they were chosen to be included in the layoffs not because of non-discriminatory, performance-based reasons as...
This week’s Fortune Newsletter addressing the recent scrutiny Meta is facing for its controversial workplace practice, keeping “do not hire” lists concerning Meta’s former employees, featured comments from RPJ Partner Alice Jump. This practice, while uncommon, is not unheard of for companies and essentially serves as an identifier of employees...
As civil rights activists recently called on consumers to mount a one-day boycott of Target in late February, Vogue Business asked, “Is a consumer boycott brewing in the US?” That question has been squarely answered as calls for such boycotts have multiplied in protest of companies retreating from their diversity,...
RPJ Partner Deena R. Merlen spoke with Fortune last week about Kelly Stonelake’s lawsuit filed earlier this month against Meta (formerly known as Facebook). Stonelake, who worked at the tech giant for fifteen years, accuses Meta of egregious sex discrimination and retaliation in violation of state discrimination laws in Washington...
In a recent article for ArsTechnica, RPJ’s Deena R. Merlen commented on Dell's return-to-office (RTO) mandate, set to take effect on March 3. This policy requires employees who live within an hour of an office to return full-time in-person. Those living farther away may continue working remotely, though the specifics...