For the past 40 years, federal administrative agencies have enjoyed broad latitude in interpreting statutes passed by Congress. Known as “Chevron deference,” courts have routinely deferred to the agencies’ often politically motivated and even self-empowering interpretation of an otherwise ambiguous statute. This has led to a significant delegation (indeed, some would say surrender) of
Dixie Morrison
Dixie Morrison is an associate in the Labor & Employment Department and a member of the Employment Litigation & Arbitration Group. She is a member of the Discrimination, Harassment, & Title VII and the Labor-Management Relations practice groups.
Dixie assists clients across a variety of industries in litigation and arbitration relating to wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, trade secrets, breach of contract, and whistleblower matters in both the single-plaintiff and class and collective action contexts. She also maintains an active traditional labor and collective bargaining practice and regularly counsels employers on a diverse range of workplace issues.
Dixie earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she was the Executive Editor of Submissions for the Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law. Dixie received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Pomona College. Prior to law school, she served as a labor and economic policy aide in the United States Senate.
Race Discrimination Claims by Broadway Actor Sent Back to the Underworld in the Face of Producer’s First Amendment Rights
A federal court in New York has held that a Broadway musical’s casting decisions—specifically replacing one actor with another actor of a different race—are shielded by the First Amendment from employment discrimination claims, in a decision that could have implications across the entertainment industry.
In Moore v. Hadestown Broadway LLC, the plaintiff, a Black…
EEOC Inks First-Ever AI-Based Antidiscrimination Settlement
On August 9, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) and iTutorGroup, Inc. filed a joint notice of settlement and consent decree announcing the settlement of a discrimination in hiring lawsuit. This settlement marks the first instance in which the EEOC settled a lawsuit alleging unlawful discrimination stemming from the use of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”)…
Federal Law Prohibiting Pre-Dispute Arbitration of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Claims Not Retroactive, New Jersey Court Confirms
A new federal law invalidating pre-dispute arbitration agreements for sexual harassment and sexual assault claims does not apply retroactively, a New Jersey appeals court recently confirmed.
In Zuluaga v. Altice USA (N.J. App. Div. Nov. 29, 2022), the plaintiff had signed an arbitration agreement waiving her right to bring employment-related disputes in court when…
EEOC and the DOJ Issue Guidance for Employers Using AI Tools to Assess Job Applicants and Employees
Employers are more frequently relying on the use of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) tools to automate employment decision-making, such as software that can review resumes and “chatbots” that interview and screen job applicants. We have previously blogged about the legal risks attendant to the use of such technologies, including here and here.
On May 12,…