Title VII Archives - The Coppola Firm

HR Alert: EEOC Challenges DEI Hiring Practices

Written by Lisa Coppola on May 20, 2026. Posted in Business, Compliance, Employment, Entrepreneurship.

Since the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, the understanding of how Title VII applies to employers was not up for significant debate. Under the current federal administration, though, that appears to be changing. EEOC...

HR Alert: Employment Law Liability & Volunteers

Written by Lisa Coppola on May 19, 2026. Posted in Business, Charter Schools, Compliance, Employment.

Many organizations rely on the work of volunteers to make meaningful impacts in their communities. But what if a volunteer engages in discriminatory behavior? Even though a volunteer may not be considered an employee, the...

HR Alert: New DEI Executive Order Targets Federal Contractors, But the Law Hasn’t Changed

Written by Lisa Coppola on March 30, 2026. Posted in Business, Charter Schools, Compliance, Employment, Entrepreneurship.

President Trump’s new DEI Executive Order puts federal contractors and subcontractors on notice, but it does not rewrite federal or New York discrimination law. Small businesses and nonprofits need to understand what the Order...

HR Alert: EEOC Votes to Cancel 2024 Harassment Guidance

Written by Lisa Coppola on March 1, 2026. Posted in Business, Compliance, Employment, Entrepreneurship.

In late January, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) voted to rescind its 2024 Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace (“2024 Harassment Guidance”). In a 2-1 vote, Chair Andrea Lucas and Commissioner...

HR Alert: More on DEI “Discrimination”

Written by Lisa Coppola on June 6, 2025. Posted in Business, Compliance, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Litigation.

The Trump Administration remains focused on what it calls illegal diversity, equity, inclusion practices. As a result, the EEOC and federal Department of Justice this spring released two technical assistance documents. We’d...

HR Alert: Religious Exemptions

Written by Lisa Coppola on May 30, 2025. Posted in Business, Compliance, Employment, Entrepreneurship.

As we know, federal law prohibits employers from taking what the law calls an adverse employment action – some kind of negative action – against an employee for her religious beliefs, even when those beliefs conflict...

HR Alert: Disparate Impact – Does it Exist Anymore?

Written by Lisa Coppola on April 29, 2025. Posted in Business, Compliance, Employment, Entrepreneurship.

On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) entitled Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy, which set out as the Administration’s policy a goal: to eliminate the use of disparate-impact...

HR Alert: Navigating DEI in a Shifting Legal Landscape

Written by Lisa Coppola on February 22, 2025. Posted in Business, Compliance, Employment, Entrepreneurship.

Since taking office, President Trump has issued a series of Executive Orders (EOs), some of which attacked companies that believe in diversity, equity, and inclusion as means of complying with Title VII as well as various State...

HR Alert: Beware New York’s Lower Standard for Sexual Harassment Claims

Written by Lisa Coppola on February 26, 2024. Posted in Business, Compliance, Employment, Entrepreneurship.

For business owners, it’s important to understand the legal standards applied to claims that can be brought against you and your business. That’s why it’s critical to appreciate that there are two different laws –...

HR Alert: Title VII Theories of Liability

Written by Lisa Coppola on October 30, 2023. Posted in Business, Compliance, Employment, Entrepreneurship.

Welcome back to our series on Title VII. Our previous blog answered the “what” of Title VII. So, now let’s take a peek at the “how,” that is, how a claim generally is made by an employee against their employer using this longstanding...

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Tag: Title VII