In a 7-3 decision, the Eleventh Circuit sitting en banc declined to overrule Walker v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 734 F.3d 1278 (11th Cir. 2013), and held (again) that a jury’s negligence and strict liability findings in the Engle class action against tobacco companies may be given preclusive effect in follow-on individual cases without violating…
Tag: En banc
Plaintiff in Sexual-Orientation Discrimination Case Files En Banc Petition, Highlighted by Newly Created Circuit Split
A high-profile Seventh Circuit decision and a circuit split may increase the likelihood of the Eleventh Circuit granting rehearing en banc in Evans v. Georgia Regional Hospital, a decision we covered here last month. A divided panel in Evans held that—unlike discrimination based on gender non-conformity—discrimination based on sexual orientation is not prohibited by Title…
Revised Opinion Issued After EEOC Seeks En Banc Review of “Dreadlocks” Decision
As we reported here, the Eleventh Circuit rejected a claim for intentional racial discrimination against an employer that had banned “dreadlocks” from the workplace in EEOC v. Catastrophe Management Solutions, 837 F.3d 1156 (11th Cir. Sept. 15, 2016). Apparently dissatisfied with that result, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a petition for rehearing en banc…
Eleventh Circuit Rules Against EEOC Finding Age Discrimination in Hiring Claims Cannot Be Based on Disparate Impact Theory
May a job applicant sue a prospective employer based on a policy that had an adverse and disproportionate effect on him because of his age? The Eleventh Circuit, in an en banc opinion published October 5, 2016, Villarreal v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Pinstripe, Inc., 2016 WL 5800001, ruled that only employees may bring a disparate impact claim…